Practical Steps for Cultivating an Agile-Supportive Culture
The Tool
As stated in my first article, I have compiled the tool created by Jean-Francois Helie-Shilov, which I learned during my ICP-ENT training, into a Klaxoon board. But it could be a physical or any other digital board, like a Mural, Miro, etc.
So, you understand that it is used to support the facilitation of a workshop about an organisation's culture.
You will, of course, need to introduce the context, and I hope that my posts on the topic provide enough guidance and inspiration😁
Therefore, I would introduce the following subject: What is culture about?
It might be interesting to describe the colours coded by Frederic Laloux, below is my introduction page.
Once you have discussed the different evolutions, show the board below and let the audience consider their current organizational culture.
Creating enough space between the current and target cultures may be necessary depending on the number of participants.
Introduce the list of keywords presented below, and discuss the
characteristics of the colour. Are they relevant?
We can increase the numbers and make some adjustments.
Explain that the exercise is for each participant to choose a couple of characteristics, write them on a Post-it and, based on the colour, place them on the board at the respected level.
The matrix of characteristics:
Once the current culture has been set, ask the group if they agree.
It might be necessary to challenge them, as working at a multinational fast food chain or a carmaker manufacturer doesn’t involve the same needs.
In the second stage, you must let them think about the ideal vision of the culture they want to target.
What would help them align with their cultural vision for the organisation?
Repeat the exercise, but represent the targeted culture this time.
Below is a result of a specific case to show you what it looks like.
The idea is to seek the employees' limiting factors. Limiting factors are characteristics which, for example, demotivate the spirit of the cultural environment or are not in line with the ethics accepted by the group.
Mark those characteristics on the Post-it; the letter ‘L’ is represented in the above example.
Then, ask the group which elements they have today and wish to keep. Mark them with a ‘K’.
Now, it is time to look at the ones that will be motivating and be used as a driver, discuss their practicality, and see if some of them could easily be implemented.
In conclusion, the ultimate goal is to decide on an action plan that could be established to move from the current situation to the targeted one.
In IT change management, we refer to the AS-IS situation vs the To BE.
Action Plan:
- Work on limitations first, seeking a consensus.
- Reinforce base values (capitalise on these). Some companies have specificities or trademarks on which they have been built; over time, these could be eroded and need to be re-enforced.
- Develop drivers for the changes, look for the ultimate goal, and consider how we can reach the driving element for the well-being of all.
This discussion could not be one-time only; it should be part of a review and discussed over time as the organisation and its people evolve.
- Additional Resources
- Suggest further reading, including Barrett’s books (“The Values-Driven Organization”), Laloux’s (“Reinventing Organizations,”) and Peter M Senge’s (“The Fifth Discipline”) for more in-depth insights into developing a culture that supports Agile transformation.
