I find this an invaluable question when interviewing not only coaches and trainers, but Scrum Masters, Project Managers (where the client calls them that) and Programme Managers or Programme Directors. Their response gives me insight into their understanding of how leaders can help to create a Learning Organisation.
Agile teams aspiring to deliver value to their customer earlier and more regularly rely on successful product ownership. This comes largely from the team member whom the organisation has empowered to represent the customer whilst defining requirements, prioritising deliverables and managing evolving business needs. As Mastek's Digital Transformation lead I have worked through this first-hand with the NHS.
Most digital teams look to their Scrum Master or Project Manager when there is a problem or when a decision needs to be made. But to ensure that teams become self-managing and find their own momentum, digital leaders need techniques to help advance behaviour.
Dylan hit the ground pretty hard…. He smacked his head and his rugby helmet was in my bag. “It itches Dad!”…. At least he had his gum shield in...
My son is also a rugby player called Dylan and it’s hard to see him get hurt. It's difficult to know which risks are okay for a youngster. But every game sees him stronger and better. Rugby builds his confidence. He knows about the strength of a team – literally. He gets better, so he works harder. He listens to his coaches. They are generous, patient, keen volunteers - great role models. They love to see him play well. His club runs medical training so lots of members are medics. He has the right team around him. And the right tools for the job - if only he would use them.
Tools are key to success but should not be over-complicated.
Instant chat (Lync, Messenger) and a phone and/or USB headset are key. [All agile tools here are Trademarks]
In the age of the customer you need to move fast to compete with the digital upstarts. Creating a small responsive development capability is easy. Quickly delivering complex solutions at scale is diffi cult.
Enterprise Agile exploits early-and-often value delivery using expert scaled Agile teams. Cost control and the need to scale quickly mean that o ffsite or off shore delivery is a must. But how do you leverage competitive distributed teams without losing the responsiveness and flexibility of co-location?
McKinsey&Company’s Diversity Matters project found that companies in the top quartile for racial and ethnic diversity are 35 percent more likely to have financial returns above their respective national industry medians.
Differing performance levels from companies in the same industry and the same country imply that diversity is a competitive differentiator. The most important drivers that McKinsey identified were:
