(Psychological Safety cont. 10)

An Example - Using Psychological Safety Approach in Agile

Introduction

Agile was developed as a more flexible, collaborative approach so that employees could adapt and succeed in a highly dynamic environment, such as in the computer software industry. In recent times, it has expanded into other industries (for more detail, see elsewhere in the Knowledge Base)

Unfortunately
"...approximately half of organisations that undergo agile transformation fail in their attempts..."
Timothy Clark, 2022a

Six ways to improve agility

i) processes and tools are scaffolding (dialogic approach, ie how the people interact, is more important than the processes, tools, techniques like scrums, sprints, etc; agile core isn't technical or mechanical, its cultural:
"...The dialogic process informs how the teams harness intellectual friction, ie conflicting ideas, to perform interdependent work. Are team members able to give and take, push and pull, talk and listen, question and answer, act and react, analyse and solve? Or do they censor one another and end up in a self-preservation mode..."
Timothy Clark, 2022a

NB Physiological safety aims for a performance response with innovation; otherwise, you have a fear response with survival as the main goal.

"...When team members stop asking questions, admitting mistakes, exploring ideas, and challenging the status quo, they stop being agile......when giving candid feedback, exploring unconventional ideas, and dissenting from the majority become sources of punished vulnerability, people stop doing them. How do you punish vulnerability? You criticise, embarrass, discourage, silence, shame, trivialise, bully, and intimidate..."
Timothy Clark, 2022a)

ii) frame agile as a cultural implementation (need to move the focus from technical processes and tools to cultural considerations which can appear
"...abstract and difficult to operationalise. It's easier to pay lip service to the human side and then move onto strumming, spreading, kanbaning, and kaizening because these processes serve as tangible, measurable and observable indicators giving the illusion of success......of developing agile and scale..."
Timothy Clark, 2022a

As culture is continually evolving it is more than a work stream, ie the progressive completion of tasks required to finish a project; thus culture cannot be project managed as it doesn't have a beginning, middle and end.

  Be careful that the team does not regress back to fear-based norms; need to focus on interactions as
"...small and seemingly insignificant acts of disrespect, rudeness, or difference and can push them back into withdrawal and personal risk management..."
Timothy Clark, 2022a

Need to allow people to finish their thoughts without interruption.)

iii) develop, document and display vulnerable behaviour/response (identify and document vulnerable behaviours that are pivotal for success like asking questions, giving feedback, registering different points of view, etc; identify positive response patterns for each behaviour, eg when somebody mentions an error, they should be thanked and asked to explain more; record and display behaviour/sponsored pairings; it is a living document that is continually reviewed, upgraded, etc)

iv) focus on one behaviour during each 'scrum' and practise cultural accountability (from the list of vulnerable behaviour/response pairing, select one specific behaviour/response pattern to practise during each 'sprint':
"...this provides a manageable scope of practice and activates peer-based cultural accountability..."
Timothy Clark, 2022a

If there is a gap between vulnerable behaviour/response pairings, it needs to be rectified, otherwise cynicism will increase and credibility will be eroded.

Each member of the team is responsible for holding others accountable for performing and rewarding vulnerable behaviours; a key one is to publicly acknowledge mistakes)

v) formally evaluate your dialogic process in the 'sprint' retrospective (on the agenda include a review, ie what went well and what can be improved; formerly evaluate the quality of the dialogic process; discuss the quality of interaction and identify potential threats to openness; some useful questions include
"...- Did you feel included in the process? Why or why not?
     - What was the most valuable behaviour you engaged in during this sprint?
     - How did the team react?
     - Was there anything you didn't say or do because you didn't feel safe?
     - Does the team display a democratic pattern of participation and influence? Why or why not?..."
Timothy Clark, 2022a

vi) conclude your 'scrum' with a question/reflection ('scrum' meetings
"...meant to be fast-paced, daily coordinated meetings to team members review the backlog, identify obstacles, and prioritise tasks......you can use them to create time for reflection between meetings when necessary..."
Timothy Clark, 2022a

Sometimes members are asked to ponder on an issue between meetings; this gives time to
"...crystallise their thoughts and encourages them to engage in divergent thinking. Reassure your team that you want to hear gut instincts as well as data-supported options..."
Timothy Clark, 2022a
(For more detail on scrums and sprints, see elsewhere in the knowledge base)

Summary

"... - frame agile as a cultural implementation
      - develop, document, and display vulnerable behaviour/response pairings
     - focus on one behaviour during each 'scrum' and practise cultural accountability
     - formally evaluate your dialogic process in the 'sprint' retrospective
     - conclude your 'scrum' with a 'question/reflection'..."
LeadFactor, 2022a

Review  the agile transformation by:
"...- Evaluating its dialogic process
     - Are members respectful?
     - Do they tolerate candour?
     - Do they protect and reward vulnerable behaviour?
If the answer to these questions is no and members are touchy, temperamental or territorial, you've got work to do..."
Timothy Clark, 2022a