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A World Where the Greater Good Predominates Over Profits

March 16, 2024
Alien tech, Antimatter principle, Article, Business, Collaboration, Community, Compassion, Culture change, Dignity, Economics, Fellowship, History, Joy, Needs, Nonviolence, Organisational effectiveness, Quintessence, Rightshifting, Systems thinking, WhatIf
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A World Where the Greater Good Predominates Over Profits

The Visionary Notion

What if the primary driving force behind commercial and economic endeavors wasn’t the pursuit of profits, but rather benefiting society, the species, Gaia, and the planet? A visionary notion, to be sure, that seems to defy conventional capitalist wisdom. Nevertheless, if we allow our imaginations to roam freely and look back at periods in history where ethical business practices held sway, we can depict a world truly transformed by this paradigm shift.

Profit Motives vs. Ethics and Humanity

Throughout most of human history, the profit motive has reigned supreme in the business realm. However, there have been notable exceptions driven by religious teachings, philosophical movements, and social ideals that prioritised ethical conduct over mere grubby accumulation of more and more wealth. The Quakers, for instance, were renowned for their commitment to honest dealings and consideration of employee welfare, exemplified by the socially-conscious British chocolate makers like Cadbury. The 19th century cooperative movement aimed to create enterprises that equitably shared profits with worker-owners and the local community.

The Beauty of Ethical Business

Would we call businesses truly putting the greater good before profits “beautiful”? At first, such a description may seem like an odd coupling of aesthetics with commerce. But perhaps there is an inherent beauty to enterprises that create sustainable value for society while exhibiting ethical conduct.

Just as we find natural wonders, artistic works, or selfless acts emotionally moving due to their harmony with higher ideals of truth, goodness, and transcendence of ego, so could businesses centered on benefiting all stakeholders embody a different kind of beauty. One not necessarily based on physical appearance, but on being skillfully crafted exemplars of how our economic activities can align with ethical, aesthetic, environmental and humanitarian principles.

This beauty manifests through their products, services, and operations, harmonising with the world rather than undermining it through greed, despoilment, or exploitation. Beautiful businesses are sustainable and circular by design, creating goods to be celebrated and cherished rather than cynically designed for disposability.They invest in creating opportunity and dignity for workers and communities rather than grinding them underfoot for profit margins.

Where today’s shareholder-driven corporations often exemplify grotesque machineries of extraction, ethical enterprises putting people and planet over money could be sublime new exemplars of applied aesthetics – aspiring toward perfection not through profit metrics, but through positively impacting all they engage with. Their beauty would shine through in becoming tightly interwoven threads in an interdependent tapestry, creating joyful, resilient and regenerative systems that elevate our shared potential.

While the traditional business vernacular focuses on the uglyness of lucrative processes, revenue growth, and reputational brand value, a world where ethical enterprises reign would celebrate hallmarks of perfected form: generative models that produce societal good, environmental integrity, attending to folks’ needs, and uplifting the human spirit. Perhaps then, we could appreciate the highest “good companies” not just pragmatically, but aesthetically – as living artworks of conscious, ethical organisation.

A World Oriented Toward the Greater Good

In such a world oriented toward the greater good, companies measure success not just by financial returns, but by positive impacts. Ethical practices like those espoused by certain faith traditions and thinkers are the norm across these industries. Sustainability is prized over short-term gain, with environmental stewardship prioritised over resource exploitation. We’ve seen glimpses of this in recent decades through the rise of corporate social responsibility (CSR), socially conscious investing, and the emergence of benefit corporations legally bound to creating public benefit, not just profits. But such examples have remained the exception rather than the rule in a profit-driven system.

The Global Ethos of the Greater Good

Imagine if this ethos becomes the core operating principle globally. Rather than lobbying for narrow interests, these businesses advocate for the common good. Tax avoidance schemes would be abandoned in a system where contributing one’s fair share is the ethical baseline. Worker rights and equity are vigorously protected, not eroded in pursuit of higher margins. On an individual level, cutthroat workplace could gives way to healthier cooperation, and integration with our personal and community values and family lives. Ethical conduct is rewarded over pure profit-generation at any cost. Kudos is not derived from endless growth metrics, but to positive impacts created for all the Folks That Matter™.

A Sustainable Economic Model

Of course, enterprises still need to generate income to remain viable and reinvest in their social missions. But growth is pursued by creating genuine value for society rather than extracting it. Sustainable, circular economic models replace those premised on endless consumption and planned obsolescence.

A Radical Yet Possible Vision

Such a world may seem naively idealistic to modern sensibilities, conditioned to accept profit as the prime directive. But is it any more far-fetched than an entrenched global system that relentlessly exploits people and finite resources in pursuit of perpetual economic expansion on a finite planet? By orienting business toward the greater good, as past ethical movements have done, we might create an economy that better serves humanity. This may read as a utopian ideal today, but it has been a reality at various points throughout our history. A world where businesses prioritise society over self-interest may not be inevitable, but it is possible if we dare to imagine and build it together.

Do you have even the briefest five minutes to contemplate how things might be different?

Further Reading

Ackoff, R. L. (2011). The aesthetics of work. In Skip Walter’s blog post retrieved from https://skipwalter.net/2011/12/25/russ-ackoff-the-aesthetics-of-work/

The Power of Reflective Questions

March 5, 2024
Actionable Insights, Article, Capability development, Collaboration, Community, Conversations, Culture change, Dialogue
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The Power of Reflective Questions

The Impact of Our Questions

When it comes to understanding employee satisfaction and well-being, the questions we ask hold immense power. They shape the depth of insight we receive and the degree of self-reflection they prompt in others.

Simple vs. Reflective Questions

Consider these two contrasting questions:

  1. “Do you feel happy in your work and workplace?”
  2. “What factors contribute to making you feel happy or sad about your work and workplace?”

The first question stands broad and surface-level. A simple yes/no response fails to encourage any deeper self-reflection on the part of the employee. While they may respond truthfully, that single word provides no window into the nuanced drivers behind their feelings. Some might describe this as a “closed” question.

The second question, however, demands thoughtful introspection. It pushes the employee to pinpoint the root causes and specific elements that amplify or detract from their workplace fulfillment and positive sentiments about their role. Some might describe this as an “open” question.

The Value of Self-Reflection

An insightful response might go:

“I find happiness in this role’s meaningful work and growth opportunities. However, the long hours, lack of work-life balance, and poor management communication leave me frequently stressed and discouraged.”

This level of self-reflection yields far richer insights for the employer and embloyee, both. They gain a holistic view into not just the employee’s mood, but the underlying factors and pain points shaping their experience each day.

Fostering Authentic Understanding

The quality of the questions we ask directly impacts the quality of self-reflection. When we ask binary, closed-ended questions about complex issues like happiness, we restrict the potential for enlightening personal contemplation, and meaningful dialogue.

In contrast, open-ended exploratory inquiries serve as prompts for valuable self-reflection. They require respondents to purposefully examine their emotions, motivations, and the nuanced elements influencing their attitudes and engagement levels.

As employers, if we seek authentic understandings rather than superficial sentiments, we must create room for self-reflection through our questions. Instead of asking “Are you happy?”, we might choose to frame inquiries that facilitate thoughtful exploration: “What brings you a sense of meaning and fulfillment in your work? What factors leave you feeling dissatisfied or burnt out?”

The Path to Better Connection

When we invite this level of self-reflection, we don’t just understand an employee’s current state. We gain powerful insights into the roots of their experiences – both positive and negative. Armed with that deeper awareness, we can enact changes, reinforce strengths, and directly address issues eroding engagement and achievement, and sucking joy.

In the quest for connection, self-reflective questions are an under-utilised superpower. They enable not just data collection, but a purposeful exploration of the human experience we’re aiming to improve. Let’s craft questions that illuminate richer truths and inspire more fulfillment.

Technology And People

March 1, 2024
Article, Attendants, Community, Culture change, Deming, Philosophy, Psychology
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Technology And People

[Tl;Dr: What if software developers – and other related disciplines – were competent in psychology and human behaviour rather than coding and testing? What would we gain? What would we lose? ]

We live in an era of rapid technological advancement and innovation. Yet so many of our most popular technologies still fall short when it comes to understanding human behavior, motivations, and feelings. What would a software industry more attuned with psychology and social sciences look like? After all, Deming in his System of Profound Knowledge stressed the importance of psychology. Some key reasons why Deming advocated for psychological competence include:

  • Motivating employees requires satisfying needs beyond just financial compensation
  • Interpersonal friction can cause unproductive teams or turnover
  • Lack of psychological safety limits experimentation and learning
  • Poor communication causes confusion and mistakes
  • Not understanding cognitive biases can lead to poor decisions

Deeper Empathy and Connection

Technology designed with empathy could foster online communities that feel welcoming, supportive, and caring. More intuitive interfaces minimising frustration and confusion would promote trust and understanding between platforms and users. Overall, technology would not only be more usable, but make people feel heard, respected, and cared for.

