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Upton Sinclair’s Dictum

April 5, 2024
Article, Business, Collaboration, Culture change, Ethics, Honesty, Memeology, Organisational effectiveness, Product development, Quintessence, Software development, Teambuilding, Value
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Upton Sinclair’s Dictum

The Maxim and Its Intellectual Pedigree

For those unfamiliar with the novelist and polemicist Upton Sinclair, he is perhaps best known for his 1906 novel “The Jungle” which exposed horrific conditions in the meat-packing industry and inspired reforms like the creation of the FDA. But one of Sinclair’s most oft-quoted maxims has lived on as sage advice in fields well beyond its original context of Yellow Journalism and muckraking:

“It is difficult to get a man to understand something when his salary depends upon his not understanding it.”

This pithy statement, now known as Upton Sinclair’s Dictum, echoes the perspective of the English mathematician and philosopher William Kingdon Clifford, who famously declared

“It is wrong always, everywhere, and for anyone, to believe anything upon insufficient evidence.”

thereby making belief an issue of morality, or ethics.

Both Upton Sinclair and William Clifford saw intellectual honesty and a commitment to following evidence over expedience as paramount moral and ethical imperatives.

The Perils of Motivated Reasoning

Sinclair’s dictum cuts to the heart of the conflict of interest that can arise when people are incentivised to ignore uncomfortable truths or turn a blind eye to unethical practices. Over a century later, it remains as relevant as ever – particularly for business leaders and managers charged with enabling collaborative knowledge work.

The Crucible of Knowledge Work

In fields like software development, product design, team coaching, and other collaborative brain (grey muscle) work, the challenges teams face are often wicked problems – complex issues with no clear right answer, where even reasonable people can disagree with each other. Successfully navigating these choppy waters requires the fearless questioning of assumptions and beliefs, a relentless commitment to empiricism over ego, and a culture where all ideas can be rigorously stress-tested rather than self-censored.

Incentives Gone Awry

And yet, how often do we see teams afflicted by an insidious form of willful blindness, where dissenting perspectives are downplayed or dismissed outright in service of binding to already-held beliefs? Perhaps it’s driven by managers’ career incentives being too tightly coupled to delivering on a specific roadmap or revenue target. Maybe it stems from product leaders’ identities being too inextricably bound up with their “billion dollar baby” and thus being emotionally invested in rationalising sunk costs. Or it could simply be the natural tendency toward the comfortable inertia of groupthink.

Embracing Intellectual Honesty

Whatever the root causes, the antidote is the same – cultivating a culture of intellectual honesty, where all the Folks That Matter™ have both the autonomy and the enthusiasm to vocalise doubts and scrutinise lchains of reasoning, assumptions and beliefs. Where no stone goes unturned in interrogating the fundamental assumptions underlying key decisions. Where Value at Risk* queries are not only tolerated but actively encouraged as a check against blind spots and biases.

Fostering this boundary-less ethos of truth-seeking is a significant challenge facing modern knowledge-work leaders. But by striving to live up to the spirit of Sinclair’s admonition, we give ourselves the best chance of circumventing the self-deceptions and rationalisations that can otherwise send initiatives careening toward ruinous failures.

Heeding History’s Warnings

Time and again, history’s cautionary tales have proved the adage that “in a battle of conviction against conventional wisdom, conventional wisdom has largely prevailed.” That’s why embracing Sinclair’s Dictum is so vital. For only by creating an environment where people can transcend their vested interests and follow the truth wherever it leads can we hope to part the veils of entrenched assumptions and beliefs.

 

*”Value at risk queries” refers to the practice of actively questioning and scrutinising decisions, plans, or initiatives to assess the potential downsides, risks, and costs if things go wrong.

The term is taken from the financial concept of “value at risk” (VaR), which is a risk measurement and management method used to estimate the potential losses an investment or portfolio could face over a given time period.

Here, “value at risk queries” means rigorously examining the value potentially put at risk by a course of action – whether that value is financial, reputational, opportunity costs, or other key metrics important to the organisation.

Some examples of value at risk queries include:

  • What is the worst-case scenario if this product fails to gain market traction?
  • Have we fully stress-tested the assumptions around customer adoption rates?
  • To what regulatory or compliance risks are we potentially exposing ourselves?
  • How much technical debt and future constraints are we incurring with this architecture?
  • Are we missing any significant blind spots in our competitive analysis?

Instead of shutting down or dismissing these tough “what if?” questions, organisations might choose to actively encourage and support value at risk queries. This helps surface potential blind spots and provides a check against overly optimistic planning or narrow frames of reference.

In essence, value at risk queries apply rigorous risk management thinking as an antidote to groupthink and comfortable consensus-building. They stress-test initiatives before making irreversible commitments.

Exploring Shared Assumptions and Beliefs with the Help of an AI Chatbot

March 27, 2024
Actionable Insights, AI, Alien tech, Article, Business, Chatbots, Collective psyche, Conversations, Dialogue, Improvement, Leadership, Memeology, Organisational effectiveness, Organisational Therapy, Quintessence
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Exploring Shared Assumptions and Beliefs with the Help of an AI Chatbot

Introduction

As businesses strive for innovation and growth, they often find themselves running up against unseen barriers – ingrained ways of thinking and behaving that can severely limit their ambitions and ability to adapt. In many cases, these constraining (shared) beliefs and assumptions live under the surface, making them extremely difficult to identify and uproot.

This sample dialogue (below) aims to illustrate how engaging with an AI chatbot like Claude can provide a fresher, more impartial perspective to help bring those unconscious blockers into the light. By asking probing questions and suggesting reframes, an AI can serve as a cooperative thinking partner to explore the root causes behind an organisation’s collective blind spots.

Let’s take a look at how this conversational process might unfold:
(Note: this is an actual dialogue generated by ClaudeAI)

Overcoming Organisational Blind Spots: A Candid Dialogue

Are Collective Mindsets Holding Us Back?

Business Team: We’re really struggling as a team at work. Our growth and innovation have hit a plateau, and we can’t seem to get over this hump. We feel like there are some underlying assumptions or beliefs that we all unconsciously share that are limiting our thinking, but we can’t quite put our finger on what they are. Any thoughts?

Claude: That’s an insightful observation. Could you elaborate on the areas where your team has faced repeated roadblocks or struggled to adapt? Have you noticed any patterns in how new ideas get instantly dismissed or shut down?

The Perils of Risk-Aversion

Business Team: You know, now that you mention it, we do tend to instinctively shut down ideas that seem too ambitious or radically different from our current model. There’s an assumption that taking big swings is too risky and that we’re better off sticking to incremental innovations.

Claude: I see, so there seems to be an excessive aversion to risk-taking that could be crippling your team’s ability to innovate more boldly. Where might this belief originate from? Perhaps past failures that bred excessive caution within the team?

Overconfidence from Past Successes

Business Team: And you’re right, we may be overly reliant on past glories and successes rather than pushing for true disruption these days.

Claude: Overconfidence and complacency from previous successes is a common pitfall for teams. Have you explored where those constraining beliefs originated within your group? Sometimes they start from overcorrecting after a past failure. Or they take root from excessive short-term focus and risk-aversion in decision making over time.

Business Team: You’ve hit the nail on the head. We can trace the risk-aversion back to a few high-profile product launches that failed a few years ago. And the reverence for our old products stems from the founders still being closely involved, constantly reminiscing about how we initially disrupted the market.

Shattering Ingrained Narratives

Claude: Those do seem like major sources of the limiting beliefs constraining your team’s thinking. But how can you start dismantling and changing those ingrained narratives collectively? Here are some suggestions:

  1. Make the limiting beliefs explicit and discuss them openly together as a team. Bringing these unconscious biases into the light is key.
  2. Have you analyzed instances where those beliefs caused you to miss opportunities and calculated the cost of leaving innovation on the table as a group?
  3. Could you find examples of competitors or companies in other industries who have succeeded by doing the opposite – embracing risks, continuously reinventing themselves? Study how they cultivated a different organizational mindset.
  4. Implement structural changes to counteract the limiting beliefs. For instance, explicitly weighing the cost of inaction, having an “innovation ombudsman” role, or celebrating failed experiments more than static successes.
  5. Bring in fresh perspectives through new hires, industry experts, or even customers who can challenge the status quo assumptions.

The ultimate ambition might be to make curiosity, experimentation, and an appetite for disruption core cultural values for your team and organisation.

Business Team: This is immensely helpful. We have a much clearer picture now of how to diagnose and deliberately shift our unhelpful collective beliefs as a team. Change starts by bringing those unconscious biases into the light through open discussion. We really appreciate you laying out such a detailed framework – we’re energized to start implementing these ideas right away.

