Boosting Agility by Scaling Decision-Making

Big companies are no longer guaranteed survival. Companies who move fast and pivot faster are disrupting them, largely due to an ability to make quick decisions. It seems that when companies grow larger, their decision-making processes get slower.

Lean leaders know that an ability to make quick decisions at scale comes when you empower those with the most information to make decisions - but getting started can be terrifying. In this session, Julia will share how to alleviate management fears and embark on a safe journey of distributed decision-making.

Transcript

1. #lascot @everydaykanban | @TeamLagom !1 Boosting Agility by Scaling Your Decision-Making Julia Wester Co-Founder / Consultant Lagom Solutions
2. Agility the power of moving quickly and easily; nimbleness @everydaykanban | @TeamLagom !2 #lascot
3. @everydaykanban | @TeamLagom !3 #lascot It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to change. Charles Darwin, 1809
4. #lascot @everydaykanban | @TeamLagom !4 Adapted from Stephen Bungay’s “The Art of Action” Outcomes Actions Plans What We Think Will Happen
5. @everydaykanban | @TeamLagom !5 #lascot But, Human Systems are Complex Human Tower www.designboom.com
6. @everydaykanban | @TeamLagom !6 #lascot The very business of getting an organization made up of individuals, no matter how disciplined, to pursue a collective goal produces friction just as surely as applying the brakes of a car. Stephen Bungay, Art of Action
7. #lascot @everydaykanban | @TeamLagom !7 Changing Environment Complex Environment Emotion & Stress Personal Interests Different Agendas External Actors Choice Lack of Data Noise Misunderstandings Different Interpretations Different Priorities Independent Wills Unpredictable Events Imperfect Information Imperfect Information Transfer Limited Knowledge Independent Agents Human Finitude External Factors Internal Factors
8. @everydaykanban | @TeamLagom !8 #leanagileus Adapted from Stephen Bungay’s “The Art of Action” Outcomes Plans Actions ! ! ! Inherent Human Limitations Uncertain environment Failure to Execute The Complex Truth
9. The 3 Gaps @everydaykanban | @TeamLagom !9 #lascot Adapted from Stephen Bungay’s “The Art of Action” Outcomes Plans Actions ! ! ! Effects Gap Difference between what we expect our actions to achieve and what they actually achieve Knowledge Gap Difference between what we would like to know and what we actually know Alignment Gap Difference between what we want people to do and what they actually do
10. @everydaykanban | @TeamLagom !10 #lascot Seem familiar? image creator unknown
11. Outcomes Plans Effects Gap Knowledge Gap Alignment Gap Actions Outcomes Plans Effects Gap Knowledge Gap Alignment Gap Actions @everydaykanban | @TeamLagom !11 Two approaches to dealing with the unknown #lascot more detailed controls more detailed information more detailed instructions freedom to adjust actions limit instruction, give intent allow levels to decide & back brief Instruction Direction Leader - Follower Leader - Leader
12. @everydaykanban | @TeamLagom !12 #lascot Instruction Leader - Follower more detailed instructions Alignment Gap Knowledge Gap more detailed information
13. @everydaykanban | @TeamLagom !13 #lascot Image: ohmygodlife.com The Vicious Cycle
14. @everydaykanban | @TeamLagom !14 #lascot Dave Snowden, released under CC BY 3.0 Instruction Direction Context Matters! Cynefin: a sense-making model by Dave Snowden
15. @everydaykanban | @TeamLagom !15 #lascot Bridging the Gaps
16. @everydaykanban | @TeamLagom !16 #lascot If a problem is widespread and enduring, its origins are likely to be deep-seated. Stephen Bungay, Art of Action The solution is therefore unlikely to be a quick fix or something new to add to what we do already.
17. @everydaykanban | @TeamLagom !17 #lascot Leaders, are you willing to 1. Prioritize (I mean really prioritize) 2. Let others make decisions? 3. Be accountable for others’ decisions? 4. Back off, but stay close for support? 5. Stick with it when it gets tough (long- term over short term).
18. @everydaykanban | @TeamLagom !18 #lascot Workers, are you willing to 1. Make decisions and assume responsibility for them. 2. Critically assess the way things are done 3. Communicate intent, often 4. Speak up when you see problems 5. Work on things that matter
19. @everydaykanban | @TeamLagom !19 #lascot Flickr: B4bees - CCby2.0 What keeps us from giving away or taking control?
20. Leader Worker @everydaykanban | @TeamLagom !20 #lascot Leader Worker Intent-Based Leadership Requires Bi-Directional Trust
21. @everydaykanban | @TeamLagom !21 #lascot How much control should be given? https://www.davidmarquet.com/2017/05/24/leadership-nudge-got-frustration/
22. Intent-Based Leadership The Basic Steps @everydaykanban | @TeamLagom !22 #lascot
23. @everydaykanban | @TeamLagom !23 #lascot Leader: Decide What Matters
24. @everydaykanban | @TeamLagom !24 #lascot Leader: Get the Message Across Via a Brief Context What triggered this need? What is the situation? Intent Short statement of task and its purpose Higher Intent How does this tie into intent from 1-2 levels up? Implied Tasks Obvious tasks that need to be done. Keep it minimal. Boundaries, Freedoms & Anti-Goals Known constraints, conditions to avoid, potential future decisions
25. @everydaykanban | @TeamLagom The Plan Actions team will take that should achieve outcomes How team will monitor success to determine if course correction is needed !25 #lascot Worker: Listen, Process, & Respond via a Backbrief Context What triggered this need? What is the situation? Intent Short statement of task and its purpose Higher Intent How does this tie into intent from 1-2 levels up? Implied Tasks Obvious tasks that need to be done. Keep it minimal. Boundaries, Freedoms & Anti-Goals Known constraints, conditions to avoid, potential future decisions Team Needed People / Skills Needed
26. Worker: Keep Lines of Communication Open @everydaykanban | @TeamLagom !26 #lascot Leader: Give People Space and Support
27. @everydaykanban | @TeamLagom !27 #lascot Worker: Reflect and Adapt As You Go
28. @everydaykanban | @TeamLagom !28 #lascot Outcomes Plans Actions ! ! !
29. @everydaykanban | @TeamLagom !29 #lascot Cascading intent fosters agility
30. @everydaykanban | @TeamLagom !30 #lascot Punishment can backfire!
31. Getting Started: Assess if everyone is ready, willing & able. @everydaykanban | @TeamLagom !31 #lascot
32. @everydaykanban | @TeamLagom !32 #lascot Choose a decision to begin with
33. @everydaykanban | @TeamLagom !33 #lascot Resources
34. @everydaykanban | @TeamLagom !34 #lascot julia@lagom.solutions @everydaykanban & @TeamLagom https://lagom.solutions http://everydaykanban.com https://www.linkedin.com/in/juliawester/ Contact me to talk more