Products That Help Us Thrive

Rather than empty gaming loops or outrage-inducing algorithms, technology focused on well-being could enhance daily life and growth. From fitness trackers prompting healthier habits to creativity tools designed for flow states to social networks that inspire real-world action, innovation could shift from addiction to empowerment and support.

Customised Experiences

Understanding differences in personalities, demographics, and life experiences would allow for greater personalisation in how tech interacts with and supports each of us. Products and services attuned to the diversity of human behavior deliver nuanced experiences and guidance tuned for each user and context. The result is technology that contributes to our humanity, rather than robbing us of it.

Developers Who Operate Around Compassion

If engineers banded together around compassion and service to others instead of unending growth and career-oriented self-interest, we might see improvements in areas like mental health support, ethical supply chain management, and sustainability. Rather than top-down directives, grassroots working groups of developers aiming to minimise harm and reduce pain points could spread positive change.

While mastery of coding and data remains useful, competence in psychology and the human aspects of life may be key for profound betterment of our lives, and wider society too. A collaborative pivot toward emotional intelligence across the industry will prove immensely worthwhile.

That Weird Feeling When Someone Attends to Your Needs

February 29, 2024
Antimatter principle, Article, Attendants, Community, Compassion, Culture change, Empathy, Needs, Organisational Therapy, Psychology, Relationships
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That Weird Feeling When Someone Attends to Your Needs

There is often subtle unease or vulnerability when another person identifies and attends to your emotional or practical needs before you ask. Even as they are attending to you, why might you feel strangely rattled or intruded upon by having your underlying feelings anticipated and met in this way?

Expectations

Part of the strangeness seems to be linked to our expectations around emotional autonomy in relationships. It might be because we assume we must self-manage feelings, not burden others unprompted, and disguise any weakness. So when someone sees through our façades and reaches out with support, it can feel jarringly unfamiliar. There is awkwardness adjusting to a new way of relating where masking distress is no longer accepted or expected.

Self-Image

Additionally, admitting needs may endanger our own resourcefulness or positive self-image. To remain strong and unaffected is easier than acknowledging where we genuinely need empathy or assistance. Conceding our emotional gaps confronts us with difficult realities about ourselves. Having someone respond caringly can dredge up shame before that nurturing registers as comfort. It takes time to overcome our reflexive impulse to deny needs that contradict the identities we aspire to.

Psychological Safety

Beneath the discomfort may also lurk trust issues around vulnerability. Emotions expose our innermost selves. Letting someone in to perceive and attend to that sensitive dimension means lowering barriers and giving up some degree of control. Psychologically, it signals dependence on their benevolence versus total self-sufficiency. With support inevitably comes some loss of authority over how we might want to be perceived. Even caring assistance can seem invasive before safety takes root.

While emotional caretaking intends to heal and bond, the path to welcoming nurture over isolation is not always smooth or instant. The vulnerability of relinquishing façades, acknowledging needs, and opening up to help all disrupt our status quo. By naming these sources of weirdness, perhaps the tensions around receiving compassionate support become less of a bewildering hurdle. Gradually, we learn to receive grace and attend to one another’s emotions without threatening inner resolve or identity. The discomfort slowly fades as emotional interdependence replaces sole self-reliance.

Summary

In essence, the discomfort we may feel when someone attends to our emotional needs often stems from unfamiliarity with true interdependence, unwillingness to show vulnerability, and a cultural overemphasis on extreme self-reliance. We expect to conceal any weakness, deny needing support, and handle distress alone without imposing on others. So when another person perceptively senses unvoiced feelings and reaches out to care for our inner experiences, it can feel weirdly intrusive. Even compassionate emotional caretaking jars notions of autonomy and challenges our reflexes to hide perceived flaws or shortcomings behind façade of capability. Yet suppressing needs creates isolation, and makes it so much more likely our needs will go unmet. Perhaps by better understanding the common strangeness behind receiving others’ attention, we can grow into truer communities where attending to one another’s unspoken needs and hopes is simply what love requires.

The Needs of Employees: What’s at Stake for Businesses

February 25, 2024
Actionable Insights, Antimatter principle, Article, Business, Community, Culture change
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The Needs of Employees: What’s at Stake for Businesses

Employees are the backbone of any successful business. Their performance and satisfaction directly impacts a company’s bottom line. This means businesses have a vested interest in attending to the needs of their workforce. However, doing so requires commitment and resources. What exactly is at stake when it comes to meeting employee needs? Let’s explore the potential risks and rewards underpinning the Antimatter Principle.

What Businesses Stand to Lose

Ignoring employee needs can be costly for companies in many ways:

  • Reduced productivity and performance: Employees who feel their needs aren’t being met are less motivated, engaged, and productive at work. This negatively impacts the quality and efficiency of their output.
  • Higher turnover: Dissatisfied workers are more likely to leave their jobs in search of better opportunities. High turnover disrupts operations and incurs substantial replacement costs.
  • Damaged employer brand: News of poor working conditions and unmet needs spreads quickly. This damages a company’s reputation as an employer, making it harder to attract and retain top talent.
  • Litigation risks: Disgruntled employees may take legal action over issues like discrimination, harassment, unsafe working conditions, privacy, or wage violations. Lawsuits are both expensive and damaging PR-wise.
  • Toxic culture: Ignoring needs can breed negativity, resentment, and low morale among staff. This creates a stressful, unmotivated culture that further reduces productivity.

What Businesses Stand to Gain

On the flip side, making employee needs a priority and attending to them a intrinsic part of BAU can pay off tremendously:

  • Improved recruitment and retention: Employees are drawn to supportive companies with great benefits, culture, and working conditions. Catering to needs helps attract and retain top talent.
  • Higher productivity: Employees who feel their needs are met work more effectively and deliver better results. A happy, healthy workforce is a productive workforce.
  • Enhanced loyalty and engagement: When companies show they care, employees respond with greater commitment, passion, and loyalty. This directly fuels performance.
  • Better customer service: Needs like training and empowerment equip staff to deliver exceptional service that keeps customers happy and loyal.
  • Reduced risks: Addressing needs like safety and wellness protects staff while minimising potential injuries, lawsuits, and PR crises.
  • Employer brand building: Exceptional benefits, culture, and practices earn rave reviews from staff. This builds a company’s reputation as a premier employer.

The Takeaway

While it requires investment, making employee needs a priority provides significant upside for businesses. On the other hand, ignoring needs exposes companies to major risks and hidden costs. The message is clear: by taking care of the needs of employees, businesses also take care of their own interests. The potential rewards of meeting needs make it a win-win proposition.

Time Yet for Organisational Psychotherapy?

February 24, 2024
Article, Business, Capability development, Community, Culture change, Learning, Organisational Therapy, Quintessence
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Time Yet for Organisational Psychotherapy?

The Software Crisis is but a Symptom

The “software crisis” plaguing the tech industry for more that 50 years reflects a broader crisis spanning business, society, and our species. At its core is our inability as a species to fully grasp and manage rapidly change and wicked problems, both. But this crisis manifests in different ways across multiple levels of human endeavours.

The Business Crisis Begets the Software Crisis

In business, intense competition, shifting customer demands, changing social expectations, and disruption make consistent success an elusive goal. In society, we face polarisation, inequality, and loss of social cohesion. As a species, our advanced civilisation has exceeded our innate cognitive capacities. We are overwhelmed by the world we’ve created.

The Societal Crisis Begets the Business Crisis

The software crisis is just a symptom of crises in business, society, and our human systems as a whole. To truly address it, solutions are needed at each level. Organisational psychotherapy can help provide a framework for shared reflection and treatment.

Business operates within a broader social context beset by polarisation, inequality, and eroding social cohesion. Society’s challenges become business’s challenges.

When society tacitly promotes individual gain over collective well-being, so does business. When civil discourse and trust decline, companies struggle to collaborate. When opportunity is not distributed broadly, markets suffer.

Business could help lead society forward. But first, society must create conditions where ethics and human dignity come before efficiency and profits. By reflecting society’s imbalances, business contributes to the social crisis.

Organisational Psychotherapy Offers a Way Forward

Just as individual psychotherapy helps people gain self-understanding to heal, organisational psychotherapy facilitates collective self-reflection to foster change in groups, companies, systems, societies and the species. It surfaces the dysfunctional patterns that maintain the status quo.

Applications

Applied to the software crisis, organisational psychotherapy invites examination of the beliefs, behaviors, and power dynamics across the tech industry that contribute to the many and perrenial chronic failures. It enables new understandings and behaviors to emerge.

Similarly, organisational psychotherapy addresses dysfunctional aspects of business culture and society that exacerbate our challenges and frustrates our needs. It helps groups align around shared purpose, and adapt.

Ultimately, organisational psychotherapy a.k.a. collective psychotherapy is about creating the conditions for species learning. As we confront crises across business, society, and our species, we might benefit from the capacity for honest inquiry, collective problem-solving, and continuous learning. Organisational psychotherapy can guide that evolutionary process. The software crisis and beyond provide an opportunity for our organisations, businesses, societies, and species to increase our enlightenment. But we must be willing to courageously examine ourselves along the way.

US and THEM

January 23, 2024
Actionable Insights, Article, Collaboration, Community, Conversations, Culture change, Organisational effectiveness, Organisational Therapy, Quintessence
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US and THEM

In any human organisation, natural subgroups emerge from shared interests, backgrounds and experiences. While we might expect some clustering, problems arise when – as is common in tech organisations – an “us vs them” mentality takes hold between ingroups and outgroups.

Some common divides in tech companies include:

Ingroups

  • Engineers
  • Product Managers
  • Executives
  • Long-Serving Employees

Outgroups

  • Non-Technical Roles
  • Contractors/Consultants
  • Recent Hires
  • Remote Employees

Impacts

Divides often lead to biased decisions, limited information sharing, poor collaboration, feelings of disrespect, high turnover, groupthink and tokenism. Organisations fragmented by subgroups usually suffer as a result.

We’re All In This Together?

Rather than expecting executives and HR to fix these issues, employees at all levels have significant power to act.

Actions for Individual Contributors

  • Look into the basic phenomenon of ingroups and outgroups
  • Build relationships beyond your immediate team
  • Model inclusive language and behaviour
  • Call out subtle exclusion when you see it
  • Learn more about internal groups you don’t interact with often

Tactics for Teams

  • Set expectations for mutual understanding between groups (charters can help)
  • Invite rotation of cross-functional team staffing
  • Discuss observations about silo behaviour in retrospectives
  • Provide onboarding mentorships to new hires across the company
  • Avoid protecting the team (instead, seek mutual dialogues and benefits)

Folks who own the way the work works also play a crucial role too by implementing structural changes to connectivity. But culture shifts come largely from how rank-and-file employees relate, day-to-day. Each person can choose to reflect upon their language, decisions and behaviours that might be isolating colleagues and subgroups, and solidifying ingroup and outgroup divisions.

The end goal is a culture where people bring their whole, authentic selves to work (often risky), uniqueness stands out more than fitting in, and outsiders get welcomed rather than excluded.

What tactics have you found most effective for strengthening connections between workgroups? What benefits have you seen? Let’s exchange ideas in the comments!

You Don’t Need Me to Tell You that Software Development is Still in the Dark Ages

December 29, 2023
Article, Business, Community, Culture change
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You Don’t Need Me to Tell You that Software Development is Still in the Dark Ages

Let’s face it – despite all the advances in technology and engineering, software development (and it’s big sister, Product Development) often still feels like it’s stuck in the dark ages. We’ve all experienced the frustration of bloated, buggy, overly complex applications. Software projects that take five times as long and cost three times as much as anticipated. Monolithic legacy codebases that no one fully understands and everyone is afraid to touch.

Common Failings

The root causes of these issues stem from the common failings in our assumptions about how software should be designed, built, and managed. Developers are forced to rely on primitive beliefs, tools and processes that feel ancient compared to what’s possible today. We cling to habits and methods that should have been discarded long ago.

Do we really need to keep building everything from scratch, gluing together frameworks and duct-taping components with code? Why do basic changes still require major rewrites instead of flexible configuration? Can we only measure velocity by lines of code produced, when we know that says nothing about business value delivered?

Ways Forward

There are brighter ways forward. Emerging technologies like #NoSoftware, low-code platforms, AI-assisted development, infrastructure-as-code, and more can provide the building blocks for fully modern practices. Approaches like Quintessence, FlowChain, Product Aikido, Organisational Psychotherapy and the Antimatter Transformation Model help teams incrementally deliver immediate value, not just write code.

Real Change

But real change requires looking beyond the tools. It means evolving development cultures and processes that have calcified into dogma. Challenging shared assumptions and beliefs baked into how organisations plan, organiise, fund and incentivise work. Rethinking what it means to be a great business, and building diverse, empowered teams.

The reality is software delivers immense impact on lives and business today. It deserves to be created with care, craft and state-of-the-art techniques – not left languishing in the dark ages. The solutions are out there, if we’re bold enough to cast off antiquated ways.

Astounding Potential

You and I know the status quo isn’t working. It will take all of us pushing for change to bring work into the 21st century. The potential waiting to be unlocked is astounding. Here’s to no longer building the future with the assumptions and beliefs of the past.

The Nonviolent Communication Advantage in Relationships

September 10, 2023
Antimatter principle, Article, Community, Conversations, Empathy, Nonviolence, Nonviolent Communication, Relationships, Trust
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The Nonviolent Communication Advantage in Relationships

Can NVC Elevate Workplace Relationships?

Nonviolent Communication (NVC) isn’t just a concept; it’s a practice. It consists of observing without judgment, expressing feelings, articulating needs, and making clear requests. In a work environment, these principles can go a long way to build mutual respect and understanding. They promote constructive criticism and foster an open dialogue.

What Does NVC Bring to Group Dynamics?

When it comes to group interactions, NVC shines in its ability to alleviate tension and solve conflict. By focusing on unmet needs instead of blame, NVC creates a constructive pathway to solutions. Teams can navigate disagreements and reach a mutual understanding. In this space, everybody’s needs get a chance to be heard, fostering collaboration and creativity.

Dissolves Tension Through Empathy

One of the most immediate effects of applying NVC in a group setting is the reduction of tension. Often, disagreements escalate because people feel misunderstood or attacked. NVC replaces these barriers with empathy. Team members learn to listen actively and validate each other’s feelings and needs, which in turn lowers emotional walls and facilitates productive dialogue.

Redirects the Focus to Unmet Needs

In traditional models of communication, a point of conflict often leads to a blame game. This not only stifles resolution but can also create animosity within the group. NVC shifts this focus from assigning blame to identifying unmet needs. When group members express what they require instead of blaming others, it encourages a problem-solving mindset. This can lead to more equitable outcomes that respect the needs of all involved.

Enables Mutual Understanding

NVC encourages people to express themselves clearly and concisely, focusing on what they observe, feel, need, and request. This clarity helps group members to better understand each other’s perspectives and constraints. Misunderstandings are resolved more quickly, as the communication becomes more transparent. As everyone gains a more nuanced understanding of each other’s needs and contributions, a deeper mutual respect develops.

Boosts Collaboration and Creativity

Once the groundwork of empathy and understanding is laid, teams find it easier to collaborate. Everyone becomes more invested in each other’s success, setting the stage for more cohesive teamwork. Moreover, as trust within the group increases, members are more willing to share creative ideas without the fear of ridicule or misunderstanding. NVC thus acts as a catalyst for innovation, allowing the collective intelligence of the group to flourish.

Creates an Inclusive Environment

In a group dynamic where NVC is practiced, every voice matters. The inherent respect for each individual’s needs and feelings fosters an inclusive atmosphere. Team members from diverse backgrounds, who may have different styles of communication or varying viewpoints, find it easier to integrate and contribute. This inclusivity not only enriches the group’s overall skill set but also enhances its problem-solving capabilities.

In summary, NVC in group dynamics works as a multifaceted tool. It dissolves tension, redirects focus from blame to needs, fosters mutual understanding, enhances collaboration and creativity, and encourages inclusivity. It’s not just a communication style but a comprehensive approach to improving how groups interact and function.

Do Relationships Outside Work Benefit from NVC?

NVC isn’t just for professional settings. Families, couples, and friends can find value in its principles. In intimate relationships, NVC helps in the articulation of emotional needs and ensures that both parties feel heard and understood. Open, honest communication is encouraged, deepening the emotional connection.

Enhances Emotional Expression

One of the most significant benefits of NVC in personal relationships is that it encourages the open expression of emotions. Traditional communication often falls short in this aspect, making it difficult for individuals to convey what they’re feeling. NVC provides the tools for a more nuanced expression of emotions, eliminating misunderstandings and allowing people to feel genuinely understood by their loved ones.

