Re: [OSList] Agile-in-OpenSpace videos

Sat, 21 Mar 2015 21:24:08 -0700 

Hi Harrison, All,

I do join with you 100% in the "look for one less thing to do" philosophy.
Sheesh, thanks for the great opening to describe the primary design goal for OAA...what a layup! 

Here I go:
...The primary design goal of OAA? To */reduce the coaching days needed/* to get a rapid and lasting Agile adoption.
And so, here you can see, the "look for one less thing to do" philosophy literally /baked into/ the design of OAA. Funny how it ended up at Open Space...
Truth be told, modern Agile adoption (with coaching) seem to be often optimizing on: "look for one /MORE/ thing to do...." 

Here is one such example:
http://scalingsoftwareagilityblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/SAF-BigPicture-v0.93.jpg

Right?!?
There is this wise, older man, a friend of mine who quipped this to me recently, during a conversation where I started calling OST an "operating system..."
"...the REAL operating system is self-organization. Everything else is an app. Including Open Space!"
OAA is an app. Like Scrum, OST, sociocracy, Kanban....what have you. All these apps run on: "self organization."
My current belief is that self-organization is what actually scales, not some app. Not some "framework." Now, if folks are compelled to "do it the way I say", or "do this framework like I tell you..." .....how does positive self-organization happen again?
What are we doing to help create the fertile conditions for enterprise-wide self-organization? 

Answering this question well is the entire focus of the OAA approach.
Because... truth be told, I do not see how any kind of Agile stuff can scale FOR REAL without creating the fertile conditions for self-organization to go enterprise-wide. Thousands of people. Isn't self-organization what ACTUALLY scales? 

Because...well.... I have simply never seen it done any other way.
I've never seen it done by forcing stuff on people without their consent, without invitation. And I've never seen it done with inviting the folks affected to express what they think and feel about "the solution we are using"...
Here is a group that seems to most embody enterprise-wide self-organization in the Agile world right now: SPOTIFY http://nomad8.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/Squads-Chapters-Guilds-in-one-page.graffle.pdf
Interestingly...SPOTIFY has settled on and have implemented 2 very big rules:
1. NO REMOTE LABOR. All teams are located IN THE BUILDING. No remote labor. Everyone is communicating all the time (consciously and unconsciously, verbally and non-verbally) via face-to-face proximity. Kinda-sorta like Open Space?
2. EVERYONE IS AUTHORIZED. All teams are authorized. If TeamA needs TeamB to change their code, and TeamB claims "we are too busy", then TeamA is authorized to immediately go in and edit/change TeamB's code as needed. (That rule tends to get TeamB moving.) This means everyone is authorized to do almost everything. Kinda-sorta like Open Space? 

Regards,
Daniel



On 3/21/15 4:18 PM, Harrison wrote:
Dan --- Our organizations are definitely stodgy. Even the best of them seem to clunk along when compared to what they might be doing. God knows how you could ever produce any numbers to prove this assertion, but I have yet to met anybody (even the wildest enthusiast) who would affirm that their organization was running in top form. Good yes... but with lots of room for improvement. But I suspect that the critical issue is NOT a matter of “low level of development,” rather it is a case of self inflicted wounds causing radical sub-optimization. The “cure” would then be to stop the wounding, at least until we could see how things might go. Of course, if the situation really is terminal, then by all means, Bring it on! That could be SCRUM, Facilitation, Last Rites, whatever...
So what would an organization look like if it stopped being shot? How would it perform?
Sounds pretty abstract and difficult to visualize... but I do believe we get the picture in wild living color, every time we have the privilege of opening the space for a damaged organization, where the trouble is real and palpable. I’m not talking about the two hour Open Space on some frilly, safe topic. I mean the real deal where the stakes are seriously high. Survival stuff.
My experience is shared by many, and the stories are often told. My most recent encounter was with a very large US federal agency, which according to its director was so dysfunctional that “most of the people could not find their rear ends with both hands” (That’s a direct quote). They were in trouble by any standard, and the Chief was so out of options that Open Space sounded like a safe way to go – even though he had never seen one.
Well we did it... and the organization I saw bore no relationship to the one that had been described to me. The people were all the same, the issues were familiar... but the behavior was brilliant. Total flowing conversation with real engagement and workable solutions. Mind Bending! And the chief was blown away – walking around with a silly grin on his face.
I invited him to lunch because I wanted to feed him several drinks and ask a question. We had the lunch, and after the drinks, came the question: “What are you doing, Sir, as a matter of everyday business that converts 177 bright, engaged, competent people into blundering fools?” He looked a little surprised and I said, “I think you might want to stop doing it.”
Dan – That’s my point. Before we do anything more, different, or otherwise – I sincerely believe we need to stop and appreciate what apparently happens very naturally, all by itself, with minimal or no assistance. And after that appreciative moment, we might think of a few things to do, but only a very few. 

