Boosting Your 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. This deck covers how to alleviate management fears and embark on a safe journey of distributed decision-making.

Transcript

1. #leanagileus @everydaykanban | @TeamLagom 1 Boosting Agility by Scaling Your Decision-Making Julia Wester Principal Consultant at Lagom Solutions Blogger at EverydayKanban.com
2. Agility the power of moving quickly and easily; nimbleness @everydaykanban | @TeamLagom 2 #leanagileus
3. @everydaykanban | @TeamLagom 3 #leanagileus 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. @everydaykanban | @TeamLagom 4 #leanagileus
5. #leanagileus @everydaykanban | @TeamLagom 5 Adapted from Stephen Bungay’s “The Art of Action” Outcomes Actions Plans What We Think Will Happen
6. @everydaykanban | @TeamLagom 6 #leanagileus Image: padraicino.com (2014) But, Human Systems are Complex
7. @everydaykanban | @TeamLagom 7 #leanagileus 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
8. #leanagileus @everydaykanban | @TeamLagom 8 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 Causes of Friction External Factors Internal Factors
9. #leanagileus @everydaykanban | @TeamLagom 9 Adapted from Stephen Bungay’s “The Art of Action” Outcomes Plans Actions Failure to Execute ! Inherent Human Limitations ! Uncertain environment ! The Complex Truth
10. Knowledge Gap Difference between what we would like to know and what we actually know Effects Gap Difference between what we expect our actions to achieve and what they actually achieve The 3 Gaps @everydaykanban | @TeamLagom 10 #leanagileus Adapted from Stephen Bungay’s “The Art of Action” Outcomes Plans Actions ! ! ! Alignment Gap Difference between what we want people to do and what they actually do
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 getting things done #leanagileus 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. Can instruction ever work? @everydaykanban | @TeamLagom 12 #leanagileus Yes, in the right context Dave Snowden, released under CC BY 3.0 Instruction Direction Cynefin: a sense-making framework
13. @everydaykanban | @TeamLagom 13 #leanagileus Image: ohmygodlife.com The Vicious Cycle
14. @everydaykanban | @TeamLagom 14 #leanagileus Getting It Right
15. @everydaykanban | @TeamLagom 15 #leanagileus Bridging the Gaps with Intent
16. @everydaykanban | @TeamLagom 16 #leanagileus 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. It is likely to be something fundamental, which involves changing what we do already.
17. @everydaykanban | @TeamLagom 17 #leanagileus 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 #leanagileus 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 #leanagileus Flickr: B4bees - CCby2.0 What keeps us from giving away or taking control?
20. Leader Worker @everydaykanban | @TeamLagom 20 #leanagileus Leader Worker Intent-Based Leadership Requires Bi-Directional Trust
21. @everydaykanban | @TeamLagom 21 #leanagileus 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 #leanagileus
23. @everydaykanban | @TeamLagom 23 #leanagileus Leader: Decide What Matters
24. @everydaykanban | @TeamLagom 24 #leanagileus 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 #leanagileus 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 #leanagileus Leader: Give People Space and Support
27. @everydaykanban | @TeamLagom 27 #leanagileus Worker: Reflect and Adapt As You Go
28. @everydaykanban | @TeamLagom 28 #leanagileus Outcomes Plans Actions ! ! !
29. @everydaykanban | @TeamLagom 29 #leanagileus Cascading intent fosters agility
30. @everydaykanban | @TeamLagom 30 #leanagileus Ignoring Conflicting Metrics Punishing Good Intentions Common Mistakes to Watch Out For
31. Getting Started What to do next! @everydaykanban | @TeamLagom 31 #leanagileus
32. Assess if you and your team are ready, willing and able. @everydaykanban | @TeamLagom 32 #leanagileus
33. @everydaykanban | @TeamLagom 33 #leanagileus Choose a decision to start with
34. @everydaykanban | @TeamLagom 34 #leanagileus Resources