The document provides guidance for how to be an effective change agent within an organization. It discusses tools for understanding company culture and resistance to change, mapping political landscapes, building trust with others, and working on personal effectiveness. The key recommendations are to model desired behaviors, create a positive culture bubble, use early adopters to spread ideas, listen to understand other perspectives, celebrate small wins, and reflect regularly on progress.

1. How To Be A
Secret Agent
^
change
Chris Farrell
Shawn Button
Agile Tour Toronto 2013

3. “We believe that change
can be instigated and led
by anyone.
Lack of power is no
excuse for inactivity or for
anticipating failure.
In healthy companies
people not only lead their
peers but also lead their
bosses, all without the
official sanction to do so”

4. Tools
• We are going to introduce you to a lot
of tools that you can use to help
effect change.
• We are not going to tell you what
changes you should make.
• For more information on these tools
see the links section at the end of this
presentation or come speak to us.

5. Agenda
• Introduction (you are here)
• Fill in problem worksheets
• Working With Your Company
• Working With Others
• Working On Yourself
• References

6. Change Agent Worksheets
Think of three problems that you see in your
organization on a daily basis.
Examples:
Ineffective practices
Micromanaging boss
Introducing Scrum
Improving Collaboration
Making people aware of quality issues
•
•
•
•
•

7. Working With
Your Company

8. What is Culture?
Culture is “how we do things around here”

9. Culture is HARD
to Change
• “What these
[business] needs
require are changes
in behavior. But
“changing culture” is
not going to produce
them. Culture … is
singularly persistent.”
– Peter Drucker 1991

10. You May Not See
The Effects
We are more influenced
by company culture
then we realize
"Cucumbers get more
pickled than brine gets
cucumbered.”
– Gerry Weinberg

11. Create a “Bubble”
of Positive Culture
• Protect those under and
around you from the
negative influences of
the larger company
culture
• Create adapters to the
rest of the company
• Teach/demonstrate to
those around you this
new way of working

12. Be aware that your culture bubble is fragile.

13. Make Connections
Build bridges between
those who've accepted
the new idea and those
who have not
Use people who are
connectors. Those who
seem to have many
connections with many
others in the organization

14. Change is War?
“The innovator has
for enemies all
those who have
done well under the
old conditions, and
lukewarm defenders
in those who may
do well under the
new”
- Machiavelli

15. Change is War?
(It’s just a metaphor, but a
handy way of looking at it)
Be strategic.
Look for the highest value
targets to start. There are
lots of fronts. Pick one.
Figure out where to put
your limited time for best
benefit

16. Battlefield Maps
Make a drawing of all of the
involved people
IT Director
VP Product
Identify:
Compliance
Program Mgr.
USM
• Allies
• Supporters
CIO
QA Manager
UPO
• Threats
• Enemies
PO
SM
Assess Levels of Influence:
• Direct Influencers
• Indirect Influencers
Evolve the Map:
Team
As you know more
As things change
© 2009 BigVisible Used with permission http://www.bigvisible.com/2009/08/agile2009-battlemapping/
Config Mgmt.

17. Make a Battlefield Map
Make a drawing of your
workplace
IT Director
VP Product
Identify:
Compliance
Program Mgr.
USM
• Allies
• Supporters
CIO
QA Manager
UPO
• Threats
• Enemies
PO
SM
Assess Levels of Influence:
• Direct Influencers
• Indirect Influencers
Evolve the Map:
Team
As you know more
As things change
© 2009 BigVisible Used with permission http://www.bigvisible.com/2009/08/agile2009-battlemapping/
Config Mgmt.

18. Working
With
Others

19. Changing Others
Immediately get
nervous when you
hear people saying
that they want to
“change others.”
Change has to be a
collaboration
between you and
those changing

20. Understand
Others’ Context
There is always a reason
for a person’s behaviour
A resistor is often someone
who is misinformed or who
stands to lose with your
change.
Try to understand a
resistor’s context. You
have to figure out what
drives them in order to
help them see your side.

21. Adoption Profiles
• Be aware of what type you a
person you're talking to
• You should focus on those types
of people who will accept your
message and use them to
spread the change
• Take advantage of the
Innovators and Early Adopters

22. Finding Early
Adopters
How do you identify early
adopters? Run experiments!
Plant seeds and see what
grows.
•
•
•
•
•
Study groups
Lunch and learns
Lean Coffees
Coding Dojos
Conferences
Those that come are
innovators or early
adopters!

