Company Culture Workshop

Marco Trincardi Italian Agile Day 2013

!@Trink0

marco.trincardi@xpeppers.com

Step 1

Organization

Organization are community of people with a mission

Putman 1990

Organization

Organization are living social system

Why Culture?

Culture is first barrier in Agile adoption

Culture Definition

“How we do things in order to succeed”

Schneider ’99

Activity 1

Questionnaire

Culture Definition

Step 2

Schneider Model

impersonalpersonal

what is

what could be

I

III

II

IV

CONTENT

PROCESS

Four Core Culture

ControlCollaboration

Competence

Cultivation

Core Culture

Every company has One Core Culture

Elements of others culture (sub culture) are present only if they are useful to fullfil the

goal of core culture

Activity 2

Culture Features

Step 3

Agile Methodologies

Manifesto for Agile Software DevelopmentIndividuals and interactions

over processes and tools

Working software over comprehensive documentation

Customer collaboration over contract negotiation

Responding to change over following a plan

http://agilemanifesto.org

Activity 3

Identify Agile Features

Agile Culture

Agile is a Culture

Introducing Agile

Agile Introduction =

Change Culture

Agile vs Culture

Don’t fight the culture!

Beware

The older and more successful the organization, the stronger its culture, its nature, its identity

becomes

It’s a tough job

Changing Culture is hard Changing Culture takes time

Step 4

Where do we Start?

Motivation

Business is the best motivation

to change

3 Dimensions

Company Culture

PeopleYou

Agile

Where do we start?

• Identify “sub cultures” aligned with Agile culture

• Look at Problems as point of improvements

• Try two patterns

• “Test the waters”

• “Do it”

Rules of thumb

• Don’t try to explain logically why Agile works

• Practices are a means to an end

• Ask for help

• Iterate and evolve

Control Culture

• “Self organizing team” is not appealing

• “Planning” could be a good starting point

Collaboration Culture

• It’s easier to deal with :)

• Agile Manifesto values are a good starting point

Next Step

It’s your turn

Activity 4Start your journey!

References

Books:

William E. Shneider: “The reengineering alternative”

Linda Rising, Mary Lynn Mans: “Fearless change - Patterns for introducing new ideas”

Ebooks:

M. Sahota: An Agile adoption and transformation survival guide

A. Tommasini, M. Kearns: Agile Transition - What you need to know before start

Articles:

William E. Shneider: “Why good Management ideas Fail” http://www.parshift.com/Speakers/Speak016.htm

Images Credits

• http://www.flickr.com/photos/bilal-kamoon/

• http://www.flickr.com/photos/99681082@N06/

• http://www.flickr.com/photos/jonay/

• http://www.flickr.com/photos/npobre/

• http://www.flickr.com/photos/geofftrotter/

• http://www.flickr.com/photos/sudhamshu/

• http://www.flickr.com/photos/mukumbura/

• http://www.bettiniphoto.net/image/2_0010223_1_thumb2.jpg

• http://www.louisalloro.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/76895_10151209479037441_2052877460_n.jpg