Authority, Leadership and Power
Scrum Masters’ TalesIlan Kirschenbaum
Agile coach and co-founder @ practical-agiletwitter: @kirschi_
email: [email protected]: http://fostnope.com
Company site: www.practical-agile.com
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Extraordinary form of leadership
With what kind of authority?
David and Goliath
Osmar Schindler (1869-1927): David und Goliath, 1888Source: Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goliath
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King David & Bathsheba
Disputed form of leadership with unquestionable
authority
Bathsheba in her bath- Pablo VeroneseSource: Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bathsheba
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David and Saul
Emerging leadership overthrowing authority
Julius Kronberg David och SaulSource: Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saul
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Three powerful forms of leadership
Three distinctively different types of authority
Three styles, one person in different roles
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•S/W Engineer•20 years in s/w (developer, architect, product manager and other roles)•Father•Agile coach•Blogger•Co-Founder at “Practical-Agile”•Co-Organizer of “Agile Practitioners IL” group
Who is Ilan?
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In Search of the Perfect Scrum Master
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tbSpAsJSZPc
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Authority
LeadershipPower
Influence
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Authority
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Authority
Authority from above
Authority from within
Authority from below
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Authority from above
David, in David and Bathsheba
Permission given by legal right or by an organization or manager
This is what we usually mean when we say Authority
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Authority from within
David, in David and Goliath
The inner conviction to be able to perform a task
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Authority from below
David, in David and Saul
The permission given by subordinates and peers
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Power
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Power: The observation and manipulation of task, time, space & resources to influence others for action
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Power, Authority & Language
You must ...
You failed to do your task
I decided to ...
How about ...
We made a mistake
We need to decide
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Leadership
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Leadership
The ability to combine authority and power suitable for the situation in order to influence a group of people
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The Scrum Team
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The TeamDave Loper
Kew Aye
Dotty Net
Sam Moss
Where does the Scrum Master go?
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The Team
Dave LoperKew Aye Dotty Net
Sam Moss
Where does the Scrum Master go?
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The Team
Dave LoperKew Aye Dotty Net
Sam Moss
Where does the Scrum Master go?
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The Scrum Master operates in the boundary between
what’s in the team
what’s outside the team
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The scrum master protects the boundaries:
Task
Time
Space
Resources
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The scrum master protects the boundaries:
Task - backlog, DOD, priorities, ...
Time - ceremonies, sprint, ...
Space - ceremonies, team room, ...
Resources - members, systems, ...
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The Scrum Master protects the team
From the world outside
From itself
This, with respect to task, time, space, and resources
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Leadership Within Boundaries
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Miwb92eZaJg
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The boundaries are a range, not a thin line
Start from a familiar “ordered” system
Evolve to the complexity model
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Forming
Storm
ing
Nor
min
g
Performing
Tuckman’s model of team development
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Forming
Storm
ing
Nor
min
g
Performing
Tuckman’s model of team development
Educate on Scrum while
respecting existing process
Observe emerging
boundaries
Make sense of boundaries with
emerging norms
Maintain the complex system
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Forming
Storm
ing
Nor
min
g
Performing
Educate and use existing
process
Observe emerging
boundaries
Make sense of boundaries with
emerging norms
Maintain the complex system
Leadership through Authority and Power
Bel
ow
Wit
hin
Abo
ve
Authority
Pow
er
Bel
ow
Wit
hin
Abo
ve
Authority
Pow
er
Bel
ow
Wit
hin
Abo
ve
Authority
Pow
er
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Dave Loper is an experienced Java developer. Since starting Scrum he feels he is working too hard; the other team members are not up to scratch; there are too many meetings
Kew Aye is a tester in the same team. Since starting Scrum she feels she lost the big picture; she is way too busy towards end of sprint; her opinion is not heard
What should Sam Moss, the SM, do?
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The Scrum Team, Continued
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The Team
Dave LoperKew Aye Dotty Net
Where does the Product Owner go?Sam Moss
Pete Owen
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The Team
Dave LoperKew Aye Dotty Net
Where does the Product Owner go?Sam Moss
Pete Owen
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The Product Owner also operates in the boundary between
what’s in the team
what’s outside the team
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The Product Owner defines the boundaries of the task
What do to (user stories)
When to do it (priorities)
How to validate it (Acceptance Criteria, DoD)
How to react to changes (Grooming)
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The Scrum Master and Product Owner mutually work on
What to do
How to do it
Reacting to emerging changes on task, time, space & resources
Who does what
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A good Product Owner
exercises mostly Authority From Within - through unique knowledge
Builds authority from below
exercises power by making tough decisions on scope (task)
Bel
ow
Wit
hin
Abo
ve
Authority
Pow
er
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Pete Owen is a veteran Product Manager. Since moving to Scrum he is overburdened with team meetings, and has little time to do his ‘real’ work.
Sam Moss, the Scrum Master, asked Pete to meet daily 5 minutes before the Daily Stand-up to focus on the #1 priority for the day.
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Dilemmas of Becoming a Scrum Team
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The Team
Dave LoperKew Aye Dotty Net
Where does the Team Leader go?Sam Moss
Pete Owen
Terry Lopez
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The Team
Dave LoperKew Aye Dotty Net
Where does the Team Leader go?Sam Moss
Pete Owen
Terry Lopez
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The TeamNow there are two teams
Dave LoperKew Aye Dotty Net
Sam Moss
Pete Owen
Terry Lopez
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Two’s company, Three’s a crowd
The team beyond the development team needs to manage its own boundaries
Build mechanism to influence task, time, space and resources
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This management team deals with:
Task: Coding standards; Vacations; Upper management requirements
Time: Its own regular and irregular meetings
Space: Sitting arrangements (PO, SM, TL); Meeting place
Resources: Dev team; systems; ...
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Example for possible mechanisms
(PO, SM, TL) retrospect regularly
(PO, SM, TL) meet daily, just before/after the dev-team standup
Phase out the TL role
Reshuffle the teams
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Managing boundaries (and not people) requires a different type of leadership
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This kind of leadership assumes
Develop authority from within
Encourage authority from below
Dampen authority from above
Observe sources of power, and adjust to this framework
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It’s like moving to a new country, where you don’t know the language and culture.
Known assumptions may appear inadequate
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http://www.ted.com/talks/derek_sivers_weird_or_just_different.html
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Good Scrum Masters
Lead the team to become self managed, accountable and productive.
Inspire the Scrum team to live by the Agile values and principles, and the Scrum framework.
Servant, will do whatever is needed to
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Q&A
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Thank you
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References:Authority, power and leadership. Anton Obholzer, The Unconscious At Work, Routledge 1994, ISBN 0-415-10206The organization of work. Vega Zagier Roberts, The Unconscious At Work, Routledge 1994, ISBN 0-415-10206http://www.ofek-groups.org/index.php? הרהורים בנושא גבולות - תיאוריה ויישומה, תיאוריה ויישומה. גבי בונויט
option=com_content&task=view&id=41&Itemid=65The Official SCRUM Rulebook, Ken Schwaber & Jeff Sutherland http://www.scrum.org/Scrum-GuidesBruce Tuckman, Tuckman’s stages of group development http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tuckman's_stages_of_group_developmentVideos:Reebok Terry Tate Commercial http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tbSpAsJSZPcDave Snowden, How to organise a children’s party http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Miwb92eZaJgDerek Sivers, weird or just different, http://www.ted.com/talks/derek_sivers_weird_or_just_different.htmlImages:Osmar Schindler (1869-1927): David und Goliath, 1888, Source: Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GoliathBathsheba in her bath- Pablo Veronese, Source: Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BathshebaJulius Kronberg David och Saul, Source: Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saul
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