Lesson 6: Leading the Change (2-3 questions)

Question 1

What are the associated dimensions of the SAFe agile core competency **Lean Agile Leadership **?

Answer 1

1. Mindset, Values and Principles
2. Lead by Example
3. Leading Change

Mindset, Values, and Principles – By embedding the Lean-Agile way of working in their beliefs, decisions, responses, and actions, leaders model the expected norm throughout the organization.

Leading by Example– Leaders gain Earned Authority by modeling the desired behaviors for others to follow, inspiring them to incorporate the leader’s example into their development journey.

Leading Change – Leaders lead (rather than support) the transformation by creating the environment, preparing the people, and providing the necessary resources to realize the desired outcomes.

Question 2

What are some of the behaviors that leaders should embrace to set the right example and build a generative culture?

Answer 2

By modeling the right behaviors, leaders can transform organizational cultures from the pathological (negative, power-oriented) and bureaucratic (negative, rule-oriented) patterns of the past to the generative (positive, performance-oriented) culture that is required for the Lean-Agile mindset to flourish. The following are example behaviors for leading by example:

► Insatiable learning - Depicts how leaders engage in the ongoing, voluntary, and self-motivated pursuit of knowledge and growth, and they encourage and support the same in others
► Authenticity - Requires leaders to model desired professional and ethical behaviors
► Emotional competence - Describes how leaders identify and manage their emotions and those of others through selfawareness, self-regulation, motivation, empathy, and social skills
► Courage - Is essential for leaders to guide their organizations through the rapidly changing dynamics of the digital age
► Growing others - Encourages leaders to provide the personal, professional, and technical guidance and resources each employee needs to assume increasing levels of responsibility
► Decentralized decision-making - Moves the authority for decisions to where the information is

Question 3

What are the (eight) ‘accelerators’ for implementing successful change?

Answer 3

1. Create a sense of urgency - Communicates the need for change and the importance of acting immediately.
2. Build a guiding coalition - Recognizes that a volunteer army needs a coalition of effective people to coordinate and communicate activities and guide the change.
3. Form a strategic vision - Identifies the opportunity that changing circumstances offer and motivates people to action.
4. Enlist a volunteer army - Recognizes that large-scale change can only occur when optimal numbers of people rally around a common opportunity.
5. Enable action by removing barriers - Engages the volunteer army to remove barriers to work across silos and generate real impact.
6. Generate short-term wins - Communicates visible successes as soon as possible to track progress and energize volunteers to persist.
7. Sustain acceleration - Promotes change until the Vision is a reality.
8. Institute change - Replace old habits and traditions with new behaviors and organizational success.

Question 4

Dr. Kotter goes describes four change leadership principles that can help unlock the full potential of the eight accelerators. What are these principles?

Answer 4

Management + Leadership. To capitalize on windows of opportunity, