LET GO OF THE WHEEL...LET THEM STEER!

I had an interesting conversation with a Project Manager about allowing teams the autonomy to decide for themselves.

He was considering adopting agile ways of working to accelerate delivery of business goals.

His chosen approach was the Scrum Framework.

He told me how he planned to break down the work himself because he understood the business needs best.

He would then instruct the Developers (the people in the Scrum Team that are committed to creating any aspect of a usable Increment each Sprint) on what to work on week by week.

I explained that Scrum requires teams to be self-managing.

This means giving them the autonomy to decide what to work on, when to work on it, and how to do it .

Reluctantly, he admitted that his lack of trust in allowing his teams to manage themselves was a big blocker for him, especially with their already poor track record for delivery.

He felt that by breaking down the activities to be done, week by week, the Developers would act upon his instructions instinctively.

Higher Team Morale and Commitment

I went on to explain the importance of giving Scrum Teams this seemingly high-level of autonomy and how it contributes to the overall effectiveness of Scrum delivery.

I also explained that self-managing teams tend to have heightened levels of morale as well as demonstrating a higher level of commitment.

He promised he would try to allow his Scrum Team to be self-managing but admitted that this was probably the most challenging thing in his career to date.

Behavioural Science

“You’re asking me to let go of the wheel”, he said.

I suggested we look at what Behavioural Science has to say about autonomy.

In her book, “Using Behavioural Science In Marketing”, Nancy Harhut says:

“…Humans have an innate desire to be in control of themselves and their surroundings…”

Nancy is referring to Autonomy Bias.

People don't like to be told what to do or forced into situations.

In #marketing we tend to comply with this by offering choices over a single offer.

The Scrum Guide says, "A Scrum Team is expected to adapt the moment it learns anything new through inspection."

"Adaptation becomes more difficult when the people involved are not empowered or self-managing."

Just imagine how much adaptability (and time and money) would be lost if a team had to ask permission before acting for themselves.

Daniel Pink , in his book, “Drive” says:

“Allow people to complete the task their own way. Think autonomy, not control. State the outcome you need. But instead of specifying precisely the way to reach it - how each poster must be rolled and how each mailing label must be affixed - give them freedom over how they do the job.

Pink argues that giving teams autonomy is far more effective than better known incentives such as monetary rewards and punishments.

Self-management

In my experience, when teams are afforded the autonomy to make decisions, they are more willing to own their business goals.

They more passionately celebrate delivering those goals.

Trust is something that we all need to work on.

Regardless of whether teams are using Scrum or a more traditional approach to delivery, it’s the human behaviours that are important.

However, for a Project Manager it requires an incredibly high level of trust and seemingly high level of risk to let go of traditional command and control behaviours.

Because it is those very behaviours that have long been the underlying driver of successful project management.

Being “in control”, seeing the big picture, knowing the plan like the back of your hand, and ensuring that everyone sticks to that plan, on time and on budget, is all part of being a Project Manager.

I have been there!

Autonomy Journey

However, when adopting Scrum, mindsets and behaviours MUST change from the outset, in order for Scrum to do what it does best.

Many Project Managers and business leaders are unaware of this.

It’s not their fault.

It’s up to those that do know, to bring them on a new journey.

A journey they may not have travelled before.

A journey that they may perceive as uncomfortable and risky.

A journey that they may perceive as unnecessary.

That’s OK!

Many of us are already on that journey of self-management discovery.

Some are more travelled than others.

Let’s welcome apprehensive passengers onto the Self-managing Bus.

When they are contributing to delivery, they too can take turns at the wheel.

Let’s discover ways to motivate those human behaviours that can lead to more effective Outcome Delivery…together.

Those behaviours are a Human thing!

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