This document discusses using Spiral Dynamics to help organizations change and become more agile. It begins with a warning about how viewing the world through certain lenses can alter one's perceptions. It then provides an overview of Spiral Dynamics, which proposes that human development occurs through eight value systems that individuals and societies progress through as they become more complex. The document suggests discovering an organization's current "cultural DNA" using tools to identify which value systems are dominant. Strategies are presented for changing the DNA by decreasing, increasing, or helping progress to newer value systems. The goal is to understand limitations of current ways of thinking and use Spiral Dynamics to guide movement to more advanced levels that better enable agility. Resources for further learning are

1. WARNING
The following presentation contains explicit
content, which can dramatically alter the way you
view the world. There are cases where people
who have been contaminated with this content
happen to see colors that aren’t there. Red
Hummers while they are black, Purple Agile
Coaches and managers in Orange suits.
1

2. Changing Cultural DNA
with Spiral Dynamics to become thoroughly Agile
Dajo Breddels
Agile Wizard
2

3. Introduction
1
Agile and SD
5
Spiral Dynamics
2
Change DNA
6
Discover DNA
3
Next Steps
7
Discover Environment
4
Section Title
8
3

4. Who is Who
‣ Who are You?
•
Role
•
Experience
‣ Who is Dajo Breddels?
•
Agile Coaching
•
Life Coaching & Spiral Dynamics
•
Agile Coaching & Spiral Dynamics
4

5. Have you ever …
‣ Coached an organization to work Agile, everything
seemed ok, you left and half a year later they were
right back were they started.
‣ Been in an organization where people said that they
fully agreed with you, but didn’t change a thing.
‣ Discovered that there were different cultures in one
organization and people were unable to work
together.
And wondered why this happened and what you can do
about this?
5

6. My personal path
With combining Agile and Spiral Dynamics
1. Understand where they are
2. Acceptance about what’s happening
3. Seeing the limits
4. Using Spiral Dynamics to get them to the next level
6

7. Introduction
1
Agile and SD
5
Spiral Dynamics
2
Change DNA
6
Discover DNA
3
Next Steps
7
Discover Environment
4
Section Title
8
7

8. “The Emergent,
Cyclical, DoubleHelix Model Of The
Adult Human
Biopsychosocial
Systems.”
Prof. Dr. Clare W. Graves
8

9. 8 ways of thinking, 8 Value Systems
9

10. Continuous interaction
between Organism and Environment
‣ Organism
•
Individual
•
Team
•
Organization
•
Culture
‣ Environment
•
Culture
•
Organis
m
Environment
Nature
10

11. New times, new ways of thinking
Time / Complexity
11

12. BEIGE Instinctive/Survivalistic VS
Do what you must do, just to stay alive
‣
Uses instincts and habits just to survive
‣
Distinct self is barely awakened or
sustained
‣
Food, water, warmth, sex, and safety
have priority
‣
Forms into survival bands to perpetuate
life
‣
Lives “off the land” much as other
animals
12

13. PURPLE Magical/Animistic VS
Keep the spirits happy and the tribe’s nest warm and safe
‣
Obeys the desires of the spirit being and
mystical signs
‣
Shows allegiance to chief, elders,
ancestors, and the clan
‣
Individual subsumed in group
‣
Preserves sacred objects, places,
events, and memories
‣
Observes rites of passage, seasonal
cycles, and tribal customs
13

14. RED Impulsive/Egocentric VS
Be what you are and do what you want, regardless
‣
The world is a jungle full of threats and
predators
‣
Breaks free from any domination or
constraint to please self as self desires
‣
Stands tall, expects attention, demands
respect, and calls the shots
‣
Enjoys self to the fullest right now
without guilt or remorse
‣
Conquers, out-foxes, and dominates
other aggressive characters
14

15. BLUE Purposeful/Authoritarian VS
Life has meaning, direction, and purpose with
predetermined outcomes
‣
One sacrifices self to the transcendent
Cause, Truth, or righteous Pathway
‣
The Order enforces a code of conduct
based on eternal, absolute principles
‣
Righteous living produces stability now
and guarantees future reward
‣
Impulsivity is controlled through guilt;
everybody has their proper place
‣
Laws, regulations, and discipline build
character and moral fiber
15

