Why Hasn't Agile Lived Up to Its Teal Promise?
This event was part of Greaterthan's Solistice Jamboree on July 6, 2022.
gathering and connecting: (0:00)
co-host introductions: (3:00)
*If something resonates for you, put it in the comments and -- better yet -- tell people the time in the video to find it.*
The framing for our conversation/sharing was:
It seemed like it was gonna work....Agile was going to throw open the doors to Teal ways of working and make them the norm. The promise of Agile was just so beautiful and for a while it was looking good. Hierarchies were weakening, calcified transactional relationships were becoming warmly collaborative, people were regularly challenging "that's just the way we do it around here" and the delivery! Ah, the delivery was amazing! Not just faster, not just more customer-centric, but quite often astoundingly great. Results everyone could be proud of. Results that had real impact.
More than 20 years of diligent efforts since the auspicious beginning heralded by the signing of the Agile Manifesto's bold values-based declarations, Agile has crossed the chasm into mainstream corporate life and it's...kinda...well...disappointing. While a vast majority of organizations say they are agile, or say that pursuing agility is a top priority, look just beneath the surface and you will see the old structures, behaviors and mindsets alive and kicking.
We will explore this question:
What happened so that Agile did not (or has not yet) fulfilled its promise?
Your hosts, Lyssa Adkins and Susan Basterfield, have their hypotheses to share and we want to hear yours. We will also create a space for thoughtfulness that honors the emotional states present in the group. Grief, sorrow, joy, frustration, elation, creativity....they are all welcome.
Lyssa Adkins: LyssaAdkins.com
Susan Basterfield: Greaterthan.works