Bringing in an Organisational Psychotherapist

Sometimes, even with the best intentions, it can be extremely difficult for a team to identify and overcome their own deep-seated collective assumptions and beliefs on their own. This is where bringing in an outside organisational psychotherapist can be invaluable…

By prompting deeper reflection, offering new perspectives, and designing tailored interventions, an experienced organisational psychotherapist or AI assistant can catalyse the crucial process of surfacing and reflecting upon an organisation’s dysfunctional beliefs and narratives.

While working with a human expert may ultimately be advisable for any complex organisational transformation, this dialogue demonstrates how an AI like Claude can provide a potential first step. Through probing inquiries and analytical detachment, an AI chatbot can shed light on the obscured mental models that might be unwittingly obstructing an organisation’s path to greater innovation and growth.

What Are You Missing Out On?

March 22, 2024
Article, Business, Capability development, Collective psyche, Culture change, Improvement, Innovation, Joy, Leadership, Management, Memeology, Organisational effectiveness, Organisational Therapy, Paradigm shifts, Quintessence
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What Are You Missing Out On?

In any organisation, the beliefs and assumptions that everyone holds in common can have a profound impact on culture, productivity, and overall success. By neglecting shared assumptions and beliefs you may be missing out on harnessing the power of aligning them for optimal performance. But what exactly could this approach unlock for your organisation?

For Executives and Senior Managers

Shaping the Organisational Mindset

As a leader, you set the tone for the entire company’s culture and worldview. However, failing to examine and actively shape the company’s ingrained assumptions can lead to misalignment and hinder performance. Organisational psychotherapy illuminates existing belief systems – a.k.a. the collective mindset – and provides means to cultivate an organisational mindset centered on the things that matter to you, and a unified vision for success.

Transcending Limiting Assumptions

Over time, organisations develop deep-rooted assumptions that act as invisible shackles, limiting innovation, adaptation and achievement of goals. You could be missing out on breaking through these limitations by not exploring the underlying group psyche. Organisational psychotherapy techniques identify and reframe constraining assumptions, allowing you and your peers, and your workforce, to operate from an empowered, possibility-focused perspective.

For Middle Managers

Bridging Misaligned Beliefs

In the pivotal role of middle management, you navigate the shared assumptions of both leadership and frontline teams. Unaddressed, differing beliefs between groups can breed misunderstanding and hinder synergy. Organisational psychotherapy provides a framework for uncovering disconnects and fostering more cohesive, aligned assumptions across all levels.

Fostering Trust and Psychological Safety

Highly effective teams are built on a foundation of trust and the ability to take interpersonal risks. You could be missing out on this key ingredient if psychological barriers rooted in distrustful and deleterious assumptions remain unaddressed. Psychotherapeutic interventions help everyone examine and reshape beliefs around vulnerability, conflict, and collaboration.

For Technical Workers

Unleashing Pioneering Thinking

For technical roles requiring cutting-edge solutions, limiting assumptions around “how things are done” stifle innovation. You may be missing out on radically more effective approaches by not exploring and expanding your team’s collective assumptions about e.g. what is possible. Psychotherapy illuminates blind spots and reframes beliefs to open minds to truely different thinking.

Fostering Knowledge-Sharing

In highly specialised technical domains, knowledge-sharing is critical but often obstructed by entrenched assumptions of competence hierarchies or domain territoriality. Organisational psychotherapy provides means to surface and reflect on these counterproductive beliefs, instead opeing the door to assumptions that celebrate joyful work, collaborative growth and learning.

Summary

Embracing organisational psychotherapy unlocks an often-overlooked yet powerful source of competitive advantage – the shared assumptions and beliefs that underpin an organisation’s culture, communication, and performance. By neglecting this dimension, you may be missing out on by not giving organisational psychotherapy serious consideration as a powerful tool for your toolbox:

For Executives and Senior Managers:
The ability to purposefully shape an organisational mindset aligned with your shared vision and strategic objectives. As well as the opportunity to transcend limiting assumptions that constrain innovation, adaptation, and achievement.

For Middle Managers:
A framework for bridging misaligned beliefs across levels that breed misunderstanding and hinder synergy. And fostering a bedrock of trust and psychological safety that enables teams to take interpersonal risks and collaborate effectively.

For Technical Workers:
Unleashing pioneering, radically different thinking by reframing beliefs around “how things are done.” And cultivating knowledge-sharing by dispelling assumptions of competence hierarchies and domain territoriality.

At every level of an organisation, insidious assumptions and beliefs can act as unseen forces, obstructing potential and stalling progress. You could be missing out on dismantling these forces and instead harnessing the power of shared vision, alignment of mindsets, and collaborative beliefs.

Organisational psychotherapy provides the insight and means to illuminate, examine, and reflect on the collective beliefs and assumptions influencing your organisation’s culture and performance. Is it yet time you explored how to unleash this underutilised power and stop missing out on achieving new heights of success?

How “Constant State of Ship” Drives Transformative Practices

March 11, 2024
Antimatter principle, Article, Automation, Business, Capability development, Culture change, Engineering, Familiar, Fellowship, Flow, Improvement, Learning, Memeology, Organisational effectiveness, Organisational Therapy, Product development, Quintessence, Self-organisation
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How “Constant State of Ship” Drives Transformative Practices

Introduction

In the relentless pursuit of delivering value to customers, with unparalleled speed and reliability, the software development world has yet to widely embrace a revolutionary principle – the “Constant State of Ship”. This state, where software artefacts and products are perpetually poised for release into production environments within just 15 minutes’ notice, has emerged as a driving force behind best practices that enable true continuous deployment. Remarkably, this groundbreaking concept formed the foundation of the pioneering “Javelin” software development approach, a visionary approach conceived by FlowChainSensei (Bob Marshall) at Familiar circa 1996 and onwards, foreshadowing the industry’s even-now-yet-to-be-realised embrace of these practices.

The Power of “Constant State of Ship”

The “Constant State of Ship” serves us as an unyielding forcing function, inviting teams to adopt and adhere to a comprehensive set of best practices that catalyse the seamless flow of software into production. Let us explore how this principle reinforces each of thirteen fundamentals of Continuous Delivery (hat tip to Dave Farley):

The 13 Fundamentals Enabled

  1. A Repeatable, Reliable ProcessWith the ever-present possibility of an imminent release, teams may choose to establish a well-defined, automated pipeline for building, testing, and deploying their software. This process needs to be repeatable and reliable, minimising the risk of human error and ensuring consistency across releases.

    The “Constant State of Ship” mindset suggests that teams have a streamlined, automated release pipeline that can be triggered at any moment. Manual steps and ad-hoc and emergency exception procedures become liabilities, as they introduce variability and increase the chances of mistakes during deployment.

    To achieve this repeatability and reliability, teams are supported to invest in build automation tools, automated testing frameworks, and deployment automation pipelines. Every step of the release pipeline can be codified, documented, and thoroughly tested to ensure predictable outcomes each time.

    Moreover, the “Constant State of Ship” principle fosters an environment of continuous learning and improvement. Any failures or issues encountered during a release are promptly analysed, and the release process is refined to prevent future occurrences. This cycle of continuous feedback and optimisation ensures that the release pipeline remains reliable and efficient, even as the codebase and systems evolve over time.

    By operating in a “Constant State of Ship” mode, teams are invited to treat the release pipeline as a critical component of their software development lifecycle, investing the necessary resources and effort to make it repeatable, reliable, and capable of delivering changes to production environments at a moment’s notice.

  2. Automate All the ThingsIn a “Constant State of Ship” paradigm, manual interventions become significant bottlenecks and risks, hindering the required velocity and reliability. Automation becomes imperative, spanning every aspect of the delivery pipeline, from code compilation to infrastructure provisioning. The threat of an imminent release leaves no room for error-prone manual processes that could delay or derail a deployment. Teams must automate build processes, test execution, environment provisioning, deployment steps, and release orchestration to ensure consistency and minimise the risk of human error.
  3. Maintain a Releasable StateThe core tenet of “Constant State of Ship” requires that the codebase and associated artifacts remain in a perpetually releasable state. This principle invites teams to address issues promptly, maintain a high level of code quality, and vigilantly consider the accumulation of technical debt. Any defects, bugs, or instabilities in the codebase could potentially disrupt an imminent release, leading to costly delays or failures. Teams must adopt practices like continuous integration, automated testing, and ensemble programming to ensure that the codebase remains in a stable, deployable state at all times.
  4. Focus on Robust (Real) Quality Assurance

    In the “Constant State of Ship” paradigm, where the possibility of demand for an immediate release is ever-present, quality assurance cannot be treated as an afterthought. “Constant State of Ship” invites the integration of quality practices throughout the entire development lifecycle, ensuring that quality is baked into the software from inception to deployment.