Harrison

Winter Address

7808 River Falls Drive

Potomac, MD 20854

301-365-2093

Summer Address

189 Beaucaire Ave.

Camden, ME 04843

207-763-3261

Websites

www.openspaceworld.com <%20www.openspaceworld.com>

www.ho-image.com
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*From:*OSList [mailto:[email protected]] *On Behalf Of *Daniel Mezick via OSList 
*Sent:* Thursday, March 19, 2015 11:32 PM
*To:* [email protected]
*Subject:* Re: [OSList] Agile-in-OpenSpace videos

Harrison and All,

Harrison you once said recently:
"The real operating system is self-organization, Daniel. Everything else is an app. Open Space included!"
I've just recently integrated this idea more fully into my thinking. I must admit it has taken "some time."
That said, my current belief is: most organizations are at a very low level of development and can use/typically need the "app" of Open Space...and/or the "app" of Scrum... and/or the "app" of Sociocracy, what have you.
I think [facilitation] does fit nicely as a kind of component or "widget" in each "app" (facilitation being part of OST, Scrum, Kanban) ...all of which run on the real OS of self-organization.
So these are all self-org "apps." The "f" word does after all has the connotation of: "making it easy."
At Frank Tino's company INTUIT, they have embraced the idea of creating "a culture of facilitation." This has resulted in some interesting team behaviors...
...Frank Tino's staff, for example, does this very impressively effective, brief daily-meeting called the 'daily huddle' at 430 PM each day and it's super short like 12 minutes... and someone plays in the facilitator role each time... and that f-role orbits/rotates around to someone new each day who jumps in to do it.
And it seems to work pretty darned good. Everyone is a facilitator at one time or another. I often observe them completing each other's sentences in these 430PM meetings...
I like the idea of having a goal of ELIMINATING the need to for any (facilitated!) 'Open Space' gatherings. These gatherings are after all simply apps running on the REAL operating system we call: "you-know-what." 

Daniel

On 3/19/15 3:07 PM, Harrison via OSList wrote:

    I guess you could say that replying to your own note is rather
    like talking to yourself. Guilty as charged – but then I doit all
    the time (Talk to myself). Anyhow, I expressed the hope that Dan’s
    videos would not only inspire folks toemulate, but also to think
    about going to the next level wherever that might be. I’m not sure
    I know, but I didnotice a little anomaly in the marvelous
    interviews, which might suggest a direction. Dan’s client
    obviously was movedby the Open Space – the quality of
    conversations, good ideas, actions generated, and all the good
    stuff. Presuming that Dan’s Open Space is just like always, those
    generativegroups that the client so enjoyed did it all by
    themselves with not a facilitator in sight. No news here – but
    then inthe final interview, the client waxed enthusedly about
    “facilitation” and said that from here on out he was alwaysgoing
    to have a facilitator. Did I see a little disconnect here? A
    little anomaly?  If the folks could “do it” in OpenSpace...why not
    every day, all the time? Perchance an opportunity to go to the
    next level?

    Harrison

    Winter Address

    7808 River Falls Drive

    Potomac, MD 20854

    301-365-2093

    Summer Address

    189 Beaucaire Ave.

    Camden, ME 04843

    207-763-3261

    Websites

    www.openspaceworld.com <%20www.openspaceworld.com>

    www.ho-image.com

    OSLIST To subscribe, unsubscribe, change your options, view the
    archives of OSLIST Go
    to:http://lists.openspacetech.org/listinfo.cgi/oslist-openspacetech.org

    *From:*OSList [mailto:[email protected]] *On
    Behalf Of *Harrison via OSList
    *Sent:* Monday, March 16, 2015 4:57 PM
    *To:* 'Daniel Mezick'; 'World wide Open Space Technology email list'
    *Subject:* Re: [OSList] Agile-in-OpenSpace videos

    Dan –this is just wonderful! And to be clear... I never could have
    done what you have done. First off, I don’t
    speakAgile/Scrum/...      I joke, but seriously. And to anybody
    else on this OSLIST, do yourself a favor. Watch Dan’s
    videosthrough. Not with the idea of replicating what happened
    (although that wouldn’t be bad) but to be inspired to takeit all
    to a new level. I so look forward to whatever discussion...

