Agile Coaching Ethics - The Powerful Questions Behind What, Why & How

Craig Smith
AGILE COACHING
The Powerful Questions
Behind What, Why & How
@smithcdau

Welcome…
Image:
https://gifer.com/en/EjHL

“Coaching is… partnering with clients in a
thought-provoking and creative process that
inspires them to maximize their personal and
professional potential.”
International Coach Federation (ICF)
Image:
https://www.quantumworkplace.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Marketing/Website/Blog/Blog%20Images/Employee%20Coaching.j

“Agile coaches guide
individuals and teams to get
clear about the change they
desire, identify places
where current reality does
not match desired reality
and then take action to
close the gap… Agile
coaches support, guide,
coach, teach, mentor and
facilitate change
without colluding with
the current reality.”
ICAgile
Image:
https://blog.planview.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/how-to-become-an-agile-coach-cropped-1536x864.jpg

Image:
https://www.hrzone.com/sites/default/files/styles/inline_banner/public/tumsasedgars_0.jpg?itok=fnknnAaZ

Image:
http://www.animaldanger.com/images/cutest%20raccoon.jpgcc
Why?

Image:
©
Talkback
Thames
http://images5.fanpop.com/image/photos/29700000/-Roy-Jen-roy-and-jen-the-it-crowd-
29704691-640-360.jpg
This started as a bunch of
technical people becoming
”people” people

Image:
https://www.scrum.org/resources/scrum-framework-poster
Agile is
complex!

Report:
https://explore.versionone.com/state-of-agile/versionone-11th-annual-state-of-agile-report-2
We are far from done…

Report:
https://explore.versionone.com/state-of-agile/versionone-11th-annual-state-of-agile-report-2
Our help is needed…

Image:
http://ichef.bbci.co.uk/corporate2/images/width/live/p0/1z/0f/p01z0fv1.jpg/624
Ethical
issues
everywhere…

Image:
https://s3.reutersmedia.net/resources/r/?m=02&d=20170825&t=2&i=1198561402&r=LYNXNPED7O1D6&w=1280
Ethical
issues
everywhere…

Image:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2020/02/21/wells-fargo-fake-accounts-settlement/
Ethical
issues
everywhere…

Rule Violations
Lying
Unhealthy Environment
Safety
Discrimination
Stealing
Bullying
How Americans
Experience Work…
80%
Felt constrained to speak up
Image:
https://hbr.org/2020/03/how-common-is-unethical-behavior-in-u-s-organizations

What do you think?
What have you experienced?

Image:
https://static01.nyt.com/images/2020/09/21/multimedia/21parenting-superhero/21parenting-superhero-
superJumbo.jpg?quality=90&auto=webp
What?

ICF Code of Ethics
1. Responsibility to clients
2. Responsibility to
practice and
performance
3. Responsibility to
professionalism
4.Responsibility to society

Agile
Coaching
Institure
Coaching
Competency
Framework
Agile Coaching Competencies

Agile Coaching Competencies
Core
Values &
Principles
Leader &
Change
Ability
Domain
Capability
Agile &
Lean
Expertise
Knowledge
Approach
Facilitation
Coaching
Teaching
Mentoring

An Emerging Role…
Image:
https://www.nationalskillscommission.gov.au/agile-coaches

Agile Coaching Code of Ethics
Something that has become a burning issue for us and one that we think belongs under the
auspices of the Agile Alliance is the lack of consistency in the discipline of Agile coaching and
the lack of any ethical framework or code of conduct for that profession…
When considering the topics to be include in the Code, we came up with the following
guidelines:
§ To be an ethical consideration a topic needs to be something that someone can do as soon
as they sign up to the code. As a new agile coach I can read the statement and apply this
immediately in practicing my profession
§ In order to be an ethical consideration it must be something where there is broad
agreement that it risks causing harm to myself, the profession or others if I do not abide by
the statement
§ These points must be applicable to people who are internal agile coaches, external agile
coaches and those practicing agile coaching as part of another role (for example a manager
in an organisation who is expected to also be an agile coach, likewise someone in the role
of Scrum Master is often taking on some or all aspects of agile coaching)
https://www.agilealliance.org/resources/initiatives/agile-coaching-ethics/

The intent of this Code of Ethical Conduct for Agile Coaching (Code) is to provide guidance
for people undertaking agile coaching activities, working with individuals, teams and
organisations (irrespective of their role or job title) to guide the types of behaviours, advice,
and approaches expected of them…
Agile coaching is an evolving profession encompassing many disciplines including individual,
team and systemic coaching, facilitating, teaching and mentoring, all applied with an open
and deliberate bias towards using agile approaches to help address the client’s needs…
Anyone who embraces the Code strives to act ethically, even when doing so involves
making difficult decisions. They act courageously, even if there is a personal negative
impact. This Code will help support you when these difficult decisions need to be made and
you can provide it in support of your decisions to your clients. It supports you to
communicate about your actions.