    While testing plays a role, it is merely one facet of a comprehensive quality assurance strategy. Teams may choose to adopt a holistic approach that emphasises quality as a continuous, pervasive practice woven into every aspect of the development approach.

    This begins with cultivating a culture of quality-driven development, where every team member participates in collective ownership and responsibility for the quality of their work. Practices such as clarity of (quantified a la Gilb) requirements, ensemble programming, peer code reviews, adherence to coding standards, and continuous static code analysis can help identify and mitigate potential issues early in the development cycle.

    Furthermore, “Constant State of Ship” invites teams to embrace principles of iterative and incremental development. By breaking down complex features into smaller, manageable, well-bounded increments, teams can more effectively manage quality risks and ensure that each increment and subsystem meets the required quality criteria before progressing to the next.

    Continuous integration and deployment pipelines play a pivotal role in this quality assurance strategy, enabling teams to continuously validate and verify the software’s functionality, performance, and stability with each incremental change. These pipelines automate the execution of various quality checks, including unit tests, integration tests, and performance tests, providing real-time feedback and enabling teams to address issues promptly.

    However, quality assurance extends beyond mere testing alone. Teams have the opportunity to adopt a holistic approach that encompasses design practices, architectural decisions, and operational readiness. By considering quality implications at every stage of the software development lifecycle, teams can proactively identify and mitigate potential risks, ensuring that the software remains in a releasable state at all times.

    “Constant State of Ship” elevates quality assurance to a core discipline that permeates every aspect of the software development effort. By fostering a culture of quality-driven development and adopting continuous quality practices, teams can attend to the needs of all the Folks That Matter™, with confidence, knowing that their software meets the highest standards of reliability, stability, and performance.

  5. Implement Robust Deployment PipelinesAchieving a “Constant State of Ship” necessitates the implementation of robust deployment pipelines. These pipelines automate the entire process of building, testing, and deploying software changes, ensuring consistency and minimizing the risk of errors. With the ever-present possibility of an imminent release, teams cannot afford manual, error-prone deployment processes. Automated deployment pipelines provide a standardised, repeatable path to production, reducing the likelihood of failed or inconsistent deployments.
  6. Monitor the PipelineRegular smoke testing of the deployment pipeline is crucial in a “Constant State of Ship” mode. This practice helps catch issues early, before they can impact production environments, ensuring the pipeline’s reliability and preventing costly downtime. The possibility of an imminent release amplifies the importance of having a thoroughly validated deployment pipeline. Smoke tests act as a safety net, verifying the integrity of the pipeline and identifying any potential issues that could disrupt a deployment.
  7. Integrate ConstantlyThe “Constant State of Ship” mindset encourages teams to integrate their changes frequently, often multiple times per day. This practice surfaces issues early, reduces merge conflicts, and ensures that the codebase remains in a releasable state, ready for deployment at any given moment. Infrequent integration can lead to divergent codebases, making it harder to identify and resolve conflicts, which could potentially disrupt an imminent release. By integrating frequently, teams can maintain a stable, unified codebase that is always primed for deployment.
  8. Evolve the ArchitectureMaintaining a “Constant State of Ship” over time invites the continuous evolution of the system’s architecture (see also: Reverse Conway). Are teams prepared to refactor and adapt their architectures to accommodate new requirements, technologies, and scaling needs, without compromising the ability to release rapidly and reliably? As products grow and evolve, architectural decisions made early on may become hindrances to continuous deployment. The “Constant State of Ship” principle invites teams to proactively evaluate and evolve their architectures, ensuring that they remain flexible, scalable, and conducive to rapid releases.
  9. Leverage Data EnvironmentsWith the constant possibility of an imminent release, the ability to provision and manage data environments becomes critical. Teams may choose to adopt practices like database versioning, data seeding, and data masking to ensure consistent and reliable testing and deployment across environments, minimising the risk of data-related issues in production. The “Constant State of Ship” mindset invites a robust data management strategy that enables seamless and repeatable deployments, regardless of the data complexities involved.
  10. Mirror Production EnvironmentsTo minimise the risk of issues arising from environmental differences, teams operating in a “Constant State of Ship” mode may choose to ensure that their development, testing, and staging environments closely mirror production environments in terms of configuration, data, and infrastructure. This practice helps identify and address potential issues before they impact the live production system. The possibility of an imminent release heightens the importance of having production-like environments, as any discrepancies could lead to unexpected behavior or failures during deployment.
  11. Codify InfrastructureManually provisioning and configuring infrastructure for each release becomes a significant bottleneck when operating in a “Constant State of Ship” mode. Adopting Infrastructure as Code (IaC) practices, where infrastructure is defined and managed through code, enables teams to provision and tear down environments rapidly and consistently, minimising delays and reducing the risk of configuration drift. The “Constant State of Ship” principle invites a high degree of automation and repeatability in infrastructure management, making IaC a beneficial practice for ensuring rapid, reliable deployments.
  12. Foster Collaborative OwnershipAchieving a “Constant State of Ship” invites a high degree of collaboration and shared ownership among team members. Siloed responsibilities and knowledge become obstacles to rapid delivery. Teams may choose to adopt practices that promote collective code ownership, cross-functional collaboration, and shared understanding of the codebase and delivery processes. The “Constant State of Ship” mindset invites a culture of collective responsibility, where all team members are empowered to contribute to and understand the entire delivery process, enabling seamless and efficient releases.
  13. Continuous ImprovementOperating in a “Constant State of Ship” mode exposes inefficiencies and bottlenecks in the delivery pipeline and processes with uncompromising clarity. Teams may choose to embrace a culture of continuous improvement, regularly reviewing their practices, identifying areas for optimisation, and implementing changes to enhance their ability to deliver value rapidly and reliably. The constant presence of imminent releases acts as a driving force for continuous improvement, encouraging teams to continuously refine their processes, tools, and practices to achieve higher levels of velocity and quality. FlowChain was designed to systematise this very purpose.

The Visionary “Javelin” Approach

The “Javelin” approach (initally named “Jerid”) pioneered by me and my teams at Familiar from 1996 onward, was truly ahead of its time, recognising the transformative power of the “Constant State of Ship” mindset. By enshrining this principle as a cornerstone from its inception, “Javelin” has paved the way for the modern continuous deployment practices that have since become poised to gain industry standard status. This pioneering approach, along with FlowChain and e.g. Prod•gnosis, Flow•gnosis, Product Aikido, etc. exemplifies the spirit of continuous improvement intrinsic to the “Constant State of Ship” principle, ensuring its enduring relevance and impact.

Deep Cultural Implications

Reshaping the Culture and Mindset

Adopting the “Constant State of Ship” principle suggests a profound transformation that extends way beyond technical practices and processes – it hints at a seismic shift in the culture and mindset of software development teams and their parent organisations. This metamorphosis permeates every aspect of the organisation, reshaping shared assumptions, beliefs, and ways of working. However, navigating such a profound cultural shift can be a daunting challenge, often met with resistance and inertia.

This is where the discipline of organisational psychotherapy plays a pivotal role. By applying principles from psychotherapy, sociology, and group dynamics, organisational psychotherapy facilitates teams’ cultural and mindset shifts required to embrace the “Constant State of Ship” paradigm smoothly and effectively.

A Culture of Ownership and Accountability through Empowerment

The “Constant State of Ship” mindset fosters a culture of collective ownership and accountability. Organisational psychotherapy techniques, such as participative decision-making and fellowship, empower team members to take responsibility for the quality, stability, and deployability of the codebase and overall product. This sense of empowerment cultivates a culture of shared ownership, where individuals proactively address issues, collaborate across boundaries, and collectively strive for continuous improvement.

Embracing Transparency and Trust

Maintaining a “Constant State of Ship” requires a high degree of transparency and trust among team members. Organisational psychotherapy practices, such as surfacing shared assumptions and beliefs, encourage open communication and facilitate the identification of problems and risks early. By fostering an atmosphere where team members feel comfortable expressing concerns, sharing mistakes, and seeking help, a culture of transparency and trust emerges, enabling teams to collectively address challenges and ensure the software remains in a releasable state.

Prioritising Continuous Learning

The “Constant State of Ship” principle instills a mindset of continuous learning and improvement. With each release, teams gain valuable insights into their processes, tools, and practices. Embracing new shared assumptions becomes essential, as teams must continuously refine and adapt their approaches based on feedback and lessons learned. This culture of continuous learning fosters an environment of experimentation, where failures are embraced as opportunities for growth, and success is measured by the ability to deliver value rapidly and reliably.

