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This is a reference resource intended to be linked to in order to provide just a little more insight in an easily digestible format. This is not intended to introduce the concept as a standalone article.
The Technology and Engineering Excellence Model consists of a hierarchy of items just as you'll find in every other Vision-Mission-Objectives type. We approach it a little differently however. The differences may seem superficial initially but they are for good reason. Because we use this to support significant change programmes and wholesale business transformations, it's based on cultural change and people-first, before process or technology.
The first change is that we place the vision as the foundation and build on this. This mirrors the modern management philosophy of the inverted pyramid where execs and the senior leaders support and enable the workforce to perform. It also emphasises the need to 'build' on top of the lower layer as opposed to the feeling of decomposing that which someone else has handed down to you. The lower layers are the foundations!
If lower layers change, it suggests that the upper layers will need to change.
Let's step through the layers starting at the base and working up:
VISION: What we want to achieve, where we want to get to.
IDENTITY: What does this mean to us as a group and how does this shape who we are…who we want to be? We define who we want to be and how we want to be seen.
VALUES: A summary of what we value in ourselves and others, and how these values help us continually improve.
CAPABILITIES: What we can do, our skills and experience.
BEHAVIOURS: How we can go about utilising our skills, amplifying them and sharing them.
ENVIRONMENT: How we create an environment where we can thrive, perform and be the best version of ourselves as individuals and as a collective.
As we progress up the layers, the teams know best and can build on the foundations.
Each of these layers has a set of frameworks, models and toolkits associated with them. For example, within the Capabilities area is the T.O.P.P Agility Model, inside the T (Technology) is where you'll find all your standard Technical Excellence and modern software engineering practices etc.
We've included this book extract below because it's likely that change initiatives or business strategising refers to Culture. Often, an overlooked aspect of a strategy is to consider the desirable and essential behaviours that will be needed to succeed, and how to get them in place.
This chapter reflects on a time when the author focussed on bringing about changes in behaviour, en masse. Whilst it's about creating a high performing Technology function that delivers high quality software solutions to solve problems and meet business needs - and of course growing a workforce of high competency - it's also about Culture, Citizenship & Leadership. Great inroads had been made already with the tech, tooling and processes in place, and a noticeable & measurable improvement in productivity & value creation.
However, the author "wanted to make this transformation a real transformation, permanent and resilient... resilient to the remaining corporate and wider organisational issues that constantly challenged and chipped away at this bubble of commitment, trust and ownership behaviour."
Pivot is an inspiring and informative collection of cut through stories from 17 experts at the frontline of agility and organisational transformation.
Edited by Matt Bradley and Adrian Stalham from the Agility Gigs Community, and business author, Andrew Priestley, it features contributions from Adrian Stalham, Jacqueline Shakespeare, Scott Potter, Brett Ansley, Wayne Palmer, Matt Bradley, Bhavesh Vaghela, Angie Main, Karan Jain, Andrew Kidd, David Smith, Ahmed Syed, John Coleman, Mike Nuttall, Bruce Thompson, Jessica Gilbert, and John Boyes.
Pivot is available worldwide in Kindle and Paperback.
Below is a section from the chapter written by Scott Potter
Below is a section from the chapter written by Scott Potter
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Culture
Culture is a heavily used word, especially when talking about agile transformations and business improvements. Culture is defined in many ways. To get some sort of handhold on this thing called Culture, I consider it a sum of collective behaviours which is a culmination of ones:
Goals and Motivations
Values and Beliefs
Perspective and Interpretation
… and more.
This helped me approach the challenge of Cultural Change in the following way. To change or create a Culture is to change or align behaviours. In order to change a person’s behaviours, this person must gain new knowledge for their drivers of behaviour I mention above, to change. To do this they need to be open to noticing and absorbing new information.
Some people are clearly open minded. But I now believe that even those who seem closed, absorb enough information every day that they can adapt (or be adapted) to a new culture. We had many fixed-minded and extremely opinionated people at the start of this journey.
Daily life is rich with sources of new information and the most valuable can often be found in the workplace, especially if it is a workplace that has aspirations of leveraging lean and agile principles, to create high performing teams, as we had. These valuable sources may be in the form of differences of opinion, in one's blind spot and the other side of one's cognitive biases. For one to tap into them we often need others to help us become aware of them.
Citizenship & Leadership
Citizenship is about being a member of a collective, ideally providing one with a feeling of belonging, and behaving in a way that others expect you to. I wanted to break the deeply entrenched hierarchical mindsets and the misassociation of leadership being the preserve of those with authority or seniority. So I rolled citizenship into leadership for this particular transformation.
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The main point here is to consider the behaviours that people exhibit and why; what helps the right behaviours emerge so that productivity and efficiency is simply achieved through people working well together with just enough process, and not dependent on a few specific individuals. This is about defining and encouraging Leadership from everyone and understanding the drivers of motivation.
Whilst bringing about change, consider how everyone can contribute, whether it's growing their soft skills to be able to show more situational-leadership or to be able to safely help a colleague become aware of their cognitive distortions or blind spots. Don't underestimate the value of investing in soft skills and (effective) team building interventions. And when you do, look for 'Experiential Learning' opportunities, not just training courses (on-line or Classroom based).
Also consider reading this: The "Managing Complex Change Formula"
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