Featured Article: September 2010
.
Supporting Agile Development at the Organizational Level
by Charles (Chuck) Suscheck · Agile Coach · Pillar Technologies
Companies using agile development must recognize that without the correct organizational philosophy, they won’t reap the benefits of agile. Companies often don’t even realize that they are following a path that can limit agile adoption. This article is meant to point out the different organizational philosophies and provide guidelines for detecting a philosophy that does not support agile development.
Agile development is more than a collection of techniques; it’s a set of values with a key focus on people over process, team self organization, and emergent behaviors. Companies that try to implement agile process without adopting a supporting organizational philosophy can be disappointed with the results. Engaging people, not just mechanically adopting agile practices and techniques, is one of the most important, difficult, and overlooked aspects of agile development.
Many companies follow an organizational philosophy centered around the bureaucratic orientation, which promotes a strict hierarchy, authoritative power positions and an emphasis on maintaining conformity to the status quo. The idea is that reducing variability will increase the ability to measure performance, make control easier, and ultimately optimize productivity. The orientation is influenced by McGregor’s Theory X, in which management assumes that employees must be controlled and guided by process. Often, employee’s initiative and creative thinking is forced to fit into strictly prescribed confines of behavior, limiting the possibility of employee innovation in favor of control and predictability.
A relatively modern organizational philosophy (called post-industrial) has been successfully implemented in many industries, specifically in software development under the name of agile development. This philosophy emphasizes decentralized and lateral control structures, team-orientation, mission based objectives, reciprocal power relations, and puts an emphasis on employee creativity and initiative. In a post-industrial organization, evolving work routines are not only allowed, but encouraged. Post-industrial management subscribes to McGregor’s Theory Y – managers communicating openly, minimizing control differences between superiors and subordinate, creating a comfortable environment in which subordinates can develop and use their abilities. The lack of formal control allows for greater freedom and creativity for employees.
Organizations adopting agile development often tacitly follow the bureaucratic philosophy and, consciously or not, try to implement agile using a bureaucratic method. Indeed, such organizations adopt the mechanical aspects of agile development never realizing the true potential of fully implementing agile methods. The underlying culture must enable a post-industrial organizational philosophy, something that differs fundamentally from the bureaucratic philosophy.
So what is the technological oriented leader to do? The most important step is to recognize that one is practicing a bureaucratic philosophy. Migrating to a post-industrial orientation is not, simple, quick, nor formulaic.
Consider the following comparison of bureaucratic and the values of the agile manifesto:
If you find yourself following the statements on the left, you are probably emphasizing a bureaucratic philosophy. It’s time for a change.
The power of successful agile development is truly realized once a company makes the shift from a bureaucratic to a post-industrial organizational philosophy. Recognizing that you are following a bureaucratic organizational philosophy isn’t always easy but understanding the values of the agile manifesto and understanding the implications are a good step in the right direction. Management should focus not only on the techniques of the process but the interactions of the team. Then and only then can, businesses begin to fully experience the high productivity levels created by using agile development.
At this point, you may be wondering if you are somehow following the wrong philosophy, how you can tell if you’re on the wrong path, and what to do about it. If this is the case, you’ll have to wait until next month when I present part II of this article on recognizing and correcting organizational misalignment with agile principles.
.
About the Author
Dr. Charles Suscheck is an agile thought leader at Pillar Technology who specializes in agile software development adoption at the enterprise level. With over 25 years of professional experience, Dr. Suscheck has held positions of Process Architect, Director of Research, Principle Consultant, Professor, and Professional Trainer at some of the most recognized companies in America. He has spoken at national and international conferences such as Agile 200X, OOPSLA, and ECOOP on topics related to agile project management and is a frequent author in industry and academia.
.