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Robin Dymond: "Your Brain and Better Product Development"
The document discusses recent discoveries in brain science and how they relate to product development. It explains that the prefrontal cortex has limited resources for problem solving and insights emerge when larger brain regions are engaged. It also discusses how the brain's threat response hinders thinking and how understanding one's internal states can help manage cognitive processes and insights. Strategies presented include practicing mindfulness, managing emotions, focusing attention on direct experiences, and using Scrum to address the brain's social needs.
Robin Dymond: "Your Brain and Better Product Development"
- 1. Your Brain on Product Development Robin Dymond, CST Agile Eastern Europe 2012 © 2012 Robin Dymond
- 2. My Scumbag brain… meme © 2012 Robin Dymond
- 3. My Scumbag brain… meme © 2012 Robin Dymond
- 4. My Scumbag brain… meme © 2012 Robin Dymond
- 5. My Scumbag brain… meme © 2012 Robin Dymond
- 6. My Scumbag brain… meme © 2012 Robin Dymond
- 7. My Scumbag brain… meme © 2012 Robin Dymond
- 8. My Scumbag brain… meme © 2012 Robin Dymond
- 9. My Scumbag brain… meme © 2012 Robin Dymond
- 10. My Scumbag brain… meme © 2012 Robin Dymond
- 11. My Scumbag brain… meme © 2012 Robin Dymond
- 12. My Scumbag brain… meme © 2012 Robin Dymond
- 13. My Scumbag brain… meme © 2012 Robin Dymond
- 14. What we thoughtabout the brain… Your intellect and personality are fixed The best way to learn is by rational thinking The brain is largely static in adults Emotions are not important to thinking The way the brain is wired is not that different person to person © 2012 Robin Dymond
- 15. Recent Discoveries in Brain Science Neuro-plasticity has shown we can rewire our brain and change our thinking processes Rational thinking is overrated Emotions play a powerful role in brain function Willpower has a specific location and there is a limited amount of it Decision making uses the same circuits as willpower Brains are wired differently from person to person © 2012 Robin Dymond
- 16. The prefrontal cortex © 2012 Robin Dymond
- 17. Experiments Brain mapping priorto epilepsy surgery Let’s do some arithmetic The cookie experiment The Eureka! moment © 2012 Robin Dymond
- 18. Specific Brain Functions are a limited resource Complex higher concentration tasks Attention is limited How would that change how you work today? © 2012 Robin Dymond
- 19. Insight Insights require youto stop thinking. © 2012 Robin Dymond
- 20. Insight Lab tests showmore insights occur when people are happy, much less when anxiety is present Going and playing a game of foozball or pool may improve insight Control your brain by learning when to think directly about a problem and when to not think directly about a problem © 2012 Robin Dymond
- 21. Product Developers Rational resourcesare limited, so try doing the more creative, technical, challenging work early in your day Only work on one thing at a time Collaboration improves focus, happiness Email can wait © 2012 Robin Dymond
- 22. Emotions The Limbic system Moveaway from threats Move toward rewards We move much faster, stronger, and stay longer in the threat response state More activity in Limbic area the less effective the PFC © 2012 Robin Dymond
- 23. Emotional Regulation Suppression creates arousal, no change to memory, makes other uncomfortable Cognitive change strategies Label it reduces arousal, invokes stronger inhibition of threat response (ie, saying “I must be hungry, angry, etc.”) Re-appraisal Fast re-interpretation of the event to change perspective. Reduces threat response, improves cognitive ability, memory Recognizing internal brain function helps improve re- appraisal © 2012 Robin Dymond
- 24. Product Developers Recognize yourthreat response Act quickly to re-appraise or label it before cognitive ability is decrease Realize that we use the same circuits for physical and psychological threat, so we need a work around. © 2012 Robin Dymond
- 25. When you hear… “Ineed to give you some feedback” “I need to talk to you about your project” What is your immediate reaction? © 2012 Robin Dymond
- 26. Social issues Brain isdeeply social, massive circuitry dedicated to social issues Uses same threat reward circuits and pain circuits! Status Local group Large threat response from perceived reduction in position Certainty Autonomy Relatedness In group: share pain, see what they say, out group, don’t hear with same brain circuits, default © 2012 Robin Dymond to foe
- 27. Social issues Status Certainty Autonomy Relatedness Fairness What willimprove these? What decreases them? © 2012 Robin Dymond
- 28. Attention We can usethe results from brain research to change how we think and work. Notice what your brain is doing. Use strategies to change your responses Minimizing the threat response will increase your problem solving ability and insights YOU ARE NOT YOUR BRAIN. © 2012 Robin Dymond
- 29. Mindfulness Neuroscience of mindfulness Noticinginternal states Focus in incoming senses directly The direct experience allows much better processing of inputs The internal narrative suppresses inputs © 2012 Robin Dymond
- 30. Summary The PFC haslimited resources for problem solving Insights come from engaging much larger regions of the brain and are the result of detecting weak relationships The threat response dramatically decreases our ability to think, yet threat responses are much stronger Social issues managed by the same threat and pain circuitry Understanding and attention to internal states allows one to manage cognitive processes Direct experience of inputs suppresses internal narrative and allows much improved processing of inputs and more insights © 2012 Robin Dymond
- 31. Your brain andScrum Improves the primary social issues that impact problem solving: Status Certainty Autonomy Relatedness Fairness © 2012 Robin Dymond
- 32. Your brain andScrum Improves focus: One team, one project at a time Collaboration, pairing Social © 2012 Robin Dymond
- 33. What can youdo tomorrow? How to better manage your brain’s resources? How to improve chances for insights? How to reduce your natural threat response? How to improve your attention to your internal states? © 2012 Robin Dymond