The Purpose of Leadership

The Purpose of Leadership
Jurgen Appelo
jurgen@noop.nl
version 1

Goal #1What are responsibilities for a development manager?

Goal #2What is the role of a team leader in self-organizing teams?

We are people, we care...

We care aboutthe environment

We care aboutliving creatures

We care aboutsoftware teams

We care aboutmobile phones
But that doesn’t count right now,
this preso is about living systems.

Agenda
Life
Protection
Purpose
Goals
Conclusion

The Game of Life
(John Conway)
http://www.bitstorm.org/gameoflife/

The Game of Life
3 neighbors = new life
2 or 3 neighbors = stay alive
0 or 1 or > 3 neighbors = death
simple rules, great results

But does that mean...
management = simple rules, great results?

management = simple rules, great results?
No.

The Game of Life
The actual rules => complicated code

The Game of Life
The constraints => a grid, 1 player

Another example

Settlers of Catan
(Klaus Teuber)
It took minutes to define the constraints
It took years to create and tune the rules
http://www.wired.com/gaming/gamingreviews/magazine/17-04/mf_settlers

complexnon-adaptive system
we adapt the rules

complex
adaptive
system
complexnon-adaptive system
the system adapts itself
we adapt the rules

A manager / team leader is not a game designer
Don’t create rules

Define constraints (playing field, players)
Let the system create its own rules

Defining constraints: boundary list
(from Donald Reinertsen)
Select product features
Prepare project budget
Prepare project schedule
Select team members
Evaluate performance
Select development location
Set layout of team work area
Select key business partners
etc…
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0684839911?ie=UTF8&tag=noopnl-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=0684839911

Defining constraints: authority levels
(adapted from Ken Blanchard)
Tell: make decision as the manager
Sell: convince people about decision
Consult: get input from team before decision
Join: make decision together with team
Advise: influence decision made by the team
Confirm: ask feedback after decision by team
Delegate: no influence, let team work it out
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Situational_leadership_theory

Example: my business unit
Select product features sell
Select team members consult
Evaluate performance join
Set layout of team work area delegate

Example: my party
Date, time, and theme tell
No smoking tell
Food and drinks join
Music selection confirm

We care about good parties

“Self-organization requires that the system is surrounded by a containing boundary. This condition defines the "self" that will be developed during the self-organizing process.”
http://amauta-international.com/iaf99/Thread1/conway.html

1st responsibility of a manager
Develop the self-organizing system
with constraints, not rules

Agenda
Life
Protection
Purpose
Goals
Conclusion

Protect people
Protect people
against bad team formation

Protect people
Protect good teams
against non-team players

The Tragedy of the Commons
Energy

Budgets
Energy

Budgets
Energy
Environment

Budgets
Energy
Office space
Environment

Budgets
Energy
Office space
Environment
Food

Budgets
Energy
Office space
Environment
System admins
Food

Protect shared resources: The 4 I’s
Institutions create trust to accept common rules
http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg20327225.700-triumph-of-the-commons-helping-the-world-to-share.html

Information increase understanding of situation

Identity increase social belonging across teams

Identity increase social belonging across teams
Incentives address the need to improve oneself

2nd responsibility of a manager
Protect the self-organizing system
by caring for people
and shared resources

Agenda
Life
Protection
Purpose
Goals
Conclusion

“We humans are obsessed with purpose. […] The question of purpose, which doesn’t necessarily have to have an answer, is one that leaps to the front of the human mind, whether it is appropriate or not.”- Richard Dawkins
http://richarddawkins.net/articles/3956

What is the purpose of my car?
Extrinsic purpose => make me a happy driver
(also called teleology)
This purpose is assigned by the “caretaker”

What is the purpose of a blob fish?
Intrinsic purpose => survive and reproduce
(also called teleonomy)
This purpose is actually just a “trend”

What is the purpose of my kids?

Extrinsic purpose => make me a happy father

Extrinsic purpose => make me a happy father
Emergent purpose => wear pink clothes
say “no” to everything

What is the purpose of a team?
Deliver business value?

Have a great job?

Earn a good living?

Do as little as possible?

Work for shareholder value?

Deliver on time, within budget?

Grow the economy, sustain the environment?

3 kinds of purpose for a team

Intrinsic purpose of a team
Produce software
a “trend” among teams

Extrinsic purpose of a team
Make money (example)
assigned by caretaker

Emergent purpose of a team
Be a winning team (example)
chosen by the team

3rd responsibility of a manager
Direct the self-organizing system
by caring for the whole

Agenda
Life
Protection
Purpose
Goals
Conclusion

We all care about our purpose
Therefore we set goals

aim
intent
goal
mission
vision
target
objective
Let’s ignore the (subtle) differences for now…

Keep it simple
Commander’s intent
A goal in just a few lines of text

Goal checklist
specificand understandable
simpleand concise
manageableand measurable
memorableand reproducible
attainableand realistic
ambitiousand stimulating
actionableand assignable
agreed-uponand committable
relevantand useful
time-boundand time-specific
tangibleand real
excitableand igniting
inspiringand visionary
value-basedand fundamental
revisitableand assessable
OK, maybe that’s a bit too much guidance…

Bad example 1
We are committed to providing outstanding customer experience, to being a great place to work, a thoughtful steward of the environment and a caring citizen in the communities where we live and work. We are passionate about sustainably connecting people and places and improving the quality of life around the world.

Bad example 2
As a company, and as individuals, we value integrity, honesty, openness, personal excellence, constructive self-criticism, continual self-improvement, and mutual respect. We are committed to our customers and partners and have a passion for technology. We take on big challenges, and pride ourselves on seeing them through. We hold ourselves accountable to our customers, shareholders, partners, and employees by honoring our commitments, providing results, and striving for the highest quality.

Good example 1
Our mission is to organize the world’s information and make it universally accessible and useful.

Good example 2
We help people save money so they can live better.

Do not allow individual stakeholder goals to replace extrinsic and emergent goals

Goals are not meant to...
Intimidate people if they cannot achieve them

Impress shareholders or others on the sideline

Confuse short-term wins with long-term losses

Distract people from outcomes with action plans

Distract people from outcomes with action plans
Overload people with too many objectives

And...
Goals should not be pushed with financial rewards
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1594488843?ie=UTF8&tag=noopnl-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=1594488843

Remember to communicate your goals

Compromise on extrinsic and emergent goals

Agenda
Life
Protection
Purpose
Goals
Conclusion

develop the teamset constraints,not rules

protect people,and shared resources

direct the teamwith extrinsic goals

3 responsibilities for a manager

the end

This presentation is based
on my (upcoming) book:
Management 3.0
www.management30.com

This presentation was inspired by the works of many people, and I cannot possibly list them all. Though I did my very best to attribute all authors of texts and images, and to recognize any copyrights, if you think that anything in this presentation should be changed, added or removed, please contact me at jurgen@noop.nl.
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/3.0/

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The Purpose of Leadership

by Jurgen Appelo on Jun 15, 2010

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