What does quantum physics have to do with Agile organizations? Find out why we should let go of Newton and embrace the reality of uncertainty and superposition.

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A Quantum Physicist and an Agile
Executive Walk into a Bar: empathy in a
disordered world
Jean Tabaka,
@jeantabaka
August 4 2015

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#icouldbewrong
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4. Why so many
martinis?
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6. Why?
Agile transformation
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PREPARATION:
• Count off 1, 2, 3 around your table
• Each number has a role:
- 1 = CEO
- 2 = CIO
- 3 = ATM (Agile Transformation Minion)
• CIO grab a pen and paper
A day in the life of the CIO
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ACTIVITY:
• CEO and ATM demand many things of the CIO about the
agile transformation. Be demanding!
• CIO – write down what’s driving you to drink
5 minutes
When I put my hand in the air, finish your discussion.
A day in the life of the CIO
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9. What just happened?
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Agile executives deserve empathy
and need experimentation
practices
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Quantum physicists can offer
practical comfort
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12. Physicists we know
and love
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13. Isaac Newton
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14. - 14 -

15. Erwin Schrödinger
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16. - 16 -

17. “Superposition”
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18. Werner Heisenberg
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19. Werner Heisenberg
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20. - 20 -

21. “Uncertainty
Principle”
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23. Margaret Wheatley
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24. Ilya Prirogene
Henry Stapp
Erich Jantsch
Danah Zohar
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Quantum language is not entirely
dissimilar to agile language
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12 principles of quantum
physics for agile executives
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27. 1. Superposition
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> We need fast feed back loops to know what is actually true

28. 2. Relationship
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> It is the AND and process we engage in that matter more than hierarchy
and structure, give up predictability and open up to potentials

29. 3. Elementary
particles
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> We are clouds of relationships and probabilities, with dependencies on
each other, as individuals and as teams

30. 4. Disorder and
chaos
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> We cannot be creative and innovative without disorder. Growth
comes through disequilibrium, experimentation

31. 5. Dissipative
structures
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> Adaptation and resilience in agile -- willingness to change based on
unexpected conditions

32. 6. Autopoiesis
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> Every process we have impacts every other, and this is for
continuous growth, continuous improvement

33. 7. Self-reference
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> Stay congruent in your vision and goal as you invite change through
self-organization, not command-and-control

34. 8. Holism
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> Look at the entire value stream, don’t sub-optimize on silos,
check your feedback loops

35. 9. Process over
structure
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> Watch the flow, the work, not the worker, the processes of
interaction versus hierarchy

36. 10. Decentralization
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> Servant leaders know what decisions to move closest to the
value worker, stability is not through control

37. 11. Uncertainty
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> Let go of false precision; use fast feedback loops to take advantage
of uncertainty

38. 12. [ ]
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> We don’t yet know what we don’t know, all things are possible in our
cloud of probabilities

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40. What about empathy?
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47. What next?
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48. Richard Feynman
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50. Design thinking
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53. Your turn:
empathy experiment
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54. design: @zachnies artwork:@jeantabaka

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• Count off 1, 2, 3 around your table
• Each number has a role:
- 1 = CEO
- 2 = CIO
- 3 = ATM (Agile Transformation Minion)
• WHAT IS THE PRINCIPLE AROUND WHICH WE ARE PREPARED TO
EXPERIMENT IN ORDER TO MANAGE OUR MARTINI
CONSUMPTION?
15 minutes
A day in the life of the CIO
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56. design: @zachnies artwork:@jeantabaka

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1. CEOs and Agile minions
demand a lot from CIOs
2. Newton—cause and effect
3. Schrodinger--superposition
4. Heisenberg—uncertainty
5. 12 physics principles can guide
reasons for agile practices (next
slide)
6. Execs deserve empathy
What you’ve learned
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7. CIO as tribal leader must pay
attention to tribe’s suck level
8. David Logan has guidance in
“Tribal Leadership”
9. Use disciplined exploration to
understand the CIO
10. Design thinking guides empathic
experiments
11. Experiment canvas captures
guidance, results, next steps

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1. Superposition
2. Relationship
3. Elementary Particles
4. Disorder and Chaos
5. Dissipative Structures
6. Autopoesis
Quantum Physics Principles ! Agile
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7. Self-reference
8. Holism
9. Process over Structure
10. Decentralization
11. Uncertainty
12. [….]

59. What experiments do we
have?
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60. Where to go from here…
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Agile executives deserve empathy
and need experimentation
practices
- 61 -

62. www.rallydev.com
Confidential Do not copy or distribute without express permission of Rally.
©2015 Rally Software Development Corp. All rights reserved.
Quantum physicists can offer
practical comfort
- 62 -

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64. - 64 -

65. Thank you
www.rallydev.com
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©2015 Rally Software Development Corp. All rights reserved.
Jean Tabaka
@jeantabaka
jtabaka@rallydev.com

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- Sir Isaac Newton © Louis Hersent / Granger Collection presented by:
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Credits

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Credits