Jazz – A Metaphor for Agile Management Charlie Berg [email_address] August, '09

Charlie Berg [email_address]

August, '09

The New Business Environment... “ Under conditions of hypercompetition & creative destruction, the best one can hope for is temporary competitive advantages that, with luck, add up to long-term survival. These temporary advantages emanate from organizations that emphasize innovation, dynamism, and adaptiveness, blended with just enough stability & discipline to keep them from spinning out of control. ” - Lee Dyer/Jeff Ercksen, Cornell Univ. Center for Advanced Human Resource Studies

“ Under conditions of hypercompetition & creative destruction, the best one can hope for is temporary competitive advantages that, with luck, add up to long-term survival. These temporary advantages emanate from organizations that emphasize innovation, dynamism, and adaptiveness, blended with just enough stability & discipline to keep them from spinning out of control. ” - Lee Dyer/Jeff Ercksen, Cornell Univ. Center for Advanced Human Resource Studies

Why Is Jazz a Useful Metaphor? Jazz Bands are organizations that are: Self-organizing Self-motivated Studied in their domain Adept at change Responsive to environment Perfect development team model! Jazz Bands can be viewed as Complex Adaptive Systems

Jazz Bands are organizations that are:

Self-organizing

Self-motivated

Studied in their domain

Adept at change

Responsive to environment

Perfect development team model!

Jazz Bands can be viewed as Complex Adaptive Systems

Complex Adaptive Systems (CAS)‏ Dynamic network of many agents acting in parallel, constantly acting and reacting to what the other agents are doing. Constant interactions among agents amplify into bifurcations where agents forced to make choices. Feedback from these choices create additional bifurcations, additional choices, etc. Subtle interplay of cooperation, competition, creation & adaptation

Dynamic network of many agents acting in parallel, constantly acting and reacting to what the other agents are doing.

Constant interactions among agents amplify into bifurcations where agents forced to make choices. Feedback from these choices create additional bifurcations, additional choices, etc.

Subtle interplay of cooperation, competition, creation & adaptation

Characteristics of CAS Self-organizing – no one point of control Operate at the edge of chaos System Behavior & Solutions are emergent, not pre-determined Maps to... " organizations that emphasize innovation, dynamism, and adaptiveness, blended with just enough stability & discipline to keep them from spinning out of control. ”

Self-organizing – no one point of control

Operate at the edge of chaos

System Behavior & Solutions are emergent, not pre-determined

Maps to... " organizations that emphasize innovation, dynamism, and adaptiveness, blended with just enough stability & discipline to keep them from spinning out of control. ”

Jazz Band on the Stand Jam sessions slightly different (freer) than organized gig We'll analyze a session Jam sessions are: Typically leaderless Anybody can “call” a tune to play Assume prior expertise & knowledge of theory, harmony, tunes, aural traditions Head charts – arrangements are done on the fly

Jam sessions slightly different (freer) than organized gig

We'll analyze a session

Jam sessions are:

Typically leaderless

Anybody can “call” a tune to play

Assume prior expertise & knowledge of theory, harmony, tunes, aural traditions

Head charts – arrangements are done on the fly

Sidebar – Aural Tradition A particular musical phrase or snippet that is associated with a particular jazz standard Ex: Standard bebop intro to All the Things You Are Created by Dizzy Gillespie (1944 or 1945)‏ Based on Rachmaninoff Prelude in C sharp minor

A particular musical phrase or snippet that is associated with a particular jazz standard

Ex: Standard bebop intro to All the Things You Are

Created by Dizzy Gillespie (1944 or 1945)‏

Based on Rachmaninoff Prelude in C sharp minor

Sergei Rachmaninoff 1873 – 1942 Emigrated to S. California after Russian Revolution Virtuoso pianist Fan of Paul Whiteman (early jazz orchestra)‏

1873 – 1942

Emigrated to S. California after Russian Revolution

Virtuoso pianist

Fan of Paul Whiteman (early jazz orchestra)‏

Dizzy Gillespie 1917 – 1993 Compositional father of bebop movement Introduced AfroCuban music to jazz

1917 – 1993

Compositional father of bebop movement

Introduced AfroCuban music to jazz

Charlie “Bird” Parker 1920 - 1955 Considered (w Diz) father of bebop Icon of the Bop movement, Beat Generation & post-war African-American literature

1920 - 1955

Considered (w Diz) father of bebop

Icon of the Bop movement, Beat Generation & post-war African-American literature

Dick Twardzik 1931 – 1955 Studied classical piano & theory Madame Chaloff & New England Conservatory May have introduced Schoenberg & Bartok to Bird

1931 – 1955

Studied classical piano & theory

Madame Chaloff & New England Conservatory

May have introduced Schoenberg & Bartok to Bird

Calling a Tune (Step by Step)‏ Somebody (not necessarily the leader) suggests a standard to play Silence or agreement signify acceptance by the group Intro, head, location of solos, outro decided Some member of group Musicians optionally volunteer to solo or solos decided during playing Solo order scoped out

