1. Tamara Sulaiman Runyon
• 20+ years in business and software
development management,
• Software Process Mentor for CollabNet, Inc.
• Certified ScrumMaster Trainer (CST)
• Certified Project Management Professional (PMP)
• Presenter for Agile ’06, ’07, ’08 & ‘09, other industry conferences. trunyon@collab .net
• Published author in AgileJournal.com, MethodsandTools.com,
Projects@work and others.
• ‘08 & ‘09 Contributing author for Gantthead.com/ eXtreme Project
Management.
• Currently serving on the Board of Directors for the Agile Alliance
2
1

2. Agile Team Behavior
Leadership and Management
Agile Team Leadership
Balancing Leadership Styles
The Art of Letting Go
“A group of employees who
have day-to-day responsibility
for managing themselves and
the work they do with a
minimum of direct supervision.
Team members handle work
assignments, plan and
schedule work, make
decisions and take action on
problems.”
Adapted from “Leading Self-Directed Work Teams”, Kimball Fisher, McGraw-Hill, 2000
2

3. Self Managing Teams Traditional Teams
Business value driven Management driven
Cross functional team members Workforce of isolated specialists
Limited role descriptions Many job descriptions
Open sharing of information Limited information sharing
Relatively flat hierarchy Many levels of management
Focused on delivering valuable Function/Department focus
software
Shared goals Segregated goals
High team member commitment High management commitment
Continuous Improvement Incidental improvement
Self-controlled Management-controlled
Values/Principles based Policy/procedure based
Adapted from “Leading Self-Directed Work Teams”, Kimball Fisher, pg 18
Empowerment is a function of:
f (Authority, Information,
Resources, and
Accountability)
IF
Authority or Resources or
Information or Accountability = 0
THEN
Team empowerment = 0
Adapted from “Leading Self-Directed Work Teams”, Kimball Fisher, McGraw-Hill, 2000
3

4. Display creative
Have a solid sense Enjoy unified
and spontaneous
of shared purpose, commitment
behaviors
Have high levels of Enjoy a high level
Create
energy and of trust – internal
transparency
enthusiasm and external
Create standards
Manage conflict of excellence
Deliver results
well through group
norms
Get better
Adapted from McMillan-Parsons, 1999, p.106
Jim Highsmith, Agile Project Managment
Agile Team Behavior ✔
Leadership and Management
Agile Team Leadership
Balancing Leadership Styles
The Art of Letting Go
4

5. If you fail to honor your people,
They will fail to honor you;
It is said of a good leader that
When the work is done, the aim fulfilled,
The people will say, "We did this ourselves."
Lao Tzu, , 604-531 B. C., Founder of Taoism, Tao Te Ching
We will talk about these ideas in new ways
Peter Drucker
5

6. Traditional Management Agile Team Leaders
Focus on clear goals, manages
environment, provides support for
team
Maintains control over decisions Decisions are controlled by the
team
Hierarchical positions – leader is Works in a flat hierarchy – team
“above” the team leader is a member of the team
Leader perceives the group as a Team relationships are valued
collection of individuals
Relies on organizational authority Relies on interpersonal skills and
influence
“
Sheepherders drive teams Shepherds lead teams
• Carefully monitors • Stands out in front of the
performance, takes team, analyzing the
corrective action environment for dangers
• Often concerned with i.e. “working the system”
‘lagging’ indicators, i.e. for the benefit of the team
status reports, milestone • Spends time developing
measurements, etc. team members so that
• Comfortable with low-risk, they are capable of leading
low-initiative cultures others
• Uses facilitation and self
regulating techniques with
team members
6

7. Agile Team Behavior ✔
Leadership and Management ✔
Agile Team Leadership
Balancing Leadership Styles
The Art of Letting Go
My underlying belief:
Everything we do as Agile leaders is within the
context of servant leadership.
We change our behaviors to meet our team’s
needs, while modeling collaboration, trust,
empathy and ethical use of power.
We practice deep listening, self-awareness,
commitment to others.
As servant leaders, we are ever-evolving in our
process. Servant leaders, like agile, is not
something we do; it is something we are.
7

8. Centralized
Leadership
Shared
Leadership
Internal
Focus
External
Focus
8

9. Ensure that the
team is provided
Encourage with a clear
trust and vision of what
respect they are to
between accomplish
team
members
Facilitate a
decentralized,
empowered,
collaborative
workplace
Creates context within which a
self organizing team can work
Provide clear vision Generate Trust Build Respect
Creates a collaborative
Provides external
environment or context Protects team from
support and access to
in which the team external interruptions
resources
grows
Emerge as servant-
Listens effectively
leaders
9

10. Agile Team Behavior ✔
Leadership and Management ✔
✔
Agile Team Leadership
Balancing Leadership Styles
The Art of Letting Go
Leadership Team
Styles Behavior
Servant Stages of Team
Leadership Development
Situational Agile Practice
leadership Maturity
Team
Transformational
Performance and
Leadership
Commitment
“The key to successful leadership today is influence, not authority”
Ken Blanchard
10

11. Forming Storming
Performing Norming
Tuckman, 1965, “Developmental Sequence in Small Groups
• Leader driven • Interpersonal
• Some team conflict arises
members may be • Process is likely
reluctant to to break down
contribute openly until conflict is
resolved
Forming Storming
Performing Norming
• Team Norms have
evolved
• Leadership is shared • Core processes
• Team self-organizes operate smoothly –
• Process is adjusted most of the time
when necessary • Team is focused on
work – most of the
time
www.teal.org.uk
11

12. Forming Storming
Norming Performing
• Trust and
• “Getting to • Trust is Relationships • Higher
know” you focused start to levels of
stage into develop to a trust as
smaller greater loyalty and
• Trust may
groups or degree relationshi
start to be
built subunits • Cooperation ps develop
• Alliances and
are formed collaboration
• Trust is replace
unstable conflict and
mistrust
www.teal.org.uk
• Team leader makes decisions.
• Some team members may participate
Forming
• Consensus is difficult.
• Compromise is a frequent outcome
Storming
• Team is able to come to consensus more often
• Win-win is more likely than compromise
Norming
• Decision making is easier
• Some decisions are delegated to sub-groups or individuals
Performing
www.teal.org.uk
12

13. Forming Storming Norming Performing
More directive
leadership, Supportive,
Team leader acts Team shares
• lays down as team member leadership
clear structure’ between
• Outlines clear Actively listens members
goals
Leadership starts
Manages conflict
to be shared
Generates ideas Team leader
Leader helps takes overview –
develop big picture
Explains consensus
Decisions
www.teal.org.uk
Team Situational Agile Team Leadership
“Readiness” Leadership* Behaviors
level Behaviors
R1 – Lack specific S1 – Telling Training and coaching in Agile practices.
skills; unable or One way
unwilling to take communication
responsibility
R2 – Unable to take S2 – Selling Facilitative Leadership
responsibility yet leader provides Coaching and Mentoring, leader as
willing to try direction, uses two “expert”; leading through influence
way communication and persuasion. Concern for
and provides socio- relationships Semi-directive style.
emotional support
R3 – Experienced and S3 – Participating – Collaborative leadership Style
able but lack Shared decision Inspire commitment and action, lead as
confidence to take on making, maintains high a peer problem solver, build broad-
responsibility relationship behavior based involvement, sustain home and
participation.
R4 – Experienced, S4 – Delegating Servant Leadership Style
able and willing to take Responsibility has Leader influences and impacts team
on responsibility passed to the group, through manipulating the system, not
Leader is involved and the people.
*Hersey & Blanchard monitors progress
13

14. Attribute Autocratic Style Facilitative Style
Verbal Pattern More Statements More Questions
Power Orientation Selfish. It’s mostly Social. It’s more
“about me” about the group
Influence Orientation Directive Consensus
Dominance Level More dominant, more Appears less
assertive dominant; style is
more subtle
Advocacy Rarely Neutral Perceived as Neutral
Make connections and help others
make meaning
Provide direction through subtle control
Invite disclosure and feedback to help
surface unacknowledged beliefs,
thoughts and patterns
Build the capacity of individuals and
teams to accomplish more on their
own
Operate from a position of restraint
14

15. Team Situational Agile Team Leadership
“Readiness” Leadership* Behaviors
level Behaviors
R1 – Lack specific S1 – Telling Training and Coaching in Agile practices
skills; unable or One way
unwilling to take communication
responsibility
R2 – Unable to take S2 – Selling Facilitative Leadership
responsibility yet leader provides Coaching and Mentoring, leader as
willing to try direction, uses two way “expert”; leading through influence and
communication and persuasion. Concern for relationships
provides socio- Semi-directive style.
emotional support
R3 – Experienced S3 – Participating – Collaborative leadership Style
and able but lack Shared decision Inspire commitment and action, lead
confidence to take on making, maintains as a peer problem solver, build
responsibility high relationship broad-based involvement, sustain
behavior home and participation
R4 – Experienced, S4 – Delegating Servant Leadership Style
able and willing to take Responsibility has Leader influences and impacts team
on responsibility passed to the group, through manipulating the system, not
Leader is involved and the people.
*Hersey & Blanchard monitors progress
• “You are a collaborative leader once you
have accepted responsibility for building -
or helping to ensure the success of –
heterogeneous team to accomplish a
shared purpose .”
• “Getting value from difference is at the
heart of the collaborative leader’s task…
they have to learn to share control, and to
trust a partner to deliver, even though
that partner may operate very differently
from themselves.”
Rubin, Hank,( 2009) “Collaborative Leadership: Developing Archer, David; Cameron, Alex (2008). Collaborative
Effective Partnerships for Communities and Schools leadership – how to succeed in and interconnected world
15

16. Willing to take risks
Eager listeners
Passionate for the cause
Optimistic about the future
Able to share knowledge, power and credit
Team Situational Agile Team Leadership
“Readiness” Leadership* Behaviors
level Behaviors
R1 – Lack specific S1 – Telling Training and coaching in Agile practices.
skills; unable or One way communication
unwilling to take
responsibility
R2 – Unable to take S2 – Selling Facilitative Leadership
responsibility yet willing leader provides direction, Coaching and Mentoring, leader as
to try uses two way “expert”; leading to consensus through
communication and influence and persuasion. Concern for
provides socio-emotional relationships.
support
R3 – Experienced and S3 – Participating – Collaborative leadership
able but lack Shared decision making, Inspire commitment and action, lead
confidence to take on maintains high as a peer problem solver, build broad-
responsibility relationship behavior based involvement, sustain home and
participation
R4 – Experienced, S4 – Delegating Transformational Leadership
able and willing to Responsibility has Though primary focus is external,
take on responsibility passed to the group, team leader influences and impacts
Leader is involved and team through the system, not the
monitors progress people.
*Hersey & Blanchard
16

17. Intellectual Individualized Inspirational Idealized
Encourage Creativity
Mentor and Coach
Sense of purpose
Role Model
Stimulation Consideration Motivation Influence
Agile Team Behavior ✔
Leadership and Management ✔
Agile Team Leadership ✔
✔
Balancing Leadership Styles
The Art of Letting Go
17

18. As we mature as Agile team leaders - we let
go of our need for control; for having it our
way.
As we mature as Agile team leaders, we let go of our
old patterns of thinking and embrace new belief
patterns that are based on mutual trust, respect,
commitment and collaboration.
18

19. As we mature as Agile team leaders, we let go of
our former ways of being and fully embrace
servant leadership
As we mature as Agile team leaders, We let go of
our bias for status quo - knowing that this too will
change.
19

20. • Questions and discussion
welcome!
• If you’d like to email me
afterwards:
trunyon@collab.net
20