1. Building Blocks
for
Self-Organization
www.aqqurite.se | twitter: @ArneAhl | http://se.linkedin.com/in/arneahlander | arne.ahlander@aqqurite.se

2. –Henry Ford
”Coming together is a beginning;
keeping together is a process;
working together is success.”

3. Overview
• What is Self Organization?
• Why Self Organization?
• Prerequisites for Self Organization
• Possible map to follow
• Enablers for Self Organization
• Tools

4. What is Self Organization?

5. Self Organization
”Self-organization is the emergence
of pattern and order in a system by
internal processes, rather than
external constraints or forces.”
Encyclopedia of Ecology, 2008

6. Self Organization
”Efforts that radically decentralize
authority in a formal and systematic
way throughout the organization.”
Michael Y. Lee and Amy C. Edmondson,
Self-Managing Organizations: Exploring the Limits of Less-Hierarchical Organizing, 2017

7. Scrum Guide 2017
“Scrum Teams are self-organizing and
cross-functional.
Self-organizing teams choose how best to
accomplish their work, rather than being
directed by others outside the team.”

8. Why Self Organization?

9. Reasons for Self Organization?
1. Go to www.menti.com
and use the code 5330 9885
2. https://www.menti.com/
mhe32j4h8a
3. Scan the QR
Photo by Evan Dennis on Unsplash

10. Reasons collected today

11. My observed reasons
• Higher quality
• Faster results
• Higher value
• Multiple skills needed
• Improved employee
satisfaction
Photo by Evan Dennis on Unsplash

12. Prerequisites for
Self Organization

13. Prerequisites for Self Organization
❖ Get out of the way
Photo by Hello I'm Nik 🇬🇧 on Unsplash

14. Prerequisites for Self Organization
❖ Support team to
get in there
Photo by Christoph Schmid on Unsplash

15. Photo by: Marius Aune, CC BY 2.5, via Wikimedia Commons
❖ Get rid of
Blockers
Prerequisites for Self Organization

16. Possible Roadmap
to Self Organization

17. Team Maturity Capability

18. Models of Group Dynamics
❖ Evolution of Team
Dynamics (Tuckman)
❖ Wheelan´s Integrated
Model of Group
Development (IMGD)

19. Evolution of Team Dynamics
❖ Forming
Individuals meet and learn about goals, opportunities. Little shared
knowledge, no trust yet, strong desire for direction.
❖ Storming
Conflict and polarization around interpersonal issues, roles, goals, standards
and processes.
❖ Norming
Team identity and cohesiveness develops, new standards evolve, and new
roles are adopted.
❖ Performing
High degree of cooperation and interdependence. Goals are achieved
smoothly and effectively with a minimum of conflict.

20. Wheelan´s Integrated Model of Group Development (IMGD)
Dependency
& Inclusion
Counterde-
pendency &
Fight
Trust &
Structure
Work &
Productivity
Termination
(or not)
dependency on
designated leader
safety concerns
inclusion issues
”pseudo-work”
disagreement
(goals, values,
procedures)
conflict ->
trust
Trust &
structure
phase
commitment
cooperation
productivity
effectiveness
goal
task

21. IMGD (Integrated Model of Group Development)
Dependency
& Inclusion Counterde-
pendency &
Fight
Trust &
Structure
Work &
Productivity
Productivity
High
Low
Focus on leader
and relations
Focus on work
and results

22. Blockers

23. Forms of Storming
❖ Negativity
❖ Continual criticism of team activities.
❖ Dissatisfaction
❖ with anything and everything. Can lead to negativity and other problems.
❖ Hostility
❖ Can take form of a person being aggressive, argumentative, even threatening.
❖ Crisis Mode
❖ Team operating style where anything and everything is a crisis. Team must come together
and honestly confront the issues.
❖ Shooting Down Ideas
❖ Common activity. Can be a sign of all the other forms.

24. Enablers

25. Enablers
Frequent answers
• Align values
• Working agreement
• Coaching & support
• Inspiring vision
• Shared and challenging goals
• Don’t rush
• Be consistent
• Safe environment
What is the most important
enabler for Self Organization you
can come up with?
Please write it in the Zoom chat

26. bit.ly/32YOzxP

27. Tools

28. How to foster
Psychological Safety
on your teams?

29. How to foster Psychological Safety on your teams
• Demonstrate engagement
• Show understanding
• Be inclusive in interpersonal settings
• Be inclusive in decision-making
• Show confidence and conviction without appearing
inflexible
bit.ly/2pYJdEm

30. bit.ly/2MXMcWH

31. Creating Psychological Safety
1. Approach conflict as a collaborator, not an adversary.
2. Speak human to human.
3. Anticipate reactions and plan countermoves.
4. Replace blame with curiosity.
5. Ask for feedback on delivery.
6. Measure psychological safety.
HBR, August 24, 2017
High-Performing Teams Need Psychological Safety. Here’s How to Create It
http://www.midss.org/content/team-learning-and-psychological-safety-survey
2. Speak human to human.

32. Speak human to human
“Just Like Me,”
This person …,
just like me.

33. This person has beliefs, perspectives,
and opinions, just like me.

34. This person has hopes, anxieties, and
vulnerabilities, just like me.

35. This person has friends, family, and perhaps
children who love them, just like me.

36. This person wants to feel
respected, appreciated, and
competent, just like me.

37. This person wishes for peace, joy,
and happiness, just like me.

38. CDE Model
• Container
• Difference
• Exchange
https://www.hsdinstitute.org/resources/cde-model-dissertation.html

39. MOIJ Model
• Motivation
• Organization
• Information
• Jiggle
http://www.nkarten.com/moimodel.pdf

40. Scrum Patterns
❖ Self-Organizing Team**
❖ Fertile Soil*
❖ Autonomous Team**
❖ Community of Trust
bit.ly/selforgteam

41. Liberating Structures
http://www.liberatingstructures.com/
❖ 1-2-4-All
❖ Impromptu Networking
❖ Min Specs
❖ 15% Solutions
❖ 25/10 Crowd Sourcing

42. What about
• Information availability
and transparency?
• Alignment?
• Constraints?
Image by Pete Linforth from Pixabay

43. Conclusion
1. Create a graphic organizer
2. Write down
• One thing I learned
• One thing I want to investigate
• One thing I want to try at work

44. Take aways from participants

45. Thank you!
www.aqqurite.se | twitter: @ArneAhl | http://se.linkedin.com/in/arneahlander | arne.ahlander@aqqurite.se