    Harrison

    Winter Address

    7808 River Falls Drive

    Potomac, MD 20854

    301-365-2093

    Summer Address

    189 Beaucaire Ave.

    Camden, ME 04843

    207-763-3261

    Websites

    www.openspaceworld.com <%20www.openspaceworld.com>

    www.ho-image.com

    OSLIST To subscribe, unsubscribe, change your options, view the
    archives of OSLIST Go
    to:http://lists.openspacetech.org/listinfo.cgi/oslist-openspacetech.org

    *From:*OSList [mailto:[email protected]] *On
    Behalf Of *Daniel Mezick via OSList
    *Sent:* Monday, March 16, 2015 4:01 PM
    *To:* [email protected]
    <mailto:[email protected]>
    *Subject:* [OSList] Agile-in-OpenSpace videos

    Greetings,

    Find below 15-minute videos of software industry executive Frank
    Tino, explaining his org's journey thru Open Space on the way to a
    genuine, rapid, lasting, enterprise-wide, "scaled" Agile adoption.

    Frank's 100-person company (now 150++ just one year layer)
    authorized several full-day before/after Open Space events. In
    between there was 100 days of experimentation and learning in
    between those gatherings. In these videos he explains the
    astonishing results obtained in just 100 days...

    ...Open Space is now part of the cultural fabric of his entire
    organization. And the coaches are GONE.


    <SHAMELESS HYPE WARNING>

    Is Open Agile Adoption something completely new? Well yes, it is
    actually. Thanks for asking! Explained here:

    Open Agile Adoption Theory and Components
    http://openagileadoption.com/open-agile-adoption-components/

    </SHAMELESS HYPE WARNING>


    Here's the links to those executive videos:
    http://openagileadoption.com/open-agile-adoption-videos/


    PART1: 15 mins
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eWjNQM7q64o
    PART2: 15 mins
    http://youtu.be/UdSmGS9JTtU
    PART3: 15 mins
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T9cpRPlLHYU

    *
    *Open Agile Adoption (OAA) is a new composition of powerful
    elements that work together to strongly encourage positive
    cultural change in organizations. Open Agile Adoption incorporates
    the power of invitation, Open Space, game mechanics, passage
    rites, storytelling and more…so your Agile adoption can actually
    take root.

    OAA is based on people, THEN practices. You can introduce any
    practice or framework with it. Open Agile Adoption is based on
    www.Prime-OS.com <http://www.Prime-OS.com>, which is social
    technology published under an open-source, free-to-the-world
    ("free culture") license from Creative Commons.

    www.OpenAgileAdoption.com <http://www.OpenAgileAdoption.com>
    www.Prime-OS.com <http://www.Prime-OS.com>


    Daniel Mezick, President

    New Technology Solutions Inc.

    (203) 915 7248 (cell)

    Bio <http://newtechusa.net/dan-mezick/>. Blog
    <http://newtechusa.net/blog/>. Twitter
    <http://twitter.com/#%21/danmezick/>.

    Examine my new book:The Culture Game
    <http://newtechusa.net/about/the-culture-game-book/>: Tools for
    the Agile Manager.

    Explore Agile Team Training
    <http://newtechusa.net/services/agile-scrum-training/> and
    Coaching. <http://newtechusa.net/services/agile-scrum-coaching/>

    Explore the Agile Boston
    <http://newtechusa.net/user-groups/ma/>Community.




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Daniel Mezick, President

New Technology Solutions Inc.

(203) 915 7248 (cell)
Bio <http://newtechusa.net/dan-mezick/>. Blog <http://newtechusa.net/blog/>. Twitter <http://twitter.com/#%21/danmezick/>.
Examine my new book:The Culture Game <http://newtechusa.net/about/the-culture-game-book/>: Tools for the Agile Manager.
Explore Agile Team Training <http://newtechusa.net/services/agile-scrum-training/> and Coaching. <http://newtechusa.net/services/agile-scrum-coaching/> 

Explore the Agile Boston <http://newtechusa.net/user-groups/ma/>Community.



--

Daniel Mezick, President

New Technology Solutions Inc.

(203) 915 7248 (cell)
Bio <http://newtechusa.net/dan-mezick/>. Blog <http://newtechusa.net/blog/>. Twitter <http://twitter.com/#%21/danmezick/>.
Examine my new book:The Culture Game <http://newtechusa.net/about/the-culture-game-book/>: Tools for the Agile Manager.
Explore Agile Team Training <http://newtechusa.net/services/agile-scrum-training/> and Coaching. <http://newtechusa.net/services/agile-scrum-coaching/> 

Explore the Agile Boston <http://newtechusa.net//user-groups/ma/>Community.


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