The document discusses the role of myths in shaping behaviors and culture within the DevOps community. It highlights various myths related to team dynamics, skills assessments, and organizational structure while advocating for speaking up and promoting diversity and change within organizations. Key strategies for fostering a positive culture include listening, identifying inconsistencies, and encouraging open dialogue.

1. Magic, Myth and the DevOps
Jennifer Davis @sigje
DevOpsDays Vancouver 2014
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2. Agenda
• What are Myths?
• See the Myths
• Speaking up
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4. The Zero's Journey
There is no "One".
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5. Devops is a Myth
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6. Myths
guide behaviors.
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7. Myths
based in tradition.
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8. Myths
explain the world and our
significance.
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9. Myths are the oral
history passed around
to give value to the
unknown.
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10. Myths ...
1 part promise
1 part warning.
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11. Myths are stories.
With power to cause action.
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12. Myths are magic.
Unseen, invoking behavior. Influencing us.
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13. Myths are programs.
Allow us to alter our central algorithm.
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14. Insanity is doing the same
thing over and over and
expecting different results.
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15. Story of your typical
team
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23. Exposing Hidden Myths
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24. Myth: Finding "The One"
• rockstar
• ninja
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25. Job Req: Site Rebel Engineer (SRE)
Talented team of Jedi, we have, gained significant traction that
a business model has, and to expand a real need - - quickly!
Looking for smart, we are, energetic, to grow our company at a
lightening pace hard-working individuals who want a chance.
This is a position that is relegated to the shadows not - your
contributions -, have dramatic input on the direction the
company goes, thoughts and input will. There are a variety of
challenges and obstacles that await you and, excited to see
how you go about solving them, are we.
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26. • Certified Jedi Master
• 4 years lightsaber experience
• ability to carry 80 lbs for 1 mile
• X-Wing pilot license
• 24 hour oncall
With force push and mental persuasion - experience.
To join and contribute to a team of smart - desire, talented, to
create something bigger than themselves hard-working
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27. Myth: Interview as a gauge of
skills
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28. Myth: Education
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29. Myth: Outdated Engineer
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30. Myth: Productive Loner
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31. Myth: The "right" way.
• identify good culture
• current team, background, and effective
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32. Storm Troopers
• no diversity
• assigned activities
Purpose: your assigned duty.
Told what to do, when to do it.
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33. The Borg
• no individuality
• no family/outside interests
• no celebrations
Purpose: growth and assimilation
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34. Fear Culture
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35. Red Shirt
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36. Role adherence
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37. Role adherence
Farm boy
Smuggler
Princess
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38. Constraining individuals
• A developer does...
• An ops does ...
to the detriment of the team.
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39. Speaking up.
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40. Why?
• Change your organization.
• Educate peers.
• Influence DevOps community.
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41. Key strategies
• Explicit.
• Informs decision making.
• Encapsulates aim and key values.
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42. It takes a thousand voices
to tell a single story.
— Native American saying
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43. Listen
• who is involved?
• what is the current state?
• cultures?
• beliefs?
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44. Ensure diversity
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45. The language of the culture also reflects the stories of the
culture. One word or simple phrasal labels often describe the
story adequately enough in what we have termed culturally
common stories. To some extent, the stories of a culture are
observable by inspecting the vocabulary of that culture. Often
entire stories are embodied in one very culture-specific word.
The story words unique to a culture reveal cultural differences.
Roger C. Shank
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46. Identify Inconsistencies and Defenses
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47. Organizational Learning
Chris Argyris and Donald Schon
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48. Theory of Action
Theory In Use
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49. Model I
Single Loop
• encourages defensive behaviors (blame)
• Behaviors learned early on
• Skilled Incompetence - Aversion to learning
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50. Organizational Defense Routine
bypass and coverup
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51. Organizational Malaise
• organizational failures, no responsibility
• focus on negative
• the unimplementable values
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52. Model II
Double Loop
• slowed reasonings
• increased analytics
• increased reflection
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55. Technology
Graphs with overlays
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56. Technology
Graphs with overlays
Kanban boards
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57. Technology
Graphs with overlays
Kanban boards
Time Tracking
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58. Review
• What are Myths?
• See the Myths
• Speaking up
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59. Thank you
❤
Twitter @sigje
Email iennae@gmail.com
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60. DevOps or DevOps not.
There is no try.
— Yoda
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