Agile Transformation is People Transformation
The Buddha taught that nothing stands alone and everything changes. His followers regarded these as fundamental truths, known as emptiness and impermanence. Even 2500 years later, despite numerous scholars attempting to clarify these concepts, many of us still struggle to grasp them.
In my first article, I suggested that Agile’s main issue is its brevity. It’s a set of values and principles rather than a prescriptive methodology, which often leaves people unsure about how to “become agile.” We spend endless hours interpreting Agile’s values and principles and pondering where to begin.
There isn’t a quick fix for becoming Agile. Similar to learning any new skill, it requires substantial effort before it feels natural. Think about learning to drive. Initially, there’s the intent to drive, followed by theoretical and practical lessons, and perhaps a minor accident or two. Even after getting your license, you don’t become an expert driver immediately. It takes time and practice to overcome the fear of driving.
Applying this to Agile, it’s clear that the values and principles need continuous practice, trial and error, and reinforcement until they become second nature. Only then can we claim to be truly Agile. However, this assumes you’ve decided to pursue it, started the journey, and persisted until you reached your goals. In reality, transformation happens in stages, circles, and spirals.
Think about any personal transformation. We move through stages of awareness, intention to change, initial effort, concentrated regular effort, growing pains, initial successes, enjoying the transformation process, integrating changes, and eventually reaching a new status quo. Throughout these stages, setbacks can occur due to environmental changes, unforeseen events, or internal struggles. This is applicable to Agile transformations as well because Agile transformation is fundamentally people transformation.
It’s not just about individual effort and intention to change. Returning to the Buddha’s teaching: everything exists in context, including people. People can influence the system around them, but they often conform to it. Sometimes, the system can keep people stuck, even if they are ready for change. Relationships also significantly impact human behavior. Transformation is about changing both people and the system they operate within. Organizations consist of people working together under certain agreements that shape their experiences and relationships. To facilitate change, change the system and improve relationships.
In technology companies, we often overlook this perspective. Many in the tech industry believe they are exceptionally smart, assuming that no complex idea should be difficult to grasp or implement. This mindset leads to treating people like machines that follow instructions perfectly. However, people don’t operate that way. This flawed notion contributes to failed transformations, missed project deadlines, and unmet ROI projections. Instead of acknowledging the complexity of the task, we blame poor instruction-following.
Our misbelief that people should operate like machines is at fault. In the Agile community, this manifests as patterns where we superficially implement methodologies like Scrum or Kanban, but when they fail, we simply move on to the next methodology, hoping for better outcomes. This approach ignores self-reflection and constructive dialogue. Often, we criticize others harshly without recognizing our own shortcomings.
The tech industry has a kindness problem, and so does the Agile community. We frequently hear complaints about various roles not being Agile enough, creating an environment where people stop listening. Words seldom change people; relationships do. Unfortunately, our language tends to be more destructive than constructive, and we seldom make an effort to understand others’ perspectives.
Transformation is a deep, often painful process. It involves significant effort, persistence, self-leadership, support, and a willingness to leave behind old beliefs and behaviors. An Agile transformation entails changing how people collaborate, which is more about relationships than formal roles in an organization.
To achieve Agile transformation, you need to imagine transforming a team with rigid, traditional practices into a collaborative, Agile team. This isn’t a simple switch; it requires systemic change and coaching. Change the system to support open communication, teamwork, and a safe environment for feedback. Use technology to facilitate collaboration, not isolation.
Transformation is challenging because humans resist change due to ingrained habits and belief systems. Instead of trying to change people, coach them. This involves providing support and guidance throughout the transformation process.
In conclusion, I invite everyone to practice kindness and empathy in the workplace. View colleagues as humans with their own pressures and joys. Work collaboratively, negotiate respectfully, and treat each other with the same care we would like for ourselves. Embracing this approach can make transformations more natural and enjoyable. For more insights on Agile transformation, I recommend watching Anton Zotin’s talk on avoiding common pitfalls in Agile adoption.
In the next part of this series, I will delve into how to reintroduce joy at work during transformations.