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Does culture impact software design? @ DDD Europe 2022

Does culture impact software design? @ DDD Europe 2022

DDD is about understanding and communicating complexity. We have long recognized that the most effective way to communicate complexity is via human language. But language poses a challenge when working in a team comprised of members of different (sub)cultures and nationalities, each with a native language that might not be the same as the language we are communicating in. Each of these cultures has a different perception about how to communicate effectively. By way of example, in some cultures, it is considered appropriate and respectable to use the tentative voice “perhaps we should consider trying X”. Whereas in other cultures it is the assertive voice that is valued “This is how we should do it”.

Assuming that everybody in the room wants to communicate effectively, what aspects can we define that impact our design? What organizational culture fits better with what type of architecture (microservices, monolith)? And what cultural needs must these architectures and boundaries address to succeed? Join us in this hands-on where we together explore these challenges!

Kenny Baas-Schwegler

June 23, 2022
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Transcript

  1. Workshop Agenda
    What is culture?
    Organizational cultures
    How culture impacts design
    Meet your facilitators
    Conversational constraints theory

    View Slide

  2. Impromptu networking
    In two rounds 4 min each you will interview each other on the
    following questions:
    What is your definition of culture
    Tell something that is known about your culture
    What cultures are you a member of?
    Each round you will do this with someone else.
    1.
    2.
    3.
    What is your definition of culture
    Tell something that is known about your culture
    What cultures are you a member of?
    it happens in the
    implicit
    interaction
    Common set of
    believe and
    rituals and values
    collective
    unconsciousness
    something to do
    with behaviour
    Communication,
    collaboration
    toolbox
    default you can
    fall back on
    measure in the
    level of
    emotional safety
    Invisible to
    people
    expectation
    Going dutch
    (split the bill)
    jewish
    geography
    drinks witht
    he collegues
    Domain driven
    design culture
    what do
    you mean?
    collaboration,
    create
    community

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  3. Many definitions simply settle for the notion that culture
    is a set of shared meanings that make it possible for
    members of a group to interpret and act upon their
    environment.
    - Edgar Schein
    So a great heuristic to observe culture is when someone says:
    "This is how we do it here"

    sloanreview.mit.…
    Coming to a New
    Awareness of
    Organizational Culture
    1. See J. Martin and C. Siehl,
    "Organizational Culture and
    Counterculture: An Uneasy Symbiosis,"
    Organizational Dynamics, Autumn 1983,
    pp. 52-64. 2. See C. Argyris, "The
    Executive Mind and Double-Loop
    Learning," Organizational Dynamics,
    Autumn 1982, pp.…

    View Slide

  4. Group dialogue
    Provide examples of how you make sure communication during
    collaborative modeling or refinements or design sessions are
    effective.
    Conversational constraints theory
    Clarity: Do people understand what I am saying
    Feelings of others: Am I hurting people, or being rude?
    Own image: Do people see me the way I like them to see me.
    Space: Don’t I take to many or too little verbale and non-​
    verbale space.
    Effectiveness: How do I get what I want. How can I not get rejected.
    1.
    2.
    3.
    4.
    5.
    Group dialogue
    Considering conversation constraints theory, which of the answer you
    provided are culturally dependent, and thus artifacts.
    valuable
    results
    minimalist
    agenda and take
    aways
    minimal
    resources for
    effective outcome
    clear goal know
    to everyone
    right
    people
    having a
    facilitator
    having a smallish
    group, splitting
    up the group
    people first, then
    the problem
    honesty
    people feel
    safe
    active
    listening
    diverge
    converge
    clothes and
    feedback
    Balance
    understanding
    and understood
    gossip researching
    other cultures
    small talks
    before meeting
    start
    Getting straight
    to the point

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  5. Organizational culture is the pattern of basic assumptions
    that a given group has invented, discovered, or developed in
    learning to cope with its problems of external adaptation
    and internal integration, and that have worked well
    enough to be considered valid, and, therefore, to be taught
    to new members as the correct way to perceive, think, and
    feel in relation to those problems.
    - Edgar Schein
    Business stakeholder
    Domain Experts
    Architects
    managers
    analyst
    ......
    Code
    Engineering
    Team
    DDD implies bi-​directional flow.
    Can we do DDD in every culture?

    View Slide

  6. What are some examples “organizational Culture behaviour” from
    Westrum you have witnessed?
    Group dialogue
    How does the culture impact the architecture you use
    What patterns,principles or practices won’t work in certain cultures.
    1.
    2.
    Group dialogue
    Monolith, microservices, event-​driven, SOA, CQRS, Eventsourcing,
    layered, MVC, microkernel, ports and adapters
    Aggregate, conformist, shared kernel, partnership, API publish language,
    customer/supplier, Eventstorming, Example mapping, domain storytelling,
    Business model canvas, DRY, YAGNI,
    Game of
    thrones
    bold and the
    beautifull
    friends
    if you do not reach
    your goal, you are
    loosing your out started generative,
    and then
    bureaucratic came in
    We tend to be more
    rule oriented, and no
    more performance-​
    oriented
    It takes a week to
    get an answer
    from another team
    local manager
    has a lot of
    influence
    Managed
    by metric
    micro
    management
    delegate to
    the team

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  7. Artifacts: These are the “visible” symbols of the culture. It can include anything from clothing styles to posters on the wall to
    the volume of speech. Even if not understood, the artifacts that last are typically deeply tied to the underlying culture.
    Values: These are the “espoused” values – often found on company websites and also the area which has the greatest chance
    of being disconnected from reality.
    Basic Assumptions: These are the beliefs that people use to make day-​
    to-​
    day decisions within an organization. For example,
    an assumption may be that “it is best to speak up when I have a good idea.” Judging the assumptions and trade-​
    offs people
    make on a day-​
    to-​
    day basis is often the quickest way to understand the “real” culture.

    think-boundless.com
    Edgar Schein -
    Organizational Culture:
    Artifacts, Values &
    Assumptions
    Exploring Edgar Schein's ideas on
    culture including the artifacts, values &
    assumptions framework and his model
    of anxiety for "learning organizations"
    https://think-​
    boundless.com/edgar-​
    scheins-​
    anxiety-​
    assumptions-​
    powerful-​
    ideas-​
    on-​
    culture/

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