16. ORANGE Achievist/Strategic VS
Act in your own self-interest by playing the game to win
‣
Change and advancement are inherent
within the scheme of things
‣
Progresses by learning nature’s secrets
and seeking out best solutions
‣
Manipulates Earth’s resources to create
and spread the abundant good life
‣
Optimistic, risk-taking, and self-reliant
people deserve success
‣
Societies prosper through strategy,
technology, and competitiveness
16

17. GREEN Communitarian/Egalitarian VS
Seek peace within the inner self and explore, with others,
the caring dimensions of community
‣
The human spirit must be freed from
greed, dogma, and divisiveness
‣
Feelings, sensitivity, and caring
supersede cold rationality
‣
Spreads the Earth’s resources and
opportunities equally among all
‣
Reaches decisions through
reconciliation and consensus processes
‣
Refreshes spirituality, brings harmony,
and enriches human development
17

18. Yellow Integrative VS
Live fully and responsibly as what you are and learn to
become
‣
Life is a kaleidoscope of natural
hierarchies, systems, and forms
‣
The magnificence of existence is valued
over material possessions
‣
Flexibility, spontaneity, and functionality
have the highest priority
‣
Differences can be integrated into
interdependent, natural flows
‣
Understands that chaos and change are
natural
18

19. TURQUISE Holistic VS
Experience the wholeness of existence through mind and
spirit
‣
The world is a single, dynamic organism
with its own collective mind
‣
Self is both distinct and a blended part
of a larger, compassionate whole
‣
Everything connects to everything else in
ecological alignments
‣
Energy and information permeate the
Earth’s total environment
‣
Holistic, intuitive thinking and
cooperative actions are to be expected
19

20. New times, new ways of thinking
Time / Complexity
20

21. 21

22. Mathematical Formulas
Increasing complexity:
The bottom equation isn’t better than the top one.
22

23. Example individual Value System profile
RED Centered: Hägar the Horrible Profile
ILLNESS
WORK
SOCIAL
(clubs)
RELIGIOUS
SOCIAL
(neighbourhood)
FAMILY OR HOME
23

24. Example individual Value System profile
GREEN Centered: Scandinavian Society Profile
WORK
FAMILY
SPORTS
PARTICIPATION
POLITICS
SOCIAL
RELIGIOUS
24

25. Introduction
1
Agile and SD
5
Spiral Dynamics
2
Change DNA
6
Discover DNA
3
Next Steps
7
Discover Environment
4
Section Title
8
25

26. Discover DNA
Organis
m
Environment
26

27. Different levels
‣ Individual
‣ Team
‣ Organization
‣ Environment
Individual
Team
Organization
Environment
27

28. Discover Cultural DNA
Discover vMemes Cards
28

29. Discover Cultural DNA
Discover vMemes Cards
2x
1x
1x
1x
29

30. Introduction
1
Agile and SD
5
Spiral Dynamics
2
Change DNA
6
Discover DNA
3
Next Steps
7
Discover Environment
4
Section Title
8
30

31. Discover DNA
Organis
m
Environment
31

32. Discover Environment
Discover Life Conditions Cards
32

33. Discover Environment
Discover Life Conditions Cards
33

34. Introduction
1
Agile and SD
5
Spiral Dynamics
2
Change DNA
6
Discover DNA
3
Next Steps
7
Discover Environment
4
Section Title
8
34

35. Agile Manifesto
We are uncovering better ways of developing
software by doing it and helping others do it.
Through this work we have come to value:
‣ Individuals and interactions over processes and tools
‣ Working software over comprehensive documentation
‣ Customer collaboration over contract negotiation
‣ Responding to change over following a plan
That is, while there is value in the items on
the right, we value the items on the left more.
35

36. Value Systems and Agile
BLUE
Value System
ORANGE
Value System
GREEN
Value System
YELLOW
Value System
36

37. Value Systems and Agile Manifesto
BLUE
Value System
ORANGE
Value System
GREEN
Value System
YELLOW
Value System
Comprehensive
documentation over
working software
Contract negotiation over
customer collaboration
Individuals and
interactions over
processes and tools
Responding to change
over following a plan
Following a plan over
responding to change
Working software over
comprehensive
documentation
Customer collaboration
over contract negotiation
Processes and tools over
individuals and
interactions
37

