In 2008 I was member of a leadership team at Ericsson starting the transformation towards agility for a 2000 people organization. Soon we heard, that agile is a mindset and somehow that sounded right. But it was so hard to get: for me that full mindset change journey took about a year. Through it, I have become one of the transformation drivers at enterprise level. Today I am driving the transformation of a 15000 people business unit as organizational coach/inhouse consultant. Having worked with all kinds of people in all kinds of roles on all levels in the hierarchy across the company gave me a lot of experience with how to get the mindset across. One key learning is, that there is no one-size-fits all approach to it. People are different and different groups of people react in different ways through the group dynamics. In this talk I will share my 10-year-experience with facilitating mindset change. I will share several examples of different kinds of people and groups of people I encountered and what I found working to facilitate the mindset change. More details: https://confengine.com/agile-india-2019/proposal/8182/10-years-of-transforming-mindset Conference link: https://2019.agileindia.org

1. Hendrik Esser | 2019-03-15 | 10 years of transforming mindset | | Public | Page 1
10 years of
transformingmindset
Agile Mindset Day
Bangalore,
March 19th, 2019
Hendrik Esser
@HendrikEsser
Special Projects & Operations
Program Director
Supporting Agile Adoption

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How can we approach mindset shift?
Filling the toolbox
Making the difference
Staying sane
Summary
Q&A
Overview

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Howcan we approachmindsetchange
inan organization?

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Agileisamindset
Which path should an agile
transformation take?
1. Mindset → Practices?
2. Practices → Mindset?
3. Both?
Source: Ahmed Sidky, Keynote at Agile NZ 2015

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Howtochangemindset/values/culture?
From tomorrow onwards
your favorite colour is
BLUE!
Culture enforcement?
behaviours
vs
values
Behaviour theatre?

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Forcingchangesinbehaviorsorvalues
Changing behavior can be enforced, but it won’t be sustainable:
you just create stress and the need for policing → inefficient and ineffective.
Changing values is not something you can enforce.
Trying to enforce behavior or values will just create behavior theatre!
It needs to come from within people!

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Behavior or values change as a response to experiences we make in life.
To change, we need a trigger - positive or negative.

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Triggersandexperiences:
itisallaboutinteractions
The best triggers are when we start asking each other questions.
Questions arise, when we create interactions, that guide us
towards the wanted shift in perspective.

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Requires:
build your toolbox:
— Introduce new visualizations
— Introduce new language
— Introduce new processes/practices.
— Changes in structure.
— Coach → amplify/dampen behaviors
Essentially:
Create opportunities
for constructive dialogues,
guiding people to think themselves
into the new mindset.
Changeexperiencebyshiftingperspective

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Fillingthe toolbox

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Language
(visual,verbal)

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Drawpeople,notboxes

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Rene Magritte
“This is not a pipe”
Los Angeles County Museum of Art

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Thisshowshowweworktogether

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Let’s try again…

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Thisshowshowweworktogether
Hierarchy Human System
Two visualizations. Both valid, describing different viewpoints.

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Thisshowswhatwedo/howwework

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Let’s try again…

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Thisshowswhatwedo/Howwework
(Static)
Process & Flow
Human Dynamic
Development System
Two visualizations. Both valid, describing different viewpoints.

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— Influence network
— Collaboration
— Alignment for autonomy
— Trust essential!
— Conclusions emerge, advice, consent
— Grows by adding people and interaction links
— Fast adaptation/flexibility
— Talent
— Share ideas
— Chain of command
— Hand-over
— Full control / forced alignment
— Trust?
— Decisions/approval
— Grows by adding more people/boxes, layers
— Slow adaptation speed/flexibility
— Resource
— Convey knowledge
Visualizationscreatetendenciesinthinking,
languageandactions
The way you show things influences people via the kind of conversation they have!