Somebody (not necessarily the leader) suggests a standard to play

Silence or agreement signify acceptance by the group

Intro, head, location of solos, outro decided

Some member of group

Musicians optionally volunteer to solo or solos decided during playing

Solo order scoped out

Playing the Tune (Usually) person who called tune counts off Solos pre-determined, or determined by eye contact/hand signals, or stepping to front of band Non-soloing horns might collaborate behind soloist for backing harmony parts/shout chorus

(Usually) person who called tune counts off

Solos pre-determined, or determined by eye contact/hand signals, or stepping to front of band

Non-soloing horns might collaborate behind soloist for backing harmony parts/shout chorus

Ending the Tune Hand-signals or shout-out to return to head Hand-signals to end Rhythm section or lead horn will provide aural queues for ending

Hand-signals or shout-out to return to head

Hand-signals to end

Rhythm section or lead horn will provide aural queues for ending

Charlie Christian One of earliest electric guitarists Member of late 30s Benny Goodman band & sextet Early proponent of bop Died of TB @ 25 This jam session is 1940, waiting for Goodman @ a CBS recording studio Very difficult key

One of earliest electric guitarists

Member of late 30s Benny Goodman band & sextet

Early proponent of bop

Died of TB @ 25

This jam session is 1940, waiting for Goodman @ a CBS recording studio

Very difficult key

Ella Fitzgerald with... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7WgloYX44F4 Open separate browser window to above URL Slideshare doesn't support video AND audio tracks!!! Roy Eldridge (trumpet)‏ Known as influence of Dizzy, Miles Fierce session competitor Eddie “Lockjaw” Davis (tenor sax)‏ Hard bopper – Basie in the late 40s Tommy Flanagan (piano)‏ Ella's accompanist Well known bop pianist

Open separate browser window to above URL

Slideshare doesn't support video AND audio tracks!!!

Roy Eldridge (trumpet)‏

Known as influence of Dizzy, Miles

Fierce session competitor

Eddie “Lockjaw” Davis (tenor sax)‏

Hard bopper – Basie in the late 40s

Tommy Flanagan (piano)‏

Ella's accompanist

Well known bop pianist

Collaboration in Jam Sessions Amherst Wilder Foundation's Collaboration Handbook – collaboration is... Cooperation Coordination

Amherst Wilder Foundation's Collaboration Handbook – collaboration is...

Cooperation

Coordination

Cooperation (in Collaboration)‏ Cooperation Support individual learning goals Synchronous & asynchronous in member participation Crowd/organization sourcing to solve individual problem Akin to rhythm section support of solos (including “comping” & “head charts”)‏

Cooperation (in Collaboration)‏

Cooperation

Support individual learning goals

Synchronous & asynchronous in member participation

Crowd/organization sourcing to solve individual problem

Akin to rhythm section support of solos (including “comping” & “head charts”)‏

Coordination (in Collaboration)‏ Coordination Participants work together as a group to achieve a common goal. Coordination maps to planning in product dev. Akin to group decisions about tune form (start, end, tune selection, etc.)‏

Coordination

Participants work together as a group to achieve a common goal.

Coordination maps to planning in product dev.

Akin to group decisions about tune form (start, end, tune selection, etc.)‏

As Applied to Agile Scrum – tool for coordination Not typically used for cooperation, i.e. Group-sourcing design problems How do we encourage more & faster group interactions to solving real problems? Mentoring as one methodology for group-sourcing Akin to buddy-programming Use of collaboration tools/infrastructure Other resources/techniques?

Scrum – tool for coordination

Not typically used for cooperation, i.e. Group-sourcing design problems

How do we encourage more & faster group interactions to solving real problems?

Mentoring as one methodology for group-sourcing

Akin to buddy-programming

Use of collaboration tools/infrastructure

Other resources/techniques?

Some Conclusions/Ideas Self-directed teams are solution-enabled More flexible More incentive for creativity Implications on hiring – senior is better A Common Semiotics important Support an active, documented oral tradition of semantic short cuts, processes, design tricks, etc.

Self-directed teams are solution-enabled

More flexible

More incentive for creativity

Implications on hiring – senior is better

A Common Semiotics important

Support an active, documented oral tradition of semantic short cuts, processes, design tricks, etc.

Some Conclusions/Ideas Common tools for Creativity Self-Management Solution-finding tools Collaboration acceleration is key Coordination is pretty well covered in Agile methodologies – what about cooperation to solve design problems?

Common tools for

Creativity

Self-Management

Solution-finding tools

Collaboration acceleration is key

Coordination is pretty well covered in Agile methodologies – what about cooperation to solve design problems?

The Goal... How do we get the rate of collaboration in jam session to product development? Your chorus...fall in!

How do we get the rate of collaboration in jam session to product development?

Your chorus...fall in!

Allen Eager 1927 – 2003 Polymath Bebop tenor sax; professional skier, race car driver, and artist; LSD w Timothy Leary L to r:Charlie Parker, Miles Davis, Allen Eager, Kai Winding

1927 – 2003

Polymath

Bebop tenor sax; professional skier, race car driver, and artist; LSD w Timothy Leary