As an ethical agile coach I commit myself to the following:
Confidentiality and information security
1. I will protect information shared with me and won’t disclose it without agreement or
legal reason.
Acting within your ability
2. I will be open and transparent about my skills and experience and I won't claim to
have abilities or knowledge that I do not have.
3. I will be honest with the client if I believe they need another form of professional help.
Introspection and continuing professional development
4. I will engage in introspection and I will engage with a peer group or mentor to explore
ethical and other challenges in my agile coaching work.
5. I will seek to improve my self-awareness and effectiveness through professional
development.

Conflicts of interest
6. I will be transparent about any potential conflicts of interest with all who might be
affected and I won’t act with dishonor.
7. I will withdraw from the relationship if a conflict cannot be adequately managed.
Social responsibility, includes diversity and inclusion
8. I will seek opportunities to bring different voices to the conversation and I won't
condone, allow or perpetuate discrimination in any form.
9. By my action and inaction, I will strive to leave society better than I found it.
Ensuring the relationship is valuable for both coach and the client
10. I will ensure that the relationship remains valuable and I won’t extend it
unnecessarily.
11. I will be honest about any perception of declining value.

Agreeing on boundaries
12. I will ensure we have an agreed scope.
13. I will work with the client to understand their needs rather than impose my own
solution.
14. I will not collude with an organisation that is pursuing purposes at odds with the Agile
Manifesto’s Values and Principles.
Abuse of power
15. I will not abuse my power to influence others for personal gain.
Responsibility to the profession
16. I will uphold the reputation of the agile coaching profession.
17. I won’t condone and will challenge unethical behaviour in others in the profession.
18. I will attribute other's ideas appropriately and avoid the appearance they are mine

Thoughts & Feedback?
What Have We Missed?

Image:
https://avisbudgetgroup.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/10_29_18-900.jpg
How?

Agile Coaching Ethics Scenarios
You are asked to help evaluate the agile health of several areas of a
business. Before each interview you establish a level of confidentiality
that you will anonymize results. As the assessment is conducted the
CxO requests a report which includes the results per person. You
provide anonymized data so as to protect the identity of the
individuals being interviewed.
Appropriate or Inappropriate?
Why appropriate? The information passed on is what was agreed
upon upfront.

A potential client requires someone with extensive practical
experience in a specific topic. You oversell your theoretical knowledge
as practical experience in order to get the assignment.
Why inappropriate? You have claimed to have abilities that you do
not have.

You have been finding internal peer support sessions valuable.
However a more sensitive challenge has recently highlighted itself.
You decide to take this challenge to your external mentor in order to
check you are remaining ethical and come up with some fresh ideas
on how to approach the situation.
Why appropriate? Internal peer review sessions are valuable due to
the extra organisational context they provide. However sometimes
this can cause a biased view (fishbowl effect) on how to approach the
situation or you might not feel safe to speak about certain topics. An
external mentor can bring some fresh perspectives to
the challenge.

You are contracted by a large consulting firm to provide agile
coaching services for a client. They have informed you that at the end
of the month your contract will be terminated, citing your high cost.
Before your last day, you let the client know that you will be available
as an independent should they want to use your services in the
future. You don’t provide the reason or do any further solicitation.
Why gray? As you are leveraging a relationship that was provided by
the consulting company that hired you, without knowing the context
of how or when the conversation occurred or factors in relation to
your employment status, this makes this a grey area as to whether or
not you are breaching any local laws or employment agreements.

You are facilitating a session with a group that has varied levels of
experience, you knowingly give preference to those with deeper
proficiency by creating more space for their voices and exploration of
the topics they are interested in whilst discarding marginal voices.
Why inappropriate? You are knowingly showing bias towards those
sharing their experience and level of knowledge and excluding other
voices that are you are supposed to be serving.

A coach feels that a scrum master they are working with is more likely
to succeed in a different role as they are low performing. The coach
begins to raise other potential career paths and encourages them to
self select out of the role as they feel it will be too hard to develop
them into a successful scrum master.
Why inappropriate? It’s inappropriate to encourage someone to “self-
select” out of their chosen path. A more appropriate action would be
to potentially help them find a mentor or coach that can be more
successful for them.

We need your feedback
AgileCoachingEthics@agilealliance.org

Craig Smith
AGILE COACHING
The Powerful Questions
Behind What, Why & How
@smithcdau
Questions?
craigsmith.id.au
agilealliance.org
softed.com
theagilerevolution.com

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