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Practices andProcesses

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Visualizingtimeuncertaintiesforfeaturesand
releasestocreatemeaningfulconversations
Feature 1 F2 F4 F4
Feature 2 F2 F4 F4
Feature 3 F2 F4 F4
Feature 4 F2 F4 F4
Feature 5 F2 F4 F4
Feature 6 F2 F4 F4
Feature 7 F2 F4 F4
LF4
Release A
LF4
Release B
TODAY
Priority
Feature 1 F2 F4 F4Feature 1 F2 F4 F4
Feature 2 F2 F4 F4
Feature 3 F2 F4 F4
Feature 4 F2 F4 F4
Feature 5 F2 F4 F4
Feature 6 F2 F4 F4
Feature 7 F2 F4 F4
LF4
Release A
LF4
Release B
TODAY
Priority
A
B
B
B
A
B
A
Release
IntentVisualization of ranges
→ discussion about risks
and uncertainties.
Simple overview of
aggregated status
→ discussions on the items,
that need focus / resolution
now
Ranges updated after every
sprint by the team
→ portfolio managers can
discuss how to guide the
overall picture
→ continuous learning

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Scrum:Amindset-guidingprocessframework
Stepwise refinement
(→ get rid off analysis
paralysis and upfront
planning waste)
Team interacts planning
together
(→ common understanding
the way forward is more
important than the plan
itself)
Retrospective discussions
(→ interaction to improve
together)
Sprint review to interact
with the“customer”
(→ customer centricity)

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Structure
Steering groups
→ Work meetings / “Make it happen” meetings
Controlling functions
→ support functions & enablers Co-located
Cross-
Functional
Teams
Managers
HR
Support functions
Coaches

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Making the difference

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Usingthattoolbox
Every person or group of people is different.
You can never be sure what creates the needed trigger / perspective shift.
Therefore:
1. Talk to people and groups.
2. Try visualizations and language
3. See what resonates and creates Aha!
→ when they stop listening to you and start building on top of what you said!
→ give them the pen!
4. Amplify:
— make it their language: let them add new “vocabulary”.
— But challenge them when that new language isn’t helpful / in sync with an agile mindset.
Never make things a fight. “We vs them is never helpful!”

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Executives
— Don’t talk about VUCA – they
know already!
— Cynefin and Systems thinking
— Emergence
— Safe environment
— Beyond Budgeting
— Transparency, trust
— Books and articles
— Air time
Managers
— VUCA
— Systems thinking
— Emergence
— Empowerment
— Let go
— Transparency, Trust
— Safe environment
Teams
— VUCA
— Scrum, Kanban, Ranges
— Iterations
— Just enough
— Empowered teams
— Continuous learning
— Retrospectives
Startingpoints
Team coach Management coach / advisor Sparring partner
Freedom & responsibility
Acknowledge illusion of control →
system shepherd
Let go → system shepherd
Learnt helplessness Trying to guarantee Air time

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Stayingsane

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Don’tforetaboutoneveryimportant
ingredienttotheshift:yourself!
It is not about you - it is about the team/people you coach.
No matter how much you might long for a different result: it is what it is.
— Feeling is feedback
— Acknowledge your feelings & let them be.
— Embrace them.
— Be self-kind.
— Build a resilience network.
— Manage your energy - give yourself a treat.
Have a direction in mind.
Work from what is, not from what you would desire it to be now.
Mindfulness
Presence
Self-care

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Summary

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Summary
Changes in values and behaviors can’t be forced.
Behavior or values change as a response to experiences we
make in life.
Mindset change is achieved by chaning the experience.
Therefore: focus on interaction.
_________
Recruit coaches (masters of the wanted mindset).
Create your toolbox of language and visualizations.
Guide people by trying what visuals/language/models resonate
with them and make use of those, that work.
Amplify behaviours, that are helpful and dampen behaviours,
that are not helpful.
_________
Take care of yourself
Create opportunities
for constructive dialogues,
guiding people to think themselves
into the new mindset.

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A
Q