Aligning Towards a Common Goal

Ultimately, the “Constant State of Ship” principle unifies teams around a common goal: meeting the needs of all the Folks That Matter™ with unparalleled speed and reliability. This shared mission transcends individual roles, responsibilities, and technical disciplines. It creates a sense of collective purpose, where every team member’s contribution, regardless of their specific function, is valued and recognised as essential to achieving this overarching objective.

By leveraging organisational psychotherapy techniques, organisations can accelerate and streamline the cultural and mindset shifts required to embrace the “Constant State of Ship” paradigm. This discipline not only makes the transition quicker and easier but also more cost-effective, as it addresses the root causes of resistance and inertia, facilitating a smoother and more sustainable transformation.

By reshaping the culture and mindset of software development teams, the “Constant State of Ship” principle cultivates an environment conducive to continuous deployment success. It fosters a sense of collective ownership, transparency, continuous learning, and shared purpose – traits that are indispensable in today’s rapidly evolving software landscape.

Embracing the Future

When the ability to swiftly adapt and innovate is paramount, the “Constant State of Ship” principle emerges as a beacon, guiding software development teams towards a future of quiet competence and competitiveness. By embracing this mindset, as exemplified by the visionary “Javelin” approach, teams can unlock the power to attend to folks’ needs with unprecedented speed, reliability, and quality – solidifying their organisation’s position as industry leaders in the software development arena.

Outdated Beliefs Get in the Way

February 23, 2024
Actionable Insights, Article, Culture change, Memeology, Organisational effectiveness, Organisational Therapy, Quintessence
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Outdated Beliefs Get in the Way

Many organisations today seem stuck in a pattern of missed opportunities and mediocrity. They work hard, but never achieve their potential for dignity, joy, and shared prosperity.

The key reason is that most organisations cling to outdated assumptions and beliefs about the world of work – assumptions and beliefs that hold them back. Their mental models of how business works are based on premises that were, maybe, relevant decades ago but have long since become obsolete.

For example, a common outdated belief is that decision quality is higher when decisions flow through strict organisational hierarchies, when flatter structures often foster faster innovation and improved decison quality, both.

Another toxic belief is that loyal, long-term employees are an organisation’s greatest asset. But in the modern workplace, it’s the relationships between employees that promotes prosperity and fresh thinking.

The world moves fast today. What made an organisation dominant 10 or even 5 years ago no longer guarantees success. The leaders and companies that dump outdated assumptions and beliefs about how things work are positioned to achieve their aspirations.

By continually questioning their premises and mental models, organisations can recognise where staus quo wisdom no longer applies. They can pivot rapidly rather than being mired in he past. And they can pursue innovative opportunities for atteding to folks’ needs, instead of sticking to familiar but lame and dysfuntional practices.

Shedding outdated beliefs at all levels is the only reliable way for an organisation to keep achieving extraordinary results in a world of accelerating change. The companies that realise this will be poised for progress in the years ahead.

The Why of FlowChain: Deliberate Continuous Improvement

February 19, 2024
Actionable Insights, Article, Business, Capability development, Culture change, Deming, Doctrine, Flow, Flow•gnosis, Flowchain, Improvement, Learning, Memeology, Metaflow, Organisational effectiveness, Prod•gnosis, Product development, Quintessence, Rightshifting, Software Delivery, Software development, Systems thinking, Value streams
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The Why of FlowChain: Deliberate Continuous Improvement

In my career, working with hundreds of companies, I’ve almost never seen organisations* take a truly deliberate approach to continuous improvement. It’s nearly always treated as an afterthought or add-on to business-as-usual (BAU). But real transformation requires making continuous improvement an integral and core part of daily work. This is the “why” behind FlowChain – enabling deliberate, in-band continuous improvement.

In other words, applying the same disciplines from product development, delivery, etc. to the business (sic) of delivering continuous improvements  – continuously improving the way the work works.

What Is FlowChain?

So what is FlowChain? At its core, it is a system for managing flow – both the flow of outputs and the flow of improvements to the way the work works, concurrently and by the same means. And by “flow”, I mean the steady progress of work from request to completion through all steps in a process. Flow is optimised when the right work is happening at the right time by the right people. Roadblocks, delays, and waste are minimised or eliminated.

Flow

Optimising flow delivers the following benefits:

  • Increased productivity – less time wasted, more work completed
  • Improved quality – fewer defects, rework minimised
  • Better customer service – faster response times, reliability
  • Higher employee engagement – less frustration, more joy

But achieving flow requires continuous improvement. Problems must be made visible. Waste must be reduced iteratively. Roadblocks must be cleared continuously.

This is why FlowChain incorporates improvement into its regular rhythm. Each cycle follows a deliberate sequence:

  • Plan – Select and sequence the upcoming work.
  • Execute – Complete the work while tackling issues.
  • Review – Analyse completed work and identify improvements.
  • Adjust – Make changes to improve flow.

Unlike most continuous improvement efforts – that are separate from BAU – FlowChain makes improvement an integral in-band activity. The rapid cycles provide frequent opportunities to reflect, gain insights, and act.

Compounding Benefits

Over time, the compounding benefits are immense. Teams develop a “flow habit”, where improving flow becomes second nature. Powerful capabilities like root cause analysis, A3 problem-solving, improvement katas, and change management are honed.

In my experience, this deliberate approach is transformative. Teams gain tremendous agency to systematically improve their own flow. The organisation as a whole cultivates a culture of continuous improvement. And customers experience ever-better service and responsiveness.

The “why” of FlowChain is simple – create focus, visibility, accountability, and agency to drive continuous improvement. The results – ever better flow, reduced waste, and sustainable transformation. Deliberate, in-band continuous improvement stops being an aspiration and becomes a reality.

*Ask me about the exception.

What Do You Believe?

February 18, 2024
Actionable Insights, AI, Article, Memeology, Organisational Therapy, Quintessence
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What Do You Believe?

[Tl;Dr Ten questions for the busy executive to prompt self-examination]

By way of illustrating the intersection between current AI and Organisational Psychotherapy, here are ten AI-suggested* reflective questions for the business executive related to collective assumptions and beliefs about work:

  1. What core assumptions do we hold about what motivates employees? How might those impact our leadership style and company culture?
  2. Do we believe work should primarily be about productivity or fulfillment? How does that shape our policies around work-life balance?
  3. What are our beliefs around hierarchy and top-down leadership? Could a more collaborative model unlock more creativity?
  4. Are we open to re-examining traditional perspectives on things like remote work, flexible hours, or results-focused goals?
  5. Do we view employees as expendable assets or vital stakeholders? How does that perspective influence retention and turnover?
  6. Do we believe work requires oversight and control to be done well, or that autonomy drives better outcomes?
  7. Do we assume all employees are motivated by the same things like money or status? How could we better incorporate individual motivators?
  8. Are we clinging to any outdated models of what a successful workplace looks like? What new data or examples contradict our assumptions?
  9. Do we recognise generational differences in perspectives around things like work ethic, loyalty, and fulfillment?
  10. Are any of our beliefs around hard work or merit holding back disadvantaged groups? What biases might we recognise and rethink?

With help from any of the now numerous AI chatbots*, the busy executive can easily and quickly generate such questions to assist in e.g. collective self-reflection.

*The above list was generated via ClaudeAI

The Hidden Hand of Shared Assumptions

January 24, 2024
Article, Business, Culture change, Memeology, Organisational effectiveness, Organisational Therapy, Paradigm shifts, Quintessence
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The Hidden Hand of Shared Assumptions

Behind many business failures and underperformance lies a common root cause – the unseen influence of collective assumptions and beliefs (and Cf. Rightshifting). Across organisations and even entire industries, leadership often clusters around shared perspectives, biases, and mental models. Over time, these become entrenched as accepted wisdom rarely challenged or revisited. This phenomenon profoundly shapes decision-making, typically outside conscious awareness. And flawed underlying assumptions can lead organisations astray, even unto the graveyard.

A prime example is the financial crisis. The model of endless housing price growth and low-risk securitized assets became so ingrained across banks that it created systemic fragility. The possibility of declines or instability was dismissed out of hand. Groupthink prevailed and warning signs were ignored. Until the flawed assumptions catastrophically collided with reality.

Every sector holds similar tales. In automotive, the assumption of an enduring petrol car dominance slowed electric investments. In medical science, the belief that ulcers resulted from stress delayed recognition of bacterial drivers. The corporate world is littered with shifting paradigms disrupting those clinging to outdated assumptions.

