Jazz improvisation as a model for radical collaboration There are no mistakes in jazz, only missed opportunities. If someone plays a “wrong note,” the only mistake the rest of the band can make is to not respond to it. Improvisation can only happen when the conditions allow for musicians to take risks and experiment. Now imagine your teams were like that and everyone at work was on the same page. It is possible to achieve this level of intense teamwork, and I’ll show you how. This talk is for anyone involved in the ideation, design, development, and measurement of new products, services, or features; be they web, mobile, or analogue. Whether your focus is strategy, product management, engineering, or user experience design, you're sure to learn valuable ways to increase your teams' creativity and collaboration.

2. @JimKalbach
MURAL

4. Photo : Don Hunstein, used with permission

5. Photo : Don Hunstein, used with permission

7. 12-Bar Blues

8. 12-Bar Blues
16-Bar

9. 12-Bar Blues
16-Bar
A A
B A
32-Bar AABA

12. The reality is that we have no idea what the
end state will be...

13. Like jazz improv, products, brands and
services are never finished.

16. Photo: Jim Kalbach

18. •
•

20. Thaler, E. - This image was provided to Wikimedia Commons by the German Federal Archive - CC-BY-SA-3.0-de

21. http://ucvox.files.wordpress.com/2012/11/113617905-scaling-agile-spotify-11.pdf

22. …we don’t have any management, and
nobody “reports to” anybody else. We
do have a founder/president, but
even he isn’t your manager. This
company is yours to steer — toward
opportunities and away from risks.
http://www.valvesoftware.com/company/Valve_Handbook_LowRes.pdf

23. They will bring … creativity, passion, character, and
collaborative spirit—their humanity, in other words.

24. If what is demanded of managers today
is empathy (more than execution, more
than expertise), then we must ask: what
new roles and organizational structures
make sense…? All the questions about
management are back on the table –
and we can’t find the answers soon
enough.
http://blogs.hbr.org/2014/07/managements-three-eras-a-brief-history/

25. http://foolsgardenjazz.blogspot.com

26. Thank You