My presentation from the first edition of Agile Manchester summarises what we - Culture Work - have learned during two lean transitions that were very different in nature. It shows how different management approaches and cultures influence the introduction of lean management and highlights the importance of balancing push and pull. It explains how to use and combine different lean methods and approaches (e.g. awareness trainings, retrospectives, A3 problem solving, agile project management) for a company-wide roll-out of lean.

1. © Culture Work 2015
Tim Kalbitzer
Manchester, 8 May 2015
Two lean transitions –
a retrospective

2. © Culture Work 2015
Black?

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White?

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What is right?

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Well, it depends …

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ambivalence
noun | am·biv·a·lence | am-ˈbi-v"-l"n(t)s
1 simultaneous and contradictory attitudes or feelings (as
attraction and repulsion) toward an object, person, or
action
2a continual fluctuation (as between one thing and its
opposite)
2b uncertainty as to which approach to follow
http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ambivalence (6 May 2015)

7. © Culture Work 2015
Which opposites
come to your mind?

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Opposites – a selection
black white
strong weak
fast slow
push pull
rational emotional

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Ambivalence
=
“… as well as …”

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#1
You can only successfully change an
organisation if you consider ambivalence
in the transition.

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Our ambivalent nature
I grow
Autonomy
Growth
Personal
development
I am connected
Closeness
Solidarity
Affiliation
Security
Ambivalence
Pre-birth experience

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A good and balanced organizational mindset
directed
by others
self-
directed
FreedomRules
Autonomy Security
Individual
ambition
More control More trust
Company
decision
Requirement for
agility and creativity
Requirement for
certainty

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#2
Don’t push too much,
but don’t wait to be pulled either.
(Balancing push and pull is vital for a healthy transition.)

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Push and pull in transitions
Coach has to counterbalance the way lean is introduced!
Behaviour
People do what they want
à anarchy?
Push Pull
Opportunism and resignation
Speed
Low à no perceived progress
à motivation gets lost
High
à Fear, negative progress
Responsibility
Give responsibility (to teams)
à Who ensures direction?
Give direction
à Who feels really responsible?
Coaching Engage, drive the change
Protect people,
slow down management

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Balancing
• We find “either … or …” easier
• We hate “it depends …”
• We prefer a specific “how to …”
• We don’t like to make mistakes
(if we are punished for them)
Difficult because
• Continuously and carefully look at
the situation
• Do more of the opposite and less
of the same
What to do

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Push and pull in communication
Enthusiasm
Fear
inspire
encourage
invite
request
instruct
threaten, force
Pull
Push

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#3
Lean tools alone don’t work.
You need tools and the right behaviour.
(Balancing rational and emotional/social aspects is vital for
the successful use of lean methods.)

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The logic of lean management
products
processes
teams
limbic system
rational
emotional
value

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Some great methods to start with
Explain what lean is and what it means.
Get feedback and identify fears and problems.
Continuously learn and improve the way we
work.
Solve problems systematically and
sustainably.
Have a common understanding of what
should be achieved and why it makes sense.
Awareness training
Retrospective
A3
Target setting
Purpose
“Why?”
Method
“What?”
Address people’s fears and problems!

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Awareness Training
Philosophy
Fears
Doubts
Questions
Problems ProblemsMethods
History
Examples
Examples
Mix rational and emotional/social topics!

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Retrospective
What are we
proud of?
What can we
do better?
Result TeamProcess
Mainly
emotional/social
Mainly
rational

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A3
● Activity tracking
P - Current state / problem
● Describe current situation and facts
P - Causes
● Analyse root causes (Ishikawa diagram)
P - Target state
● Describe target state and why it makes sense
D - Activities
● Execute again if problem wasn‘t solved
● Define a new standard (if it makes sense)
● Describe what you learned
A - Next steps
C - Check
● Reflect the achievements
What
Criterion Achieved?KPI
Who WhenA3
Most causes are
emotional/social

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Target setting
Target state
Purpose
Check
Sponsor
What do we want to achieve?
Why does that make sense?
How do we check that we have achieved the target?
Who checks if we have achieved the target?
Provides
meaning

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Possible combination of methods
Project
Gain clarity
Get buy-in for target
Look back and
immediately use feedback
Learn within project Finish work
emotionally
Sustainably solve
problems
Train team, stakeholder
and environment
Train environment
Target setting
A3
Retrospective
Awareness Training

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Summary
#1 You can only successfully change an
organisation if you consider ambivalence
in the transition.
#2 Don’t push too much, but don’t wait to be
pulled either.
#3 Lean tools alone don’t work.
You need tools and the right behaviour.

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Culture Work model for continuous sustainable change
Learning
(change)
Routine
(keep)
Management
(rational)
Leadership
(emotional/social)
Balance & achieve integration

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Life is neither easy nor tricky,
neither clear nor dark,
neither contradictory nor coherent.
Life is.
Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
Antoine de Saint-Exupéry (2014): Man sieht nur mit dem Herzen gut; translated by Tim Kalbitzer

28. © Culture Work 2015
Tim Kalbitzer
tim.kalbitzer@culture-work.com
+49 171 5429368
@timkalbitzer
@CultureWorkGmbH
Share your ambivalent experience
with me!