Why does this happen? Humans are sensitive to social signals and prefer perspectives validated by their peer group. This shapes unconscious biases and mental models. And perceived wisdom calcifies even where contrary evidence emerges. We must therefore consciously re-evaluate the collective assumptions within which we operate.

This is particularly crucial given rapid technological and social change. Assumptions rooted in fading reality misguide strategy. Herein lies opportunity for those recognising seismic shifts early. And grave risks for those dismissing disruptive forces based on yesterday’s truths. Separating enduring assumptions from emerging realities is key.

So let us examine just four detrimental assumptions embedded across businesses:

  • The concept of management is treated as an inherent good when in fact it can severely hamper organisations. Managers micromanaging and scrutinising employees’ every move often harms efficiency, stifles innovation, and breeds resentment amongst staff. The relentless oversight creates a tense working environment where workers have no autonomy or control. The reams of paperwork and interminable meetings generated by managers frequently add little value. Clearly, the assumption that more managers and more top-down control is always better fails to acknowledge the reality and the downsides.
  • The notion of concentrated leadership seems ill-founded. Centralising decision-making and strategy in a narrow elite risks disempowering the wider workforce. When employees cannot influence choices impacting their work, motivation and dedication suffers. Likewise, executives profiting lavishly from company successes while workers gain only stagnant wages breeds discord and weakens productivity down the chain. The contributions of a chief executive on a £10 million salary rarely outweighs that of a thousand dedicated employees. Concentrated power often produces conflict and fragility rather than thriving organisations.
  • The belief that exhaustive software testing is imperative leads projects astray. Developers waste huge sums of time and effort running code through endless minor variations with diminishing returns. There is little value testing every trivial feature adjustment to death. And users grow frustrated with delays and restrictions as programmers obsess over comprehensive testing. Pursuing flawless software typically proves counterproductive as no system is ever perfect – the goal should be usable products that can be iteratively improved.
  • The assumption that employees should be worked to exhaustion is clearly unsound. People do not enjoy unsustainable workloads and unreasonable deadlines. Pushing human resources to the brink often backfires rather than driving engagement and satisfaction. There are better ways to attract and retain talent than by running staff into the ground. And tired, overwhelmed personnel tend to see plunges in output and quality. Straining human endurance typically fuels turnover rather than powering success.

Many more detrimental assumptions can be found detailed in my book “Quintessence“.

The lesson is clear – we might choose to constantly surface and reflect upon ingrained assumptions before they lead us off a cliff. Momentum can quietly build behind outdated modes of thought right until environmental shifts expose systemic brittleness. As markets transform, so too must the underlying mindsets guiding business decisions.

Every Organisation Rules Out a Host of Beneficial Choices

January 24, 2024
Article, Business, Culture change, Memeology, Organisational effectiveness, Organisational Therapy, Quintessence
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Every Organisation Rules Out a Host of Beneficial Choices

Every organisation rules out choices that would markedly improve their bottom line  – due to entrenched assumptions.

All organisations have deeply rooted beliefs and assumptions that influence their decision making, often without people even realising it. These unquestioned ways of thinking can lead organisations to dismiss ideas, policies and practices that could significantly benefit them.

Many proven best choices around areas like compensation, flexibility, hierarchy, remote work, and sustainability get ruled out quickly in most corporate cultures. Not because the ideas lack merit, but because they don’t align with legacy notions of how business should operate. The prevailing managerial ideology acts as mental blinders, narrowing the overview of what’s possible.

For example, decades of belief in the primacy of shareholder value has prevented many companies from prioritising sustainability, even when a greener approach would bolster the bottom line. The assumption that purpose erodes profits still permeates boardroom thinking.

Similarly, the standard 9 to 5 office-dependent schedule gets virtually no pushback in some contexts due to deep-seated assumptions about productivity and supervision needs. Even when the growth of knowledge work makes location and set hours irrelevant. Assumptions lead organisations to miss a host of opportunities.

Key is bringing awareness to the unexamined collective beliefs that close organisations off to progress and performance-enhancing innovations. Progress depends on leaders willing to question legacy orthodoxies that no longer serve. A company’s entrenched perspectives ultimately impact hard business metrics. Routinely reexamining operating paradigms is essential to ensuring beliefs enable rather than obstruct impact and financial returns.

Organisational psychotherpy makes this possible in a low-risk fashion.

The next breakthrough idea could be waiting, if only long-held assumptions would get out of the way.

The Profound Connection Between the Technology Business and Organisational Psychotherapy

January 9, 2024
Article, Culture change, Memeology, Organisational effectiveness, Organisational Therapy, Paradigm shifts, Quintessence
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The Profound Connection Between the Technology Business and Organisational Psychotherapy

The breakneck growth of the technology industry has centered on building ever-faster, smarter, and more efficient tools and systems. Yet, as explored in depth in books like Quintessence and Memeology, there is a growing recognition that advanced technology alone cannot solve all human challenges, especially within the workplace. The human element remains critical. It is at the intersection of technology and organisational psychotherapy where profound opportunities arise.

What is Organisational Psychotherapy?

Organisational psychotherapy is an emerging field examining shared assumptions and beliefs within group settings, especially workplaces. As explained in my book “Quintessence“, it identifies issues like toxic team dynamics, ineffective leadership structures, and overall dysfunctional organisational cultures that prevent human potential from flourishing. The overarching goal is to enable organisations to surface and reflect on their dysfunctional patterns.

Some key issues that organisational psychotherapy addresses include:

  • Unspoken hierarchies stifling diversity of thought
  • Exclusion and gatekeeping harming innovation
  • Lack of psychological safety preventing collaboration
  • Poor leadership disempowering teams
  • Communication breakdowns sowing distrust
  • Excessive bureaucracy killing agility
  • Toxic or abusive management traumatizing employees
  • Perverse incentives rewarding unethical behavior
  • Workplace discrimination and bias
  • Employee burnout and poor mental health

While individual therapy focuses on helping individuals, organisational psychotherapy zooms out to understand group and system dynamics in the workplace. It provides a framework for understanding precisely why certain organisations struggle to thrive, even when they have access to the most advanced technology.

The Role of Technology in Enabling Dysfunction

Today’s most ambitious technology companies aim to build platforms and algorithms that enhance productivity, spur innovation, and seamlessly connect teams. However, technology also has a shadow side, especially when designed and deployed without care.

As dissected in Memeology, tools meant to improve efficiency can lead to e.g. rigid bureaucracy. Use of messaging apps can foster miscommunication and conflict. Social media algorithms can enable the rapid spread of misinformation and extremism amongst groups. AI-driven management systems can demoralise human workers and treat them as expendable cogs in a machine.

In essence, technology lacks self-awareness about potential downsides. When combined with unhealthy group dynamics in an organisation, it can worsen performance instead of improving it. There are countless examples of advanced technology being implemented in counterproductive ways:

  • Remote work tools leading to always-on expectations and burnout
  • Enterprise messaging apps used to harass marginalised employees
  • Productivity tracking tools sowing distrust between managers and teams
  • AI-driven hiring algorithms entrenching bias and discrimination
  • Social media misused to attack and silence diverse voices
  • Surveillance technology undermining privacy and autonomy

Without an understanding of organisational dynamics, technology can unintentionally become a burden rather than a boon to human potential and cooperation. This underscores the need for a complementary lens like organisational psychotherapy.

Integrating Organisational Psychotherapy into Tech Culture

Several forward-thinking technology companies are now working to integrate organisational psychotherapy into their products, teams, and company cultures. They recognise that the best teams, and therefor products, are those that understand innate human strengths and weaknesses and seek to bring out the best in people.

For example, collaboration platform designers are exploring how interface details affect unspoken hierarchies, exclusion, and groupthink within online teams. Instead of optimising purely for efficiency, the goal is to encourage diverse voices, psychological safety, and healthy group norms. (See also: Conway’s Law).

Leading companies are also examining their own cultures through an organisational psychotherapy lens as detailed in Quintessence. This includes focusing on diversity and inclusion initiatives, workplace mental health policies, healthy communication norms, and compassionate leadership principles. It also means decentralising authority, allowing time for reflection, and seeing value in failure as opportunities for growth. The goal is to create thriving environments, not mere productivity factories.

Bridging the Gap Between the Technical and the Human

Ultimately, organisational psychotherapy and technology work best when united, bridging the gap between the technical and the intimately human. Just as medicine combines an understanding of physiology with ethics and the human spirit, technology moves in a positive direction when informed and supported by psychotherapy.