Fosters Authentic Conversations

Most relationships suffer from a lack of honest and open communication. People often conceal their true feelings to avoid conflict or because they fear judgment. NVC breaks down these barriers by fostering a non-judgmental space where individuals can express their authentic selves. This leads to more meaningful conversations that serve to deepen the relationship.

Resolves Conflicts Harmoniously

Conflict is an inevitable part of any relationship. What sets healthy relationships apart from dysfunctional ones is the ability to resolve these conflicts in a mutually satisfying way. NVC shifts the conflict resolution focus from winning an argument to understanding and meeting the underlying needs of each party involved. The result is a more harmonious resolution that strengthens the relationship rather than erodes it.

Enhances Empathy and Mutual Respect

By focusing on empathetic listening and understanding, NVC cultivates a culture of mutual respect within relationships. Each person learns to appreciate the feelings and needs of the other, which encourages a supportive and nurturing environment. This mutual respect further solidifies the relationship and makes it more resilient in the face of challenges.

Strengthens Emotional Bonds

Last but not least, NVC significantly contributes to strengthening emotional bonds between individuals. When people feel heard and valued, their emotional attachment to each other deepens. Emotional intimacy is crucial for any long-lasting, fulfilling relationship, and NVC provides the framework to achieve this.

To summarise, the influence of NVC extends well beyond professional settings and offers significant advantages in personal relationships. By facilitating emotional expression, authentic conversations, harmonious conflict resolution, empathy, and stronger emotional bonds, NVC serves as a cornerstone for healthier, more fulfilling relationships outside the workplace.

Summary: Is NVC the Relationship Game-Changer?

In both workplace relationships and broader social circles, NVC stands out as an effective tool for building stronger, more open interactions. By focusing on empathy and understanding, it paves the way for improved communication and stronger bonds.

NVC has a far-reaching impact. From conference rooms to living rooms to bedrooms, its principles can transform how we relate to one another. It offers the promise of not just better conversations but also enriched relationships. So, why not give it a try?

Further Reading

Rosenberg, M. B. (2003). Nonviolent Communication: A Language of Life. Puddledancer Press.
Rosenberg, M. B. (2005). Speak Peace in a World of Conflict. Puddledancer Press.
Rosenberg, M. B. (2005). The Surprising Purpose of Anger: Beyond Anger Management: Finding the Gift. Puddledancer Press.
Rosenberg, M. B., & Chopra, D. (2006). Words That Work in Business. Puddledancer Press.

I, Relate

September 3, 2023
Article, Capability development, Collaboration, Community, Culture change, Dialogue, Empathy, Joy, Organisational effectiveness, Organisational Therapy, Relationships
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I, Relate

The Unlikely Union: How the Relationship Counselling Ethos Boosts Software Development Productivity

Why Should Techies Care About Relationship Counselling?

At first glance, you might think that relationship counselling and software development occupy opposite ends of the spectrum. Yet, delve a little deeper and you’ll see that both fields share a core essence: human interaction. In a nutshell, successful software development relies on effective communication, collaboration, and conflict resolution, elements that relationship counselling has mastered. Let’s explore how relationship counselling ethos and techniques can turbocharge software development productivity.

The Fabric of Teamwork: Trust and Open Communication

Software development isn’t a one-man show. It involves designers, developers, testers, customers, and often, cross-functional teams from other departments. This melting pot can either cook up an extraordinary result or turn into a recipe for disaster. That’s where relationship counselling principles come into play. Trust-building exercises and open communication channels, often advocated by relationship counselling, can help team members understand and respect each other’s roles, fostering a more cohesive working environment.

Conflict Resolution: The Relationship Counselling Way

Conflicts are part and parcel of any collaboration, let alone software development with its tight deadlines and constant need for problem-solving. Relationship counselling is adept at resolving disputes and finding middle ground, skills that are just as useful in the tech world. Techniques such as active listening and ‘I’ statements can pave the way for constructive discussions, rather than finger-pointing or blame games. This encourages quicker resolution of issues, saving both time and sanity.

Emotional Intelligence: Not Just for Lovers

While emotional intelligence (EQ) might sound like the antithesis of the logic-driven tech sphere, it’s surprisingly crucial. High EQ can enhance problem-solving abilities and contribute to better collaboration. Relationship counselling’s focus on developing emotional intelligence can help team members become more aware of their own reactions and the feelings of others, thereby enhancing overall productivity.

Iterative Improvement: Learning from Relationships

Just like any relationship, software development benefits from periodic check-ins and adjustments. Relationship counselling’s method of iterative feedback and adjustment mirrors prevailing methods in software development. Regular retrospective meetings, a technique in line with relationship counselling’s ethos, allow for continual improvement and adjustment throughout the development life cycle.

The Ripple Effect

Adopting the relationship counselling ethos can have longer-term benefits. Enhanced communication skills, improved conflict resolution abilities, and a heightened emotional intelligence level are not development-specific. They’ll enrich the work environment, thereby leading to better collaborations in the future and stronger, more resilient, more joyful teams.

In Summary

Though it might seem unusual, the relationship counselling ethos offers tangible benefits for software development teams. From trust-building and conflict resolution to fostering emotional intelligence, these techniques can significantly impact productivity. So, the next time you’re stuck in a dev team stand-off or facing a seemingly insurmountable challenge, you might just find the solution in relationship counselling techniques.

The Orwellian Agile Community

August 26, 2023
Agile, Agility at Scale, Article, Community, Culture change, Lamentation
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The Orwellian Agile Community

Agile development has promised to be the panacea for a host of problems that software development teams face. Yet it has devolved into approaches characterised by rigidity, misinformation, and top-down control. As we navigate the murky waters of agile adoptions, and Scrum, Kanban, etc. implementations, two Orwellian statements echo and reverberate:

  1. “The further society drifts from truth, the more it will hate those who speak it.” (Widely attributed to George Orwell, although its direct origin is debated)
  2. “The past was erased, the erasure was forgotten, the lie became the truth.” (From Orwell’s “1984”)

These quotes invite us to pause and reflect on some of the deeply rooted issues within the agile community.

Drifting from Truth

As agile approached take the corporate world by storm, we’ve seen the predominance of ‘agile theatre’. This is where the word ‘agile’ is on everyone’s lips, but its principles aren’t in their actions. Teams may host daily stand-ups or retrospective meetings, yet fail to embrace a culture of openness and adaptability.

So, what happens when someone calls out these inconsistencies? Often, they’re sidelined or labelled as ‘not a team player’. This mirrors the sentiment of the first Orwell quote: the further the agile community drifts from the core agile tenets of transparency, inspection, and adaptation, the less it appreciates individuals who remind it of its original values and goals.

Note: While this quote is widely attributed to Orwell, its direct origins are a subject of debate.

Erasing the Past, Embracing the Lie

Agile practices have also seen shifts that compromise their foundational principles. For instance, “being agile” now often means “doing Scrum” or “implementing Kanban”, with little regard for the contextual needs of an organisation. Past failures are conveniently forgotten, and the cycle of ‘new agile initiatives’ is continuously rebooted, with no one daring to question the perpetual loop of erasure and overwriting.

This phenomenon resonates with the second Orwellian statement. We erase our past failures and adapt convenient narratives. The lie—that we’re fully agile—becomes our truth.

Will There Ever be an Agile Reckoning?

Is it time we revisit the principles that make agile a truly transformative approach? Rather than ostracising those who call out our flaws, might we choose to view them as allies in refining our approach? And instead of erasing our failures, might we choose to inspect and adapt, using them as valuable lessons?

In a world where the ‘Agile Industrial Complex’ has all but erased the ideals of the original Agile Manifesto, taking a leaf out of Orwell’s books might be our best hope to navigate through the fog. And remember, just like in Orwell’s world, the pursuit of truth starts with critical thinking and the courage to challenge prevailing narratives

Decision Making: A Deep Dive from a Motivational Perspective

August 19, 2023
Advice Process, Article, Business, Community, Culture change
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Decision Making: A Deep Dive from a Motivational Perspective

Decision-making is an integral part of our personal and professional lives. In organisations and teams, the manner in which decisions are made plays a key role in influencing motivation and performance. Let’s delve into three common types of decision-making processes: unilateral, consensual, and mutual.

1. Unilateral Decision Making

Definition: In unilateral decision making, a single person or entity makes the decision without necessarily consulting others. It’s characterised by its top-down approach.

Advantages:

  • Speed: Since only one person is involved, decisions can be made quickly without the need for extensive discussions or consultations.
  • Clear Responsibility: The responsibility for the decision lies squarely on the shoulders of the decision-maker. This clarity can be useful when tracking results or accountability. Indeed, it invites blaming.

