Agile's Best-Kept Secret: The Emotional Intelligence Edge

As I continue my journey within the realm of Agility, I find myself eagerly anticipating tomorrow's participation in Ricardo Caldas Product Owner Leadership Workshop. As the Agile landscape evolves at a rapid pace, I'm taking every opportunity to expand my knowledge and insights. In preparation for the workshop, I dedicated a few hours of my week to revisiting some key materials, recommended for the class:

• Agile Manifesto
• Agile principles
• Scrum Guide
• Ricardo's post "The Product Owner Role" (he has lots of great articles about the topic reade more here).

At times, the internet can be quite a rabbit hole. When we embark on a quest for a particular topic, we find ourselves in a whirlwind, and before we know it, three hours have slipped away, leaving us with a swarm of 30 open tabs. It's almost like emerging from a twilight zone, overwhelmed by a deluge of information.

As I was binge-studying agility and delved into the myriad discussions circulating on the web regarding the drawbacks of agility, I became increasingly curious about the underlying causes of Agile failures.

Amongst many other articles, I found an interesting article from Mendix where they list 5 Reasons Why Agile Fails & How to Fix It

1. Lack of Trust
2. Communication Breakdown and Improper Task Delegation
3. Scope Creep and Poor Leadership
4. The Project is Overcomplicated
5. Using the Wrong Tools

But, I want to focus on an article from Forbes from Ahmed Sheikh titled "Why Agile Transformations Fail In The Corporate Environment from Forbs".

The article emphasizes the "Three Circles" approach, as a critical pillars for successful Agile transformations in the corporate environment:

1. Mindset: It starts with the organization's culture and requires buy-in from senior leadership. Agile encourages focusing on individual features rather than the entire project's business case, challenging traditional funding models. Changing these models is crucial for successful Agile adoption.
2. Framework: Selecting the right delivery framework is vital. Many large corporations rush into adopting scaled Agile frameworks like SAFe or NEXUS without building the necessary foundations. Starting with a smaller framework and progressively scaling up is recommended.
3. Business Agility: Risk-averse organizations often add controls and governance overheads, hindering agility. Agile promotes knowledge acquisition and addressing technical debt to mitigate risks effectively.

As I delve deeper into the intricate world of Agile transformations, it becomes increasingly evident that certain pitfalls can hinder even the most well-intentioned efforts. It's crucial to recognize these stumbling blocks, as many of them have a common denominator: Emotional Intelligence (EI). Let's shed light on the article pitfalls:

1. Single-Focus Approach: One of the primary pitfalls is the tendency to concentrate on just one aspect of Agile transformation, neglecting the importance of balancing mindset, framework, and business agility. Such a narrow focus can stifle progress and hamper collaboration.
2. Lack of Cultural Shift: Without securing buy-in from senior leadership and fostering a culture that embraces new ways of working, Agile adoption often faces resistance. This resistance, rooted in the absence of EI, can lead to project setbacks.
3. Unadjusted Funding Models: Failure to align funding models with Agile principles results in excessive overhead and can bog down the entire process. An EI-driven approach to financial adjustments is needed to streamline operations.
4. Rushing into Complex Frameworks: Many organizations rush into adopting complex Agile frameworks prematurely, which often leads to low team morale. Here, a lack of EI in decision-making can sow the seeds of discontent.
5. Counterproductive Risk Mitigation: Agile promotes knowledge acquisition and addressing technical debt to manage risks effectively. However, some organizations counterintuitively respond to risks by adding controls and governance that hinder business agility. EI can guide a more productive approach to risk management.

As an HR professional with a profound interest in behavioral psychology and a background spanning four years in the technology sector, I frequently encapsulate the essence of agility as follows:

Agile brought emotional intelligence to software development. Why? Well, it gets folks talking, plain and simple.

Why?

Well, unlike traditional approaches that often focused solely on technical aspects, Agile recognized the pivotal role of human interaction and collaboration in the development process. Agile teams regularly engage in face-to-face conversations, retrospectives, and daily stand-ups, creating an environment where EI skills like empathy, active listening, and effective communication become paramount. Working within an Agile framework, particularly in a Kanban system where tasks and progress are transparent for all to see, demands a unique set of qualities from individuals. It necessitates a level of self-awareness where one recognizes their limitations and is comfortable seeking assistance when required. It also entails being unafraid to admit not knowing how to tackle a particular challenge. Agile teams regularly engage in retrospective meetings where team members openly discuss what went wrong and what could be improved. This candid self-examination necessitates a level of humility and a reduced ego, as it involves acknowledging one's weaknesses in front of the team and being open to constructive feedback. This level of vulnerability and self-awareness isn't a natural fit for everyone but is essential for fostering a culture of continuous improvement within Agile teams.

This shift towards valuing not only what is being built but also how the team interacts has transformed software development into a more emotionally intelligent endeavor, that can foster stronger relationships, improve teamwork, and ultimately, better outcomes.

For me, agile's success hinges not only on the code written but also on the emotional connections and understanding among the team members, making it a game-changer in modern software development.

On that note, in my perspective, what lies at the heart of the "3 Circles" approach?

Yes, you guessed it ! Ding, ding, Ding!

Emotional Intelligence, that big muscle or the lack thereof, plays a pivotal role in numerous challenges within organizations, organizational culture, interpersonal relationships, and even during those moments spent waiting in traffic or at your local grocery store line up.

In my view, the initial phase of evaluating an organization's agility transition should prioritize the assessment and enhancement of the team's emotional intelligence. This step takes precedence before embarking on any subsequent actions in the process.

I would like to propose 2 things:

1. Emotional Intelligence Study - A Call to action: Let's explore the correlation between EI and the outcomes of Agile transition projects. By revisiting both successful and unsuccessful implementations, we can assess the EI levels of participants, including leaders and team members. Does higher EI align with greater success, while lower EI relates to increased resistance to change? This study will offer valuable insights.
2. Emotional Intelligence Preparations for Future Projects: Considering the significant role Emotional Intelligence (EI) plays in project success, I propose that for upcoming projects, we incorporate an EI study as a pre-implementation step. This study will help us assess the EI levels of key stakeholders, including both leadership and team members. Following the assessment, we should plan targeted EI training sessions to enhance this critical skillset.

During my previous experience as a tech recruiter, I found myself in the position of gatekeeper for highly functioning agile teams. Throughout the interview process, I encountered candidates who, despite their impressive technical skills, displayed a distinct lack of emotional intelligence. In such instances, I had to make the difficult decision of rejecting these candidates, recognizing that their inability to effectively navigate and collaborate within a team dynamic could potentially disrupt the synergy and productivity of agile teams. Emotional intelligence, I learned, is not just a desirable trait but a critical factor in maintaining the cohesion and success of agile projects. It was a challenging yet necessary aspect of my role as a recruiter to ensure that the individuals selected were not only proficient in their technical abilities but also possessed the interpersonal skills required for seamless integration into agile teams.

By bolstering EI before embarking on agile transitions, we can potentially mitigate resistance to change, foster better collaboration, and increase the chances of successful project implementations.