The engineers and programmers building the latest algorithms, platforms, and machine learning systems would benefit immensely from integrating human-centered design principles (for example: Emotioneering). And organisational psychotherapists helping companies create healthier dynamics and leadership structures might choose to embrace sophisticated tools to augment their impact.

When technology and organisational psychotherapy come together in this way, they have the potential to profoundly empower teams, heal dysfunctional organisations, transform organisational cultures for the better, and unlock new levels of human potential, especially within the CKW workplace. The future belongs to solutions that successfully bridge the technical and the humane. Both Quintessence and Memeology point toward this brighter destination. But we still have much work to do as an industry to fully integrate technological advances with psychological wellbeing and bring out the best in each other.

Why Read My Blog

January 3, 2024
Article, Culture change, Feedback, Memeology, Organisational Therapy, Quintessence, Software development
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Why Read My Blog

Wishing a joyful New Year to my host of regular readers – welcome back! It’s great to have you here as we continue exploring how to create truly joyful and human-centered workplaces. If you find value in my posts, please consider sharing my blog with your colleagues, friends and online communities who may be interested. Personal recommendations are so appreciated!

For new visitors, hello and thanks for finding my blog! I’m FlowChainSensei, and my passion is helping organisations transform themselves into places where people are fulfilled and joyfully engaged in their work. I draw from my 50+ years in the software business to provide practical insights into topics like:

  • Building trusting, empowered teams
  • Promoting flexible work arrangements
  • Rethinking rigid processes and bureaucracy
  • Excelling together, with compassion and humility
  • Fostering a culture of learning and growth

Thriving Workplaces

My goal is to challenge conventional thinking and offer ideas, examples, and advice to help you cultivate a workplace where people thrive. Here’s why you might choose to subscribe:

  • Gain unique perspectives for reimagining work
  • Get inspired by real-world examples and recommendations
  • Discuss/debate ideas with a community of forward-thinkers
  • Help make working together something we love to do, not have to do

Tell Your Friends, Peers, Bosses

To my regular readers, I so appreciate you being part of this community and movement. To new readers, welcome! I hope you’ll subscribe and engage. Let’s reimagine work together! And to all, please consider sharing my blog with others who may find value in rethinking work.

Win Free Books!

In my three organisational psychotherapy books I both summarise and go into much detail on many of the posts appearing in my Think Different blog. BTW The competition for free copies of my Hearts Over Diamonds +  Memeology + Quintessence books is again open.

AI: The Real Leverage

December 6, 2023
Actionable Insights, AI, Article, Memeology, Organisational Therapy, Paradigm shifts, Quintessence
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AI: The Real Leverage

What’s the True Value of AI?

Artificial Intelligence (AI) stands as a beacon of progress in our technological landscape. It’s often lauded for its potential to enhance efficiency in various fields, from healthcare to finance. However, focusing solely on its ability to streamline existing practices might lead us to overlook its true potential. The real leverage of AI isn’t just about doing things better; it’s about fundamentally rethinking what we do and why we do it.

Is Efficiency Enough?

AI’s role in improving efficiency is undeniable. By automating tasks, analysing data at unprecedented speeds, and predicting outcomes, AI offers marginal gains in efficiency. But, is this all that AI has to offer? Peter Drucker, a renowned management consultant, once said, “There is nothing so useless as doing efficiently that which should not be done at all.” This profound statement underscores a critical point: Efficiency in itself isn’t the end goal. It’s about being efficient in tasks that truly matter. Drucker called this effectiveness.

How Does AI Shift Our Assumptions?

The transformative power of AI lies in its ability to challenge and change our individual and collective assumptions and beliefs. It can, if uses appropriately, push us to question the status quo, encouraging us to reimagine our approaches and strategies. Instead of simply automating what we’ve always done, AI offers a lens to view problems and solutions from a new perspective. It invites us to think differently about our objectives, our processes, our practices, and the impact of our actions.

Can AI Reshape Collective Beliefs?

One of the most profound impacts of AI is on our collective assumptions and beliefs, and from there to both culture and practices. In organisations and societies, shared assumptions often dictate the way things are done. AI, with its data-driven insights and predictive capabilities, empowers us to surface, reflect upon, and ultimately challenge these collective beliefs. It can enable a culture of questioning and innovation, paving the way for more significant, systemic changes.

What’s the Bigger Picture?

The bigger picture is not just about AI-driven efficiency; it’s about AI-enabled transformation. By leveraging AI, we can redefine our goals, reshape our strategies, and rethink our impact on the world. This transformative approach goes beyond mere efficiency – it’s about making sure we’re effective – efficient in the things that truly add value and meaning to our lives and societies.

In conclusion, while AI’s ability to enhance efficiency is a thing, its real leverage lies in its potential to help us change our assumptions and beliefs. By embracing AI not just as a tool for doing things better but as a catalyst for doing better things, we open ourselves to a world of untapped possibilities and meaningful progress.

Prompts FTW

What questions are you asking your AI to help with surfacing and reflecting on YOUR personal and shared (organisational) assumptions and beliefs? Would you be willing to share these questions here?

Here’s a starter you might like to put to an AI chatbot such as ChatGPT:

“What questions can we ask ourselves to uncover the implicit assumptions and beliefs driving our organisational behaviour?”

Let me know if you need any help with this. I’m always happy to help. Both with prompts (as a long-standing prompt engineer) and with surfacing and reflecting on shared assumptions and beliefs (as an even longer-standing organisational psychotherapist).

Stubborn Managers: Why Unexamined Experience Is Wasted

October 6, 2023
Actionable Insights, Article, Business, Culture change, Learning, Management, Memeology, Organisational effectiveness, Organisational Therapy, Quintessence, Reflections
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Stubborn Managers: Why Unexamined Experience Is Wasted

Are Senior Managers Learning?

It’s not a revelation to say that senior managers have extensive experience and a wealth of evidence at their disposal. But what’s worrying is when this reservoir remains untapped for genuine behavioural change. The failure to reflect on and integrate experiences into action is one of the major pitfalls in today’s business landscape.

What’s the Point of Experience?

Experience isn’t merely a notch on a belt or a line on a CV. It’s a treasure trove of lessons waiting to be dissected, understood and applied. Senior managers often claim years of experience as a merit badge. Yet, many fail to critically assess what those years have taught them and how they’ve adapted. Experience without reflection is like a book left unread on a shelf.

Where Does Evidence Fit In?

Evidence comes from data, case studies, peer reviews, and more. It’s the backbone for any well-informed decision. Senior managers usually have the privilege of having a team to gather and present evidence to them. However, merely acknowledging this evidence isn’t enough. One needs to understand its implications, question its limitations, and act upon its suggestions. Ignoring to do so results in a squandered opportunity for improvement and growth.

Why Don’t Behaviours Change?

Change is uncomfortable; that’s no secret. However, the discomfort of change is often less detrimental than the comfort of stagnation. Senior managers may feel that their years in the industry justify their assumptions and beliefs, thus rendering them unchangeable. This rigidity not only stifles their own growth but also sets a harmful example for the entire organisation.

How to Make Reflection Effective?

  1. Schedule It: Reflective practice shouldn’t be sporadic or whimsical. Set a specific time each week or month to examine experiences and what needs to change.
  2. Involve Others: A different perspective can be invaluable. Peer reviews, 360-degree feedback, or even just a chat with a team member can provide insights that you might not have considered. Organisational therapists are skilled in this role.
  3. Action Plan: Turn reflections into concrete steps. Create an action plan that includes timelines and milestones to ensure that you’re not just thinking about change but actually implementing it.

What’s the Bottom Line?

In an age where being adaptive is more important than ever, failing to reflect on and integrate experience and evidence into changed behaviours is not just a personal failing. It’s an organisational risk. Senior managers, it’s time to tap into your wealth of experience and evidence, reflect on them and personally adopt the necessary changes. Your team, your stakeholders, and your future self will thank you.

The Challenge of Psychological Safety

October 5, 2023
Article, Business, Culture change, Dialogue, Memeology, Organisational Therapy, Psychology
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The Challenge of Psychological Safety

What is Psychological Safety?

Psychological safety refers to the comfort and confidence employees feel in expressing themselves without fear of negative consequences. It’s a state where workers feel they can voice their concerns, ideas, and feedback openly.

Why Is It So Hard to Implement?

Ironically, the primary obstacle isn’t convincing people of its importance. Most management and employees alike acknowledge the benefits of a psychologically safe environment. The real challenge lies in transforming these acknowledgements into actionable, sustainable company policies and ingrained practices.