38. BLUE Purposeful/Authoritarian VS
Being dominant in an Agile environment
‣ Name: Procedural Agile
‣ Right Use: Life critical applications
‣ Strong: Order and Control
‣ Weakness: Slow and Inflexible
‣ Danger: Unstoppable growth of
procedures
‣ Typical
‣ One Truth, hierarchical, inflexible,
silo thinking, one specific method,
reacts slow to changes,
guidelines, templates, procedures,
disciplined
‣ To keep it agile
‣ Something in, something out
38

39. ORANGE Achievist/Strategic VS
Being dominant in an Agile environment
‣ Name: Money Driven Agile
‣ Right Use: Direct financial crisis
‣ Strong: Quick win and Improving
‣ Weakness: Long term
‣ Danger: Burning up people
‣ Typical
‣ More with less, success,
improves, competition, outsmart
others, situational ethics, drive
‣ To keep it agile
‣ Limit the maximum cost reduction
/ growth
39

40. GREEN Communitarian/Egalitarian VS
Being dominant in an Agile environment
‣ Name: People Centric Agile
‣ Right Use: Political sensitive projects
‣ Strong: Team thinking and
involvement
‣ Weakness: Paralysis through
consensus
‣ Danger: Too many people involved
‣ Typical
‣ People first, consensus,
everybody is equal, flat
organization, team effort,
acceptance, slow in taking
decisions
‣ To keep it agile
‣ Limit number of stakeholders
40

41. Yellow Integrative VS
Being dominant in an Agile environment
‣ Name: Effective Agile
‣ Right Use: Chaotic and global
environments
‣ Strong: Respond to change
‣ Weakness: Seen as unstable
‣ Danger: Loosing the rest
‣ Typical
‣ Effectiveness over efficiency,
people are different, embrace
change, improve, out-of-the-box,
wolf in sheep’s clothing, hard to
understand, can loose interest, no
interest in status, long term
thinking
41

42. Real life example
‣ Management
‣ Team
‣ Organization
‣ External Environment
42

43. Introduction
1
Agile and SD
5
Spiral Dynamics
2
Change DNA
6
Discover DNA
3
Next Steps
7
Discover Environment
4
Section Title
8
43

44. Where is change needed?
‣ Individual
‣ Team
‣ Organization
‣ Environment
Individual
Team
Organization
Environment
44

45. Change Cultural DNA
Three strategies
Decrease
Increase
Transcend
‣ A Value system has a
negative impact on the
system
‣ The lack of a Value
System has negative
impact on the system
‣ The current dominant
Value System can’t cope
with the Life Conditions
‣ Lessen the influence of
the Value System
‣ Add something new in the
system to add a little bit
of this Value System
‣ Use parts of the old Value
System to interest people
to new ideas which are
part of the next Value
System
45

46. Change Cultural DNA
vMeme Magic Cards
46

47. Change Cultural DNA
vMeme Magic Cards
47

48. Introduction
1
Agile and SD
5
Spiral Dynamics
2
Change DNA
6
Discover DNA
3
Next Steps
7
Discover Environment
4
Section Title
8
48

49. Your path?
With combining Agile and Spiral Dynamics
1. Understand where they are
2. Acceptance about what’s happening
3. Seeing the limits
4. Using Spiral Dynamics to get them to the next level
49

50. Next Steps
50

51. Agile Wizardry Library
Crowd Sourced Solutions
51

52. Resources
‣ Books
•
Spiral Dynamics, Don Beck and Christopher Cowan
•
Virus of the Mind, Richard Brodie
•
Spiral Dynamics Integral, Don Beck (audiobook)
‣ Websites
•
http://www.jobeq.net (example Value System test)
•
http://www.clarewgraves.com/
•
http://www.kuzidi.com/agilewizardry
52

53. Contact for more information
Dajo Breddels
Agile Wizard
dajo.breddels@kuzidi.com
53