Why the #GreatResignation Is Extra Bad for Agile

At PeopleNotTech we make software that measures and improves Psychological Safety in teams. If you care about it- talk to us about a demo at contact@peoplenottech.com ?

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Here’s the thing. If we’re honest, Agile is all about a collectively courageous state of mind. One where you’re willing to really extend yourself far enough as to uphold its principles even when it’s uncomfortable, or you’re in no mood, or don’t remember your purpose, or have any appetite to make an impact.?

Every day we all make hundreds of choices in the knowledge industry in an Agile organisation. What we say, how we engage, if we should keep fighting the good fight. We choose whether to be open and authentic or keep schtum. We choose whether to say there’s a better way or carry on. We choose if we should be open-heartedly collaborating or just going through the motions.?

The minimum-minimorum where we just tick the boxes is always there as an option for all of us within reach but we just don’t take it.?

Because we truly believe in this “make a good thing that clients love fast”. Because we are part of a team that feels amazing to be with. Because we belong. Because Agile simply is for the best.?

And this, the choice not to take the easy route but to be brave every working day is happening in the background even after it’s in your blood and you don’t need to make deliberate, conscious choices to keep yourself honest Agile-wise.

Should the above serve as yet another excuse for the ones who can’t quite get there yet “Why would I bother to read this Manifesto thing again? We’re already doing Scrum, this thing she’s describing sounds exhausting” then don’t. The micro-decision points above are mostly subconscious so they won’t exactly be taxing. ?

“So “Being Agile at heart is rare and hard” is that the point?” - Yes, partly. The point I’m making is that because it is, the #GreatResignation will hit the newly and let’s face it, tenderly fragile hard-fought Agile equilibriums harder than the places that had no such ambitions and than the places that were digital-first and Agile to the bone since times immemorial.?

All talent has a foot out the door but if you’re an Agile shop there is an added level of this being extra terrifying, because not only will you have to replace a developer with X, Y, Z skills but get someone willing to display those micro-moments of courage at every corner.?And if you miss enough of them you could potentially end up simply not being an Agile shop anymore no matter how many ceremonies would still be in place.

And then there’s the age-old discussion on whether the longevity of a structure team-wise has a bearing on their ability to smash it as a unit and no matter how uncomfortable we may find to admit, it stands to reason that yes, the longer a team has been together the more likely the courageous moments are there. And the balance. The trust, the positive behaviours, the healthy and contented dynamic. Over time their bond grew and they created a team biotope and if they were successful then chances are they had a hefty amount of Psychological Safety which they had -likely subconsciously and unintentionally- worked hard to achieve. They’re close emotionally and they’re feeling secure enough with each other to be super-open. So their Agile micro-fights are almost always won. And when there’s change and new people come in they smarm and they take a beat to go through all that Storming and Norming but quickly regroup and hopefully bring the new person into that magical initial biotope. Ordinarily, it’s a manageable amount of disruption.?

But the #GreatResignation isn’t just one person leaving from a team but with some research suggesting up to 30% mobility in 2022 and 85% contemplating it in the segments that are demonstrating inflexibility about remote work, if all that is the case, then we’ll see much more than one team member going and then that biotope, the ability to take up the good fight over and again that the team had collectively built, is under serious threat.

If we remember that even when people aren’t leaving they have been shaken to their core by the Covid episode and they are battling some degree or other of burnout and are now having to wonder if they too should be part of the #GreatResignation while they content with tone-deaf leaders who may be trumpeting the office-culture adding to their uncertainty and fears, it’s not looking good to count on them for keeping the heart of Agile either. It’s a different kind of faltering and disconnect, but it’s there and it’s going to translate into hundreds of thousands of fractured, unproductive, unsafe and frankly unhappy teams.

An Agile organisation is a hard thing to build and an easy thing to lose. The #GreatResignation threatens it more than it does its pre-Agile (new kind term) counterparts. It is hard enough to keep people’s bravery and Agile heart after the crisis we all traversed without losing people over such a silly and ridiculous contention point such as whether they should do their courage-ing in an office building between set hours.?

This week on the other newsletter there are two articles practically begging HR to step up and shake any leaders who have this wrong. If you don’t see them doing it perhaps help them help themselves if you have to, the resulting talent problem, if they don’t manage to stave this off, is much bigger and more problematic than they can even begin to imagine in Agile organisations.?

Get in touch if you need any help finding an “emergency kit with proof the Great Resignation is SO happening” - links, articles, stats that you can send to HR to help them stop the bankrupt rhetorics and have them focus on what matters - full agreement for flexible working; tools for collaboration; helping with the human work in the team; assassinating command and control; and most importantly, helping you keep the heart of Agile. ?

Next week expect a less pensive article as I have yet to tell you about the Aristotle Score launch which we are mighty excited about at PeopleNotTech but we’ve run far faster in the product than our marketing and comms and now have a backlog of new features we haven’t bragged about that are already live in our solution and we just about managed to present them to our existing clients and POCs.?

May you have avoided the #GreatResignation and be may you hear no preposterous and disrespectful rumblings of chaining you back to your desk and may you be sheltered, happy and more Agile than ever.?

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The 3 “commandments of Psychological Safety” to build high performing teams are:?Understand,?Measure?and?Improve

Read more about our Team Dashboard that measures and improves Psychological Safety at?www.peoplenottech.com?or reach out at?contact@peoplenottech.com?and let's help your teams become Psychologically Safe, healthy, happy and highly performant.

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