Enter Organisational Psychotherapy

This is where organisational psychotherapy proves invaluable. Unlike typical corporate initiatives that may address surface issues, organisational psychotherapy delves into the core attitudes, behaviours, and cultural elements that obstruct the realisation of psychological safety, and other beneficial ideas too.

How Does OP Work?

Organisational psychotherapy helps organisations identify their underlying cultural issues, issues that block the establishment of a psychologically safe environment. After enabling the organisation to surface and reflect on these issues, organisational psychotherapy invites the organisation to tackle them head-on. Methods range from individual counselling to group interventions or even comprehensive organisational talk therapy.

How Is It Different?

Standard corporate initiatives usually involve implementing new policies or reworking existing ones. However, if the underlying issues aren’t addressed, these new policies often fall flat. Organisational psychotherapy invites organisations to focus on root causes – their implicit shared assumptions and beliefs – rather than surface symptoms, offering a more enduring solution.

Ensuring Sustainability

Sustainability is another critical component of organisational psychotherapy. It doesn’t just introduce changes; it helps these changes become embedded in company culture. By addressing the root causes and focusing on methods that provide long-lasting results, it avoids the pitfalls of short-lived corporate initiatives.

Summary

Psychological safety is a “good idea” many companies strive for but few attain. Organisational psychotherapy offers a path to not just achieving this ideal but making it a durable part of a company’s culture. Through tailored methods that get to the heart of the issues, this approach catalyses sustainable organisational changes.

Ditch the Project Mindset?

September 24, 2023
Article, Business, Capability development, Culture change, Flowchain, Improvement, Memeology, NoProjects, Organisational effectiveness, Quintessence
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Ditch the Project Mindset?

Yes. Many organisations have yet to even hear of #NoProjects, let alone embrace the idea. Many still cleave to the idea of projects, despite it being an outmoded anachronism.

Why Are Projects Failing Us?

You’ve allocated resources, set deadlines, and monitored key performance indicators. Yet something’s off. Projects aren’t delivering as promised. Let’s cut to the chase: the traditional project framework is unfit for the agility and productivity demands of modern organisations.

What’s Wrong with the Project Model?

The project model suggests a start and an end, often disregarding what happens both before and after. This closed-loop system stunts innovation and adaptability. It also usually operates in isolation from other projects, creating silos rather than fostering integrated growth. Essentially, projects set us up for a short-term win but often ignore the long-term game.

Do Agile Methods Help?

Agile approaches tried to rectify some of these issues, but they often get shoehorned into the project mindset. In essence, the Agile Manifesto preaches responsiveness over rigid planning. However, an agile project is still a project; a cage is still a cage, even if it’s golden. Agile methods within a project framework can only do so much (and that’s precious little).

What Replaces Projects?

So if we throw the baby out with the bathwater, what’s left? Systems thinking, that’s what. Instead of isolating issues and opportunities as projects, look at them as ongoing aspects of your organisation’s functioning. Focus on products, processes, value streams, and organisational health. Work towards adaptability, building capability, and continuous improvement rather than temporary, isolated gains.

How to Make the Shift?

It’s a significant cultural shift and it won’t happen overnight. Employees need to understand the broader business landscape, not just their tiny slice of the pie. Training, communication and the buy-in of the Folks That Matter™ are key. It’s not about ticking boxes; it’s about ongoing, holistic improvement. Forget “project completion”; think “system capability.”

Are There Any Downsides?

Every coin has two sides. You’re moving from a structured, time-bound approach to something more fluid. That can be unsettling and might even meet resistance. However, the potential for increased productivity and agility far outweighs the initial discomfort.

Is It Time to Say Goodbye To Projects?

Short answer: Yes. Ditch the traditional project framework. Embrace a more fluid, systems-oriented approach and make room for real agility and productivity. It’s not just a change, it’s an evolution. Are you ready?

Riding Productivity Waves

September 24, 2023
Article, Business, Culture change, Memeology, Organisational Therapy, Patterns, Productivity, Psychology, Quintessence
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Riding Productivity Waves

Inspired by James Lawther’s recent book “Managed by Morons”

What Defines Productive Behaviour?

James Lawther’s recent book “Managed by Morons” provides sharp insights into organisational behaviours that make or break productivity. Highly productive organisations often display patterns such as open communication, frequent knowledge sharing, and constructive feedback loops. These patterns create a conducive environment for efficiency, adaptability, and consistent growth.

What Leads to Dysfunction?

On the flip side, dysfunctional organisations exhibit signs of poor communication, stifling bureaucracy, and a toxic work culture. These negative behaviour patterns often stem from flawed management practices, including the suppression of employee autonomy, micro-management, and an emphasis on rigid protocols over innovative thinking.

Are There Middle-Ground Patterns?

Yes, some organisations walk the tightrope between being productive and dysfunctional. Such organisations may have sporadic spurts of productivity, followed by phases of stagnation. Identifiable patterns in these organisations might include inconsistent management styles, fluctuating employee morale, and a lack of stable systems or processes.

How to Shift from Dysfunction to Productivity?

Organisational psychotherapy offers a profound approach to transition from dysfunction to productivity. Unlike traditional methods that may only tackle symptoms, organisational psychotherapy aims to address the root causes of the issues plaguing the workplace.

  1. Open Dialogue: Initiating open conversations allows for the identification of deeply ingrained patterns and beliefs that are contributing to dysfunction.
  2. Safe Space Creation: A non-judgmental and confidential environment enables employees and management to express and discuss concerns and insights that might otherwise remain unspoken and undiscussable.
  3. Deep Inquiry: This involves asking thought-provoking questions to stimulate critical thinking, and fostering awareness of underlying issues that demand attention and remediation.
  4. Shared Understanding and Action: Once there’s clarity about dysfunctional collective assumptions and beliefs, the organisation can decide on actions to disrupt the dysfunctional patterns and encourage behaviours that enhance productivity.
  5. Ongoing Reflection and Adaptation: Organisational psychotherapy is not a one-time event but an ongoing process. Consistently review behavioural patterns and make adjustments to ensure that the shift towards productivity is enduring and effective.

By utilising organisational psychotherapy, you go beyond surface-level fixes to foster a workplace culture that is inherently more adaptive, engaged, and ultimately, more productive.

Final Thoughts

In any organisation, behaviour patterns can indicate the level of productivity or dysfunction. Identifying these patterns early on can save an organisation from a downward spiral or propel it to new heights. It’s crucial to examine these cues critically and, when necessary, take decisive action to instigate change.

Culture isn’t just one aspect of the game, it is the game.

~ Lou Gerstner, former CEO, IBM

And what dictates the culture of any organisation…?

Are You Working In A Dysfunctional Organisation?

September 24, 2023
Article, Business, Memeology, Organisational effectiveness, Organisational Therapy, Psychology, Quintessence
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Are You Working In A Dysfunctional Organisation?

Inspired by James Lawther’s recent book “Managed by Morons”

What Shapes Dysfunctional Organisations?

It’s often the managers who most influence the organisational culture, a culture that’s deeply rooted in collective assumptions and beliefs. But the influence is two-way; these underlying assumptions and beliefs also shape managerial behaviour.

How Do Managers Create Culture?

When you walk into a dysfunctional organisation, one of the first things you’ll notice is the prevailing culture. It may be one of fear, distrust, or apathy. Managers play a significant role in crafting this culture. They set the rules, they define the goals, and they model the behaviour that’s expected from employees.

What’s the Role of Assumptions and Beliefs?

For better or worse, managers aren’t operating in a vacuum. The organisational culture, in many ways, pre-dates them. This culture is shaped by a set of collective assumptions and beliefs that employees share. These can range from “this is a zero-sum game”, through “people cannot be trusted”, to “management doesn’t have our best interests at heart”. These collective beliefs serve as a backdrop against which managerial decisions and actions play out.

Why Do Dictatorships and Businesses Share Traits?

What’s striking is how dysfunctional organisations, whether dictatorships or retail chains, manifest similar behaviours and cultures. Dictatorships often suppress dissent and centralise power, much like how a toxic corporate culture stifles employee feedback and hoards decision-making at the top.

Can Collective Beliefs Be Changed?

Changing a dysfunctional organisation isn’t just about swapping out managers or implementing new policies. You’re fighting against a tide of collective beliefs and assumptions that may have been years in the making. But it’s not impossible. Identifying these beliefs and tackling them head-on can be the first step towards organisational change.

What’s the Takeaway?

Dysfunctional organisations don’t just happen. They’re often the result of managerial behaviour influenced by collective beliefs and assumptions. Recognising this pattern can be the first step toward meaningful change.

People’s behaviour impacts performance far more than any technology, management idea or whiz-bang initiative ever will.

And what governs people’s behaviours…?

The Counter-Cultural Guide to Business Management

September 14, 2023
Alien tech, Article, Business, Culture change, Leadership, Management, Memeology, Organisational effectiveness, Quintessence
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The Counter-Cultural Guide to Business Management

Are you stuck in the rut of conventional business practices and stale boardroom jargon? Is it time to shake things up? Discover why embracing your inner rebel could be the game-changer your business desperately needs.

Why Be Counter-Cultural in Business?

If you’re reading this, chances are you’re tired of the status quo in business management. I get it. I’m tired too. The well-trodden paths often lead to stale results. So, let’s talk about why being counter-cultural isn’t just a lifestyle choice but a business imperative.

What’s Wrong with the Status Quo?

We’ve all been there, sitting in a board meeting, listening to the same jargon. Synergy. Leverage. Scalability. Blah. Blah. Blah. These buzzwords are often bandied about without much thought. They’re safe. They’re conventional. But does following the crowd actually add value? I’d suggest, not really.

How Can Counter-Culture Help?

Being counter-cultural in a business setting doesn’t mean you should throw all caution to the wind. It’s not about being reckless but rather about thinking differently. Challenging the status quo can lead to innovation. For example, rejecting the standard 9-to-5 workday could lead you to explore more flexible work arrangements that can, in turn, increase productivity and employee satisfaction.

What Are the Risks?

Now, taking a counter-cultural stance isn’t without its risks. You’ll face resistance, both internal and external. People are comfortable with what they know, and change is hard. But remember, nothing ventured, nothing gained. The risks are often outweighed by the potential for revolutionary change.

How to Make the Leap?

If you’re convinced that counter-culture is the way forward, start small. Test out a new idea on a small scale before fully implementing it. Gather data, listen to feedback, and then iterate. The aim isn’t to shock the system but to introduce new ways of thinking that can, over time, bring about meaningful change.

So, Is It Worth It?

In my experience, the answer is a resounding yes. Being counter-cultural has pushed me to explore uncharted territories in business and tech management. While not all ventures have been a roaring success, each one has been a learning experience. At the end of the day, it’s not just about profit margins or growth graphs. It’s about building a culture that fosters creativity, innovation, and, yes, a bit of rebellion.

So, the next time you’re in that board meeting, and someone starts talking about “synergising core competencies,” maybe it’s time to go against the grain. Be counter-cultural. You never know, it might just be the best business decision you’ve ever made.

How Organisational Psychotherapy Improves Inter-Organisational Relationships

September 4, 2023
Article, Memeology, Organisational Therapy, Quintessence, Relationships
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How Organisational Psychotherapy Improves Inter-Organisational Relationships

The Intricacies of Business: More than Meets the Eye

Business is a complex tapestry woven with transactions, contracts, and yes, human relationships. Every thread, whether internal or external, plays its part in shaping the fabric of an organisation. One method of fine-tuning this tapestry is organisational psychotherapy, which often has a profound impact beyond the organisation’s walls, affecting its relationships with key external stakeholders—such as customers, suppliers, institutional investors, and regulators.

An Aside: The Keiretsu Connection

Before diving in, it’s worth noting the influence of Keiretsu—a Japanese network of businesses with interlinked relationships and shareholdings. While not the main focus of this discussion, understanding the ripple effect of organisational psychotherapy within such a network can add another layer to its wide-reaching impact. More on that later.

The Customer Quotient: Beyond Transactional Relationships

Customer service isn’t merely a function of good manners or efficient systems; it’s often an outcome of healthy organisational dynamics. Organisational psychotherapy helps to create a more engaged, happier workforce. This naturally trickles down to customer interactions, where service becomes less about protocol and more about authentic engagement.

A Fresh Approach to Suppliers: Beyond Price Points

Traditional relationships with suppliers often revolve around price negotiations and contractual obligations. However, when a company undergoes organisational psychotherapy, the focus expands to include softer aspects like trust and collaborative problem-solving. This results in a more resilient and effective supply chain, less prone to breakdowns and conflicts.

Winning over Institutional Investors: Not Just Numbers

For institutional investors, the appeal of a company often extends beyond profit and loss statements. Effective internal communication, robust governance, and workforce stability are subtle yet significant indicators of long-term success. Organisational psychotherapy can help refine these attributes, making the organisation more attractive to seasoned investors.

Navigating Regulatory Relations: Beyond the Checklist

Dealing with regulators need not be a grim face-off between rule-makers and rule-followers. Organisations that have undergone psychotherapy are often better at communicating not just internally, but externally as well. This can lead to more transparent and constructive dialogues with regulatory bodies, perhaps even influencing the regulatory landscape positively over time.

Revisiting Keiretsu

As promised, let’s briefly loop back to the Keiretsu model. In such interlinked business networks, the positive internal changes from organisational psychotherapy can quickly multiply, influencing not just one organisation but several interconnected ones. The healthier each organisation, the more robust the network becomes. So while the main focus here is on individual organisations, one can’t ignore the potential for wider impact in models like Keiretsu.

Concluding Thoughts: Wider Ripples

The transformation brought about by organisational psychotherapy isn’t confined within the four walls of an office building. It radiates outward, touching various aspects of business relationships, from customers and suppliers to investors and regulators. And, as our Keiretsu aside illustrates, in certain business models, this ripple effect can even have wider systemic impacts. So, in the ever-connected world of business, looking inward might just be the first step in understanding the grander scheme of things.

TTM and Organisational Psychotherapy

September 4, 2023
Article, Business, Culture change, Improvement, Memeology, Organisational Therapy, Quintessence
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TTM and Organisational Psychotherapy

The Mysterious Mind of the Collective: Why We’re Not Just Talking Individuals

What if we saw an organisation not just as a collection of employees but as a single entity with its own psyche? It’s an intriguing thought, isn’t it? The Transtheoretical Model (TTM) is a time-tested framework for individual behaviour change. But if we zoom out, can we apply the same roadmap to an organisation’s collective mind? It turns out, we can, and the implications are nothing short of fascinating.

The Five Stages

Just like individuals, organisations go through five crucial stages of behavioural change. Let’s delve into what these stages mean for the collective mind.

1️⃣ Precontemplation: The Unconscious Collective

Much like individual clients who are unaware of the need for a healthier lifestyle, an organisation in the precontemplation stage might be blissfully ignorant of unhealthy behavioural patterns. Here, the collective psyche isn’t even aware of the possibility for, or contemplating, change.

2️⃣ Contemplation: Collective Cognitive Dissonance

When cracks start to show, that’s contemplation kicking in. The collective begins to acknowledge that change might be useful, even necessary. There’s a bit of push-and-pull in the group mind; while some people and groups advocate for change, others are resistant.

3️⃣ Preparation: Strategy Meets Psyche

An organisation’s preparation stage closely mimics the individual’s readiness to seek out strategies for betterment. The collective mind gears up for change, and preparatory activities like researching, planning, and consensus-building take the spotlight.

4️⃣ Action: The Organisation Steps Up

Just as an individual in the action stage starts exercising or eating healthier, the organisation as a whole begins to surface and reflect on its collective assumptions and beliefs, and beging to enact concrete changes. This is where the rubber meets the road for the collective psyche.

5️⃣ Maintenance: Sustaining the Collective Conscience

Success! The organisation has adopted new behaviours. Now, the challenge lies in maintaining them. The collective psyche must be continuously nurtured to ensure these behavioural patterns stick in the long term.

Why is TTM a Compass for Organisational Health?

TTM doesn’t just give a snapshot of where an individual is; it offers a panoramic view of an organisation’s collective state of being. It becomes the compass that can steer the group mind through uncharted territories of behavioural change.

💡 Empowering the Collective

  1. Assess Organisational Wellbeing: It helps you locate where the collective psyche is in its journey towards a healthier, more effective state.
  2. Customise Interventions: Knowing the stage allows for tailored strategies that meet the collective where it’s at.
  3. Facilitate Lasting Change: It offers the scaffolding needed to build and maintain new organisational behaviours.
  4. Celebrate Milestones: It allows the organisation to acknowledge and celebrate progress, no matter how small, thereby fostering a sense of collective achievement.
  5. Boost Collective Self-efficacy: When an unhelpful collective assumption or belief is successfully supplanted, it boosts the organisation’s belief in its collective capability.

Summary

In the organisational realm, TTM isn’t just a model; it’s a compass guiding the collective psyche towards better health and greater efficacy. It’s a shared journey towards flourishing, with each stage representing not just a phase but a collective transformation. Through this lens, TTM enriches our understanding of organisational health by applying the wisdom of individual change to the intricate dynamics of the group mind.