Disadvantages:

  • Lack of Buy-in: Decisions made without input result in lack of ownership and commitment from team members.
  • Limited Perspectives: A single person’s view can miss out on diverse perspectives or potential pitfalls.
  • Motivational Impact: Employees feel undervalued or overlooked, leading to reduced motivation and engagement, and reduced discretionary effort.

2. Consensual Decision Making

Definition: In consensual decision making, members of a group discuss and debate options until they reach a consensus or a majority agreement.

Advantages:

  • Diverse Input: Multiple perspectives are taken into account, leading to well-rounded decisions.
  • Higher Buy-in: Since everyone has a say, there’s often higher commitment to the final decision.
  • Motivational Boost: Being part of the process can boost team morale and foster a sense of community.

Disadvantages:

  • Time-Consuming: Reaching a consensus can be a lengthy process, especially with larger groups.
  • Potential for Groupthink: A desire for harmony might overshadow the need for diverse viewpoints or lead to conformity pressures.
  • Diluted Responsibility: With many involved, accountability can become blurred.

3. Mutual Decision Making

Definition: Mutual decision making involves collaboration between two or more parties, often representing different interests, to reach a decision that’s agreeable to all.

Advantages:

  • Balanced Outcomes: Ensures that all parties’ interests are considered and addressed.
  • Strengthened Relationships: Mutual decision-making can foster trust and rapport.
  • Motivational Synergy: Joint decisions can lead to heightened motivation, as all parties have a stake in the outcome.

Disadvantages:

  • Compromise Over Best Outcome: The need for mutual agreement might mean neither party gets their ideal solution.
  • Extended Negotiations: Striking a balance can be time-consuming and may require multiple rounds of discussions.
  • Potential for Stalemates: If neither side is willing to budge, decision-making can come to a standstill.

The Advice Process: A Radical Alternative

The Advice Process is a unique approach where individuals are empowered to make decisions after seeking advice from affected parties and experts. It combines the speed of unilateral decision-making with the input richness of consensual approaches. From a motivational perspective, this process values every individual’s expertise and opinion, fostering a sense of ownership and responsibility. However, like all processes, its effectiveness depends on the organisation’s culture and the genuine weight given to the advice received.

Summary

Each decision-making process has its strengths and challenges, especially from a motivational standpoint. The key is to recognize the context and choose an approach that aligns with the organisation’s culture, the nature of the decision, and the desired outcomes. As teams and organisations evolve, being adaptable in decision-making approaches can lead to enhanced motivation, innovation, and overall success.

Needsocracy: A Paradigm Shift from Merit to Need

August 18, 2023
Alien tech, Antimatter principle, Article, Business, Caring, Community, Compassion, Culture change, Deming, Paradigm shifts, Quintessence
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Needsocracy: A Paradigm Shift from Merit to Need

In an age of ostensible progress and societal evolution, we frequently find ourselves questioning systems that were once held as paragons of fairness. One such system, the meritocracy, is increasingly under scrutiny. Heralded as the gold standard of societal organization, where power and resources are awarded based on individual talent and achievement, meritocracy is now facing a formidable challenger: Needsocracy.

In a rapidly changing world where the definitions of success and progress are constantly evolving, a new concept is slowly emerging from the shadows: Needsocracy. At its core, it challenges our traditional meritocratic systems by positing that positions of power, responsibility, and resources be earned based on needs rather than merit. But what does this really mean, and how might it change the world as we know it?

Understanding Meritocracy

To grasp the implications of Needsocracy, it’s essential to understand its antecedent – Meritocracy. Rooted in the belief that power and resources should be awarded to individuals based on talent, effort, and achievement, Meritocracy has long been hailed as the fairest system of distribution. By prioritizing competence and hard work, it promises a level playing field where everyone has an equal opportunity to rise to the top based on their merit.

The Shortcomings of Meritocracy

While meritocracy has its strengths, it isn’t without its criticisms. Critics argue that:

  1. A Pretense of Equality: Meritocracy peddles the illusion of a level playing field, where success is solely a result of hard work and talent. But, in reality, initial conditions, family background, and sheer luck often play a larger role in individual success than merit.
  2. Perpetuating Privilege: Far from being the ultimate fair system, meritocracy often serves to perpetuate privilege. The well-connected get better opportunities, the rich have access to better education, and thus the cycle continues.
  3. The Relentless Grind: Meritocracy promotes an unhealthy obsession with perpetual achievement. It glorifies overwork, leading to burnout, mental health challenges, and a society where the worth of an individual is reduced to their output.
  4. Overemphasis on Competition: This often leads to societal stress, mental health challenges, and at times, a ruthless pursuit of success at the expense of ethics and interpersonal relationships.
  5. Ignoring the System: Meriticracy, grounded as it is in the merits of the individual, ignores “Deming’s 95:5” – the fact that some 95% of an individual’s contributions are dictated by the system (the way the work works) and only some 5% by the merits of the individual.

Enter Needsocracy

Needsocracy flips the script by arguing that societal roles and resources should be distributed based on the needs of individuals and communities. Here’s what that might look like:

  1. Prioritising Humanity: Instead of an endless race to the top, Needsocracy encourages society to cater to the basic human needs of its members, promoting overall well-being.
  2. True Representation: Under Needsocracy, leadership and responsibility would be entrusted to those who genuinely understand and represent societal needs. No longer would decisions be made by those detached from ground realities.
  3. Resource Allocation: Resources would be allocated to those who need them the most, whether it’s in the form of financial assistance, access to education, or healthcare. The goal is to create a foundation from which everyone can achieve their potential.
  4. Power & Responsibility: In a Needsocratic system, positions of power will be occupied by those who represent the most pressing needs of society. For instance, if a community faces a severe water crisis, leadership positions will be occupied by individuals directly affected by this challenge, ensuring that those with firsthand experience are making the decisions.
  5. Collaborative Over Competitive: By focusing on needs, society will transition from a competitive model to a more collaborative one. The success of one individual would be seen in the context of the well-being of the community.

Benefits of Needsocracy

  1. Inclusive Growth: Needsocracy has the potential to level the playing field and ensure that marginalized communities get a fair share of resources and representation.
  2. Holistic Development: By focusing on needs, we can address systemic challenges and root causes, leading to more sustainable solutions.

Challenges Ahead

The shift from Meritocracy to Needsocracy won’t be easy. Defining ‘need’ objectively, ensuring transparency, and avoiding misuse are just a few challenges. Moreover, balancing individual aspirations with societal needs will be a complex task. Societies already grounded in catering to cummunal needs – like the Chinese – may find the transition easier.

Summary

Let’s question long-held beliefs and systems. Meritocracy, once believed to be the epitome of fairness, now stands exposed with its flaws. Needsocracy offers a compelling alternative, urging us to consider a society that genuinely serves its people rather than creating hollow hierarchies.

Needsocracy offers a fresh perspective on how we might structure societies – and businesses, societies in microcosm – for the betterment of all. While it’s still an emerging concept, its potential to usher in a more inclusive, equitable, and holistic era of development is undeniable. As with all societal shifts, the journey to Needsocracy will require debate, experimentation, and evolution. But as we look to the future, perhaps it’s time to reject merit as the determinant of our worth and place in society.

Broaden: Catalyze the Shift to Conscious Fellowship

August 9, 2023
Article, Business, Caring, Community, Compassion, Culture change, Fellowship, Memeology, Quintessence, Teambuilding
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Broaden: Catalyze the Shift to Conscious Fellowship

A new paradigm is emerging: one that prioritises ‘conscious fellowship’ over competitive individualism or sheepy leader/follower dynamics. Gone are the days when success was solely defined by one’s ability to outperform peers. Today, collaborative thinking, team spirit, and conscious engagement with colleagues are taking center stage. Even more, caring for one another. Let’s dive deeper into understanding this shift and why it might be useful for modern businesses.

What is Conscious Fellowship?

Conscious fellowship is an evolved form of collaboration where people come together with a shared purpose, mutual respect, and a genuine concern for the well-being of each other and the larger ecosystem they operate in. It’s a holistic approach to teamwork, emphasising empathy, understanding, and a collective spirit.

The Rise of Conscious Fellowship: Why Now?

  1. Technological Advances: Technology has blurred boundaries and allowed teams to work seamlessly across borders. This interdependence demands a heightened level of mutual respect and understanding.
  2. Millennial, Gen Z and (soon) Gen Alpha Influence: Younger generations entering the workforce value meaningful work, a sense of purpose, and a supportive work culture. They thrive in environments that promote conscious fellowship.
  3. Global Challenges: As businesses tackle global challenges like climate change, pandemics, and social inequities, they recognise the need for collective, cohesive action over individual pursuits.