23. Change Fatigue
People have different
tolerances for change. They
will resist your change if this
tolerance is exceeded. Give
them the space and time
they need.
Conserve your energy
and combat frustration.
People are better at
coping with change if they
have a hand in creating it.

24. Communication is Key
Most of what you will
be doing as a change
agent relies on good
communication skills.
• Powerful questions
• Learning to Listen

25. Powerful Questions
Open-ended, provocative
questions designed to invite
the other person to clarity,
action, and discovery.
Examples:
What is an example?
What is possible?
How do you feel about it?
What is missing?
•
•
•
•

26. Learn to Really Listen
“Listening is the willingness to
change” - Dave Pasquesi (via
Todd Charon)
• Truly listen
• Tune in to non-verbal
•
communication
Instead of “but” try saying “yes
and”

27. External Validation
• People want assurance
•
•
an idea has validity
outside the organization.
Send out links to blog
posts, presentations,
conferences, etc.
Arrange for people to
spend time with big jolt
visitors.

28. Exercise #2
Listening

29. Working
On
Yourself

30. Model the
Behaviour
“If we could change
ourselves, the
tendencies in the world
would also change. As a
man changes his own
nature, so does the
attitude of the world
change towards him. …
We need not wait to see
what others do.”
– Ghandi

31. Building Trust
• In order to get people
to accept your
changes they need to
trust you.
• Two ways to build
trust:
o Show Vulnerability
o Create Connections

32. Show Vulnerability
• Admit when you don’t know
•
•
•
something
Suppress your ego
Admit your weakness and
ignorance
Own your mistakes
This creates authenticity
and builds trust.

33. Create Connections
• Be empathetic
• Take a personal interest
•
•
in people
Give genuine recognition
and praise
Be a Mentor

34. Seek help
• Do not be afraid to
ask for help
o Boss, co-worker,
outside people
o Pair with others
whenever possible
• Get a mentor or
coach

35. Reflection
Make time for
reflection.
At regular intervals to
evaluate what is
working well and what
should be done
differently.
This is key to
improvement.

36. Celebrate Success
Being a change agent
can be very very very
frustrating.
Celebrate even the
small things along the
way, instead of being
overwhelmed with all
the challenges.

37. Personal Effectiveness
Change is hard work.
Here are some tools
you can use to help.
• Step by step
• Personal kanban
• Pomodoro
Technique

38. Step-by-step
Do things in small
manageable increments
“Great things are not
done by impulse but by a
series of small things
brought together”
– Van Gogh
Helps with frustration.
Helps you quickly prove
to others it will work.

39. Personal Kanban

40. The Pomodoro Technique

41. “Remember how
powerful you are. Never
forget the power of the
individual to make a
difference. Enroll people
in that possibility, and
change the world,
change a community,
change your family,
change yourself”
- Jimmy Carter

42. Exercise #3
Vulnerability Challenge
Everyone think of a
memorable story about
themselves
If you are comfortable
take turns sharing with
your group

43. Resources

44. Learn Models
“All models are wrong, but
some are useful”
George E. P. Box
-
• Learn models: ADKAR,
Fogg Behaviour Model,
Kotter Change Model,
Schneider Culture
Model, BEGIN
Empowerment Model,
Cynefin Complexity
Model, and others

50. How To Be A
Secret Agent
^
change
Chris Farrell
Shawn Button
Agile Tour Toronto 2013

51. Links
Battlefield Maps:
http://www.bigvisible.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/08/agile2009mapping-the-change-battlefield1.pdf
Lean Coffee: http://limitedwipsociety.ning.com/page/lean-coffee
Coding Dojos: http://codingdojo.org/cgi-bin/wiki.pl?WhatIsCodingDojo
The Pomodoro Technique:
http://www.lifehack.org/articles/productivity/the-pomodoro-technique-is-it-right-for-you.html
Powerful Questions:
http://www.thecoaches.com/docs/resources/toolkit/pdfs/31-Powerful-Questions.pdf
Active Listening:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Active_listening
Personal Kanban:
http://www.personalkanban.com/pk/personal-kanban-101