The Benefits of Conscious Fellowship in Business

  1. Enhanced Productivity: When teams function based on trust, compassion and mutual respect, they work more efficiently, reduce conflict, and foster creativity.
  2. Employee Well-being: A supportive work environment reduces stress, burnout, and turnover. People feel more valued and are more likely to contribute positively.
  3. Sustainable Growth: Businesses that practice conscious fellowship are better positioned to adapt to changes, as they harness the collective intelligence of their teams.

How to Catalyze the Shift to Conscious Fellowship

  1. Seniors Role Modeling: Seniors play a crucial role in setting the tone. When they exemplify the principles of conscious fellowship, they inspire others to do the same.
  2. Open Communication: Encourage open dialogue, active listening, and feedback. When people feel heard and understood, they are more likely to collaborate effectively.
  3. Training and Development: Offer workshops and training sessions that emphasise empathy, communication, and collaboration. Invite and support people to equip themselves with the abilities they need.
  4. Reward and Recognition Systems: Enable teams to recognise and reward their teamwork and collaborative efforts. Shift focus from individual accomplishments to collective achievements.
  5. Cultural Integration: Integrate conscious fellowship into your company’s core values and mission. Make it one of the organisation’s key memes.

Final Thoughts

In a world where the only constant is change, the need for businesses to be nimble, resilient, and adaptable is paramount. Conscious fellowship, as an approach to teamwork, provides a solid foundation for businesses to navigate these uncertain times. By embracing this ethos, companies not only drive success but also create a meaningful, positive impact on their employees and the world at large.

Broaden your horizons, and make the shift to conscious fellowship today. Your team, your business, and the world will be better for it.

Further Reading

Marshall, R.W.. (2023). The Team Fruit Bowl – A Fruity Look at Teambuilding. [online] leanpub.com. Falling Blossoms (LeanPub). Available at:https://leanpub.com/theteamfruitbowl

Marshall, R.W. (2021). Quintessence: An Acme for Software Development Organisations. [online] leanpub.com. Falling Blossoms (LeanPub). Available at: https://leanpub.com/quintessence/ [Accessed 15 Jun 2022].

Marshall, R.W. (2021). Memeology: Surfacing And Reflecting On The Organisation’s Collective Assumptions And Beliefs. [online] leanpub.com. Falling Blossoms (LeanPub). Available at: https://leanpub.com/memeology/ [Accessed 15 Jun 2022].

Marshall, R.W. (2018). Hearts over Diamonds: Serving Business and Society Through Organisational Psychotherapy. [online] leanpub.com. Falling Blossoms (LeanPub). Available at: https://leanpub.com/heartsoverdiamonds/ [Accessed 15 Jun 2022].

Marshall, R.W. (2021). Organisational Psychotherapy Bundle 1. [online] Leanpub. Available at: https://leanpub.com/b/organisationalpsychotherapybundle1 [Accessed 15 Jun. 2022].

Idealism in Business

August 3, 2023
Antimatter principle, Article, Business, Community, Culture change, Doctrine, Ethics
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Idealism in Business

In the complex landscape of modern business, where profits often overshadow principles (and status overshadows profits), a philosophy grounded in ethics stands out as a guiding beacon. Ethical idealism, a concept that merges morality with business practice, is emerging as a pivotal approach that aligns companies with broader societal values. Let’s delve into this concept and explore how it can shape and benefit business.

What is Ethical Idealism?

Ethical idealism is the commitment to a set of moral principles or ideals that guide decisions and actions. In business, it means operating with integrity, fairness, and a consideration for ethical implications beyond mere profit. Ethical idealism is not about a utopian vision; rather, it’s a grounded approach that balances financial goals with moral responsibility.

Integrity and Trust

Businesses that adhere to ethical idealism build a reputation for integrity and trustworthiness. This reputation can lead to increased customer loyalty and a competitive advantage. When a company’s actions reflect its stated values, it resonates with consumers and creates lasting relationships.

Employee Satisfaction and Retention

An organisation that operates on ethical principles provides a working environment that fosters satisfaction and engagement. Employees who believe in the company’s mission and values are more likely to stay committed and contribute to the success of the organisation.

Long-Term Sustainability

Ethical idealism encourages companies to think beyond short-term personal advantage and immediate profits. By focusing on ethical considerations, companies can develop sustainable business practices that minimise harm and maximise positive impact on society and the environment.

Regulatory Compliance

A focus on ethics often goes hand-in-hand with compliance with laws and regulations. An ethical approach ensures that a company adheres to legal requirements, reducing the risk of legal issues that can harm the reputation and financial standing of a business.

Enhancing Stakeholder Relationships

Ethical idealism promotes transparency and openness with the Folks That Matter™, including investors, customers, suppliers, and the wider society. Clear communication about the company’s ethical stance fosters better relationships and collaboration, leading to synergistic benefits.

Conclusion

Ethical idealism is more than a philosophical stance; it’s a tangible strategy that can steer a business towards success. It aligns the pursuit of profit with a commitment to ethical values, building a brand that resonates with customers and creating an organisational culture that engages employees, and indeed all the Folks That Matter™.

In a world increasingly concerned with corporate responsibility and social impact, ethical idealism sets a company apart from competitors. It’s a pathway that leads to long-term success, fostering a business model resilient to the vicissitudes of chance and tuned to the evolving expectations of society.

Indeed, ethical idealism in business is not an obstacle to success but a catalyst, driving companies to operate with conscience and conviction. Those who embrace this approach may find themselves leading the way in a new era of business, where ethical considerations are not just an add-on but an integral part of the corporate identity and strategy.

“Just Leave Me Alone to Do My Thing!”

July 17, 2023
Article, Collaboration, Community, Feedback, Product development, Software development
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“Just Leave Me Alone to Do My Thing!”

The Ubiquitous Cry Across Various Occupations and Its Implications on Collaboration and Customer Experience

I’ve many times seen a fair share of sentiments expressed by folks from various fields, and one recurring theme often surfaces: “Just leave me alone to write code!” This is a common cry from developers everywhere, highlighting a fundamental desire for solitude to focus on their craft. While the specific wording might differ, similar sentiments are echoed across several fields. Here’s a selection:

  1. Architect: “Just leave me alone to design buildings!”
  2. Graphic Designer: “Just let me create my designs in peace!”
  3. Gardener: “Just leave me alone to tend the plants!”
  4. Musician: “Just let me play my music without interruption!”
  5. Chef: “Just let me cook without interference!”

These expressions are not merely cries of frustration or appeals for solitude, but rather, they epitomise the need for creative freedom, mental space, and a conducive environment to manifest ideas into reality.

But what about the users, customers, listeners, diners – the recipients of these creative outputs?

Well, they too play a crucial role. Their feedback, whether it’s a user finding a bug in the software, a homeowner expressing preferences for a home design, a diner offering critique on a new dish, or an audience responding to a musical composition, can be instrumental in refining and enhancing the work. It’s a delicate balance – while folks need solitude for creation, they also require interaction for evaluation, improvement, and growth.

Teamwork is yet another factor, few projects are solo endeavors. Coding involves collaboration with other developers, architects work within a broader design team, chefs coordinate with kitchen staff, and musicians often play in bands or orchestras. These collaborations, despite potential clashes and disagreements, often lead to better outcomes than solitary efforts.

Recognising this balance is key to harmonizing the needs of the workers, users/customers, and teams. On one hand, folks need respect for their creative spaces and processes. They need the freedom to experiment, innovate, and express their expertise. On the other hand, others need them to be open to feedback, collaboration, and the broader perspectives that users, customers, and team members bring.

The takeaway? Let’s create environments that foster both individual creativity and collaborative synergy. Let’s respect the cry of “Just leave me alone to…”, but also remember the value of “Let’s work together on this…” and “What do you think about…?” After all, it’s through this delicate balance that we shape our built world, digital landscapes, culinary experiences, musical scores, and so much more.

Maximising the Amount of Work Not Done: The Power of Attendants in Tech Teams

July 15, 2023
Alien tech, Article, Attendants, Business, Community, Culture change, Needs, Organisational effectiveness, Paradigm shifts, Product development, Quintessence, Software Delivery, Software development
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Maximising the Amount of Work Not Done: The Power of Attendants in Tech Teams

The world of technology is evolving rapidly, and to keep pace, we must continually reassess how we approach our work. A concept gaining popularity in tech leadership circles is the idea of “Maximising the Amount of Work Not Done.”

Counterintuitive

While this may sound counterintuitive, it is a strategic move towards efficiency and streamlined operations. The role of the “Attendant” embodies this principle. Let’s delve deeper.

The Attendant’s role is less focused on coding intricacies and more on recognising and satisfying the needs of various stakeholders – customers, fellow team members, other teams within the organisation, senior management, and the organisation as a whole. The attendants’ goal? To find the simplest and most efficient solutions to meet these needs.

In doing so, Attendants embody the principle of maximising the amount of work not done. Here’s how:

  1. Focusing on What Really Matters: In any project, there can be a multitude of potential features, tweaks, and enhancements. However, not all are equally important or add significant value. Attendants prioritise based on the actual needs of stakeholders, focusing efforts only on work that meets genuine needs. This eliminates unnecessary tasks and promotes efficiency.
  2. Streamlining Communication: Miscommunication can lead to rework and delays. Attendants foster clear, effective communication among various parties, ensuring everyone understands the goals and requirements from the start. This reduces the chance of misunderstandings that can lead to unnecessary work and rework.
  3. Advocating for Simplicity: Attendants champion the philosophy that simplest is often best. They seek to develop solutions that meet everyone’s needs effectively without unnecessary complexity. This can drastically reduce development time, cut down on potential bugs, and increase the speed of product delivery.
  4. Preventing Over-Engineering: By maintaining a sharp focus on stakeholders’ needs and the simplest ways to meet them, Attendants help prevent over-engineering— the practice of making a product more complicated and/or feature-rich than necessary. This not only saves time and resources but also results in products that are easier to use and maintain.

Game Changer

Embracing the Attendant’s role and their commitment to maximising the amount of work not done can lead to more efficient, streamlined operations. It brings a focus on delivering value quickly and eliminating tasks that do not directly contribute to meeting stakeholders’ needs. In a rapidly evolving tech landscape, this approach is a game-changer.

From Leadership to Fellowship: Expanding Fiedler’s Contingency Theory

July 13, 2023
Article, Business, Community, Culture change, Fellowship, Leadership, Organisational Therapy, Paradigm shifts, Psychology, Quintessence, Self-organisation
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From Leadership to Fellowship: Expanding Fiedler’s Contingency Theory

In the wide realm of organisational psychology, one theory stands out for its distinctive approach to understanding leadership: Fred Fiedler’s contingency theory. This innovative model, proposed by the Austrian-born American psychologist Fred Fiedler, reshaped how we perceive leadership effectiveness and its dependence on both the leader’s style and the situation at hand.

Fiedler’s Contingency Theory: An Overview

Fiedler’s groundbreaking work focused on two primary factors: leadership style and situational favorableness. He developed the ‘Least Preferred Co-worker’ (LPC) scale to quantify an individual’s leadership style as either task-oriented or relationship-oriented. Those who score low on the LPC scale tend to prioritise tasks, while high scorers place emphasis on relationships.

Situational favourableness, the second part of the equation, refers to how much a situation allows a leader to control and influence their followers. It considers aspects such as leader-member relations, task structure, and the leader’s positional power.

According to Fiedler, task-oriented leaders excel in situations that are either highly favourable or highly unfavourable, while relationship-oriented leaders do well in moderately favourable situations. This paradigm suggests that there’s no one-size-fits-all leadership style. Instead, it highlights the importance of aligning leadership styles with situational demands to achieve effectiveness.

Generalising and Extending Fiedler’s Theory to Fellowship Models

Fiedler’s model has been instrumental in understanding leadership dynamics within an organisation. But what if we extended this theory beyond the confines of leadership, into other models, such as fellowship? Fellowship refers to the participation and engagement of individuals in a group who may not be in a leadership role but significantly influence the group dynamics. (For example, Tolkien’s Fellowship of the Nine in his book The Lord of the Rings).

Just as leadership style impacts the effectiveness of a leader, we can hypothesise that a fellowship’s approach – let’s term it as ‘fellowship style’ – could have a similar effect. A fellowship could be task-focused, aiming at the objective completion of the group’s tasks, or relationship-focused, prioritising social harmony and interpersonal connections within the group.

Furthermore, the same principles of situational favourableness could be applied. The group’s cohesiveness, the clarity of tasks, and the influence fellows have within the group could dictate the effectiveness of their contributions. A task-focused fellowship might thrive as a highly cohesive group with well-defined tasks, whereas a relationship-focused fellowship might excel in situations where tasks are ambiguous and the group needs to foster better communication and teamwork.

Connecting Leadership and Fellowship: A New Horizon in Organisational Psychology

Fiedler’s contingency theory underscores the reality that effective leadership hinges on the compatibility of a leader’s style with their situation. By applying this to the concept of fellowship, we open new avenues for exploring group dynamics and organisational behavior.

The extension of Fiedler’s theory to encompass fellowship aligns with the evolution of modern workplaces that emphasise collaboration and shared responsibilities over hierarchical leadership. It promotes the idea that everyone, regardless of their position in the organisation, can contribute effectively if they align their approach to the group’s needs.

From this perspective, leadership wanes and fellowship waxes, the latter ever more critical to the success of the organisation. As we continue to explore these dynamics, Fiedler’s contingency theory serves as a solid foundation, reminding us of the significance of situational factors and the need for flexibility in our approach to both leadership and fellowship. The future of organisational success relies not so much on great leaders, but rather on great fellows.

The Challenge of Nonviolence

July 12, 2023
Alien tech, Antimatter principle, Community, Culture change, Nonviolence
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The Challenge of Nonviolence

Q: What’s the most challenging aspect of leading and managing teams?

A: Avoiding violence.

The most challenging aspect of leading and managing teams, especially in today’s modern workplaces, can be encapsulated in a single phrase: avoiding violence. The concept of violence in this context extends beyond the conventional understanding of physical aggression to include psychological violence, passive violence, and domination structures prevalent in organisations.

When discussing violence in a team setting, we must also consider psychological violence, often termed ‘abuse’ or ‘mental cruelty.’ This form of violence is inflicted not physically but emotionally and mentally. Passive violence is another important aspect to note. It encompasses consciously ignoring someone’s physical, psychological, or emotional needs or failing to ensure their safety and well-being. In both scenarios, the effect on team morale, engagement, and overall productivity can be profoundly negative.

The Roots

Renowned author and psychotherapist Marshall Rosenberg provides a critical insight into this subject, stating that “classifying and judging people promotes violence.” In essence, the root cause of most violence – verbal, psychological, or physical – is a kind of thinking that attributes conflict to wrongness in one’s adversaries.

Domination structures within organisations can be a significant source of violence. Scholar and activist Walter Wink coined the term “Domination Structures” or “Domination Culture,” highlighting a system where authority is concentrated at the top and obedience and compliance is demanded from the lower ranks. This form of structure promotes systemic beliefs, often maintained through coercive violence, which can suppress creativity, hinder collaboration, impair cognitive function, and breed a culture of fear and silence.

Relevance

The relevance of nonviolence to everyday business operations, particularly software development, is significant. Domination structures and their resulting violence lead to ineffective organisations marked by disengaged employees, low morale, and poor productivity.

Understanding and addressing these forms of violence in teams require an evolved fellowship style that promotes egalitarian, mutually respectful, and affirming relationships. It involves creating an environment that values empathy and understanding, fostering a culture that is at the ‘partnership’ end of the spectrum rather than the ‘domination’ end.

In conclusion, managing and leading teams is a challenging task that goes beyond task allocation and performance tracking. It requires navigating the delicate nuances of human emotions and creating a safe, respectful, and empathetic work environment, free from all forms of violence. This, undoubtedly, is the most demanding aspect of leadership and management, but when achieved, it can pave the way for exceptional team performance.

What Kind of Team Fruit Are You?

June 19, 2023
Article, Community, Psychology, Relationships, Self-organisation, Teambuilding
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Team Fruit Bowl Quiz

Take the quiz to find out what’s important to your teamies.

This quiz is based on my new book “The Team Fruit Bowl”, now available on LeanPub .

Quiz version v1.0.
Based on: The Team Fruit Bowl book, version v1.2

Which Fruit Best Characterises Your Team?

Learn a little more about your team and how it sees itself. Try this quiz yourself, and then compare your answers with your teamies, or tackle the quiz together, as a teambuilding exercise.

The Benefits

Understanding the characteristics of your team offers numerous benefits, not only for the team as a whole but also for each individual teamie. Here are just some of the key benefits:

  1. Effective Communication: By understanding your team’s characteristics, you can identify the best methods for communication. Some people may prefer direct, straightforward information, while others might need more context or prefer a softer approach. Understanding these preferences can improve the clarity and effectiveness of team communication.
  2. Enhanced Collaboration: Different teamies will have different strengths, weaknesses, and working styles. By understanding these, you can better collaborate, as tasks can be allocated in a way that plays to each person’s strengths and compensates for their weaknesses.
  3. Conflict Resolution: Knowing your teamies’ characteristics can help anticipate potential conflicts and handle them more effectively when they do arise. Understanding different personality types can provide insights into how individuals might react in a conflict situation and what resolution strategies might be most effective.
  4. Motivation: Different people are motivated in different ways. Some teamies may be more driven by their need for recognition, while others might value autonomy or the opportunity for professional growth. By knowing the needs of your teamies, you can help create an environment that maximises motivation and productivity.
  5. Building Trust: Understanding and acknowledging the individual characteristics of teamies can help build trust within the team. When teamies feel understood and valued for their unique contributions, they are likely to trust their colleagues and peers more.
  6. Professional Development: With an understanding of your team’s characteristics, you can provide more personalised feedback and professional development opportunities. This can help each teamie grow and improve in a way that aligns with their skills, needs, and career goals.
  7. Increased Effectiveness: Understanding the dynamics and characteristics of your team allows for the development of effective workflows and processes. You can design these to take advantage of the unique skills and talents in your team, leading to increased efficiency and productivity.

Rationale

Knowing a team’s characteristics contributes to effective team management and can lead to improved performance, better relationships, and a more positive work environment. The use of fruit as a metaphor adds some fun and can reduce the discomfort that some teamies may feel whilst discussing these things.

Instructions

For each question, select the answer that best describes your team. At the end, tally up the number of times you selected each fruit. The fruit with the most selections represents your team.

The Quiz

  1. When your team faces a challenge, you…
  • (Banana) Stick together and learn from the experience.
  • (Pomegranate) Leverage the diversity and unique skills of each team member.
  • (Kumquat) Show resilience and bounce back stronger.
  • (Pineapple) Use your tough exterior to protect the team while maintaining a rewarding essence.
  1. Your team’s growth is best described as…
  • (Banana) Synchronous, with each individual ripening at their own pace.
  • (Mango) Slow and steady, with patience and meticulous care.
  • (Watermelon) Fast and exciting, with a juicy interior.
  • (Blueberry) Incremental, with many small contributions adding up.
  1. Your team’s approach to diversity is…
  • (Pomegranate) Embracing unity within diversity.
  • (Apple) Appreciating and leveraging the unique qualities of each team member.
  • (Grape) Forming a close-knit cluster where everyone contributes.
  • (Pineapple) Balancing a tough, protective exterior with a sweet, rewarding interior.
  1. Your team’s approach to balance and harmony is…
  • (Pear) Focusing on shape and ripening, understanding that everyone grows at their own pace.
  • (Orange) Forming layers and connected segments, with everyone playing their part.
  • (Grape) Forming a close-knit cluster, with everyone working closely together.
  • (Peach) Balancing the soft and hard aspects of teamwork.
  1. Your team’s approach to innovation is…
  • (Apple) Nurturing core assumptions and beliefs while embracing the power of diversity.
  • (Lemon) Making lemonade out of lemons, seeing challenges as opportunities to innovate.
  • (Raspberry) Embracing delicacy and fellowship, understanding that great ideas can come from anywhere.
  • (Blueberry) Believing that many small contributions can add up to big innovations.
  1. Your team’s approach to team dynamics is…
  • (Banana) Understanding that growth might come with some bruises, but seeing them as opportunities for learning.
  • (Pomegranate) Emphasizing the integral role each team member plays in the team.
  • (Kumquat) Showing resilience in the face of challenges.
  • (Pineapple) Balancing a tough, protective exterior with a sweet, rewarding interior.
  1. Your team’s approach to team identity and culture is…
  • (Pomegranate) Emphasizing the integral role each team member plays in the team.
  • (Apple) Nurturing core assumptions and beliefs, providing unity and direction.
  • (Orange) Forming layers and connected segments, with everyone playing their part.
  • (Grape) Forming a close-knit cluster where everyone contributes.
  1. Your team’s approach to team development is…
  • (Banana) Understanding that growth might come with some bruises, but seeing them as opportunities for learning.
  • (Mango) Believing in patience and meticulous care.
  • (Watermelon) Growing fast and seizing opportunities.
  • (Blueberry) Believing that many small contributions can add up to big results.
  1. Your team’s approach to team unity is…
  • (Pomegranate) Emphasizing the integral role each team member plays in the team.
  • (Apple) Nurturing core assumptions and beliefs, providing unity and direction.
  • (Orange) Forming layers and connected segments, with everyone playing their part.
  • (Grape) Forming a close-knit cluster where everyone contributes.
  1. Your team’s approach to team resilience is…
  • (Banana) Understanding that growth might come with some bruises, but seeing them as opportunities for learning.
  • (Kumquat) Showing resilience in the face of challenges.
  • (Pineapple) Balancing a tough, protective exterior with a sweet, rewarding interior.
  • (Lemon) Making lemonade out of lemons, seeing challenges as opportunities to innovate.
  1. Your team’s approach to team growth is…
  • (Banana) Understanding that growth might come with some bruises, but seeing them as opportunities for learning.
  • (Mango) Believing in patience and meticulous care.
  • (Watermelon) Growing fast and seizing opportunities.
  • (Blueberry) Believing that many small contributions can add up to big results.
  1. Your team’s approach to team diversity is…
  • (Pomegranate) Emphasizing the integral role each team member plays in the team.
  • (Apple) Appreciating and leveraging the unique qualities of each team member.
  • (Orange) Forming layers and connected segments, with everyone playing their part.
  • (Grape) Forming a close-knit cluster where everyone contributes.
  1. Your team’s approach to team balance is…
  • (Pear) Focusing on shape and ripening, understanding that everyone grows at their own pace.
  • (Orange) Forming layers and connected segments, with everyone playing their part.
  • (Grape) Forming a close-knit cluster, with everyone working closely together.
  • (Peach) Balancing the soft and hard aspects of teamwork.
  1. Your team’s approach to team harmony is…
  • (Pear) Focusing on shape and ripening, understanding that everyone grows at their own pace.
  • (Orange) Forming layers and connected segments, with everyone playing their part.
  • (Grape) Forming a close-knit cluster, with everyone working closely together.
  • (Peach) Balancing the soft and hard aspects of teamwork.
  1. Your team’s approach to team innovation is…
  • (Apple) Nurturing core assumptions and beliefs while embracing the power of diversity.
  • (Lemon) Making lemonade out of lemons, seeing challenges as opportunities to innovate.
  • (Raspberry) Embracing delicacy and fellowship, understanding that great ideas can come from anywhere.
  • (Blueberry) Believing that many small contributions can add up to big innovations.
  1. Your team’s approach to team dynamics is…
  • (Banana) Understanding that growth might come with some bruises, but seeing them as opportunities for learning.
  • (Pomegranate) Emphasizing the integral role each team member plays in the team.
  • (Kumquat) Showing resilience in the face of challenges.
  • (Pineapple) Balancing a tough, protective exterior with a sweet, rewarding interior.
  1. Your team’s approach to team identity and culture is…
  • (Pomegranate) Emphasizing the integral role each team member plays in the team.
  • (Apple) Nurturing core assumptions and beliefs, providing unity and direction.
  • (Orange) Forming layers and connected segments, with everyone playing their part.
  • (Grape) Forming a close-knit cluster where everyone contributes.
  1. Your team’s approach to team development is…
  • (Banana) Understanding that growth might come with some bruises, but seeing them as opportunities for learning.
  • (Mango) Believing in patience and meticulous care.
  • (Watermelon) Growing fast and seizing opportunities.
  • (Blueberry) Believing that many small contributions can add up to big results.
  1. Your team’s approach to team unity is…
  • (Pomegranate) Emphasizing the integral role each team member plays in the team.
  • (Apple) Nurturing core assumptions and beliefs, providing unity and direction.
  • (Orange) Forming layers and connected segments, with everyone playing their part.
  • (Grape) Forming a close-knit cluster where everyone contributes.
  1. Your team’s approach to team resilience is…
  • (Banana) Understanding that growth might come with some bruises, but seeing them as opportunities for learning.
  • (Kumquat) Showing resilience in the face of challenges.
  • (Pineapple) Balancing a tough, protective exterior with a sweet, rewarding interior.
  • (Lemon) Making lemonade out of lemons, seeing challenges as opportunities to innovate.

After participants answer these questions, you can tally the results to determine which fruit most closely represents your team. The fruit with the most selections represents your team.

Just in case you were wondering: Some questions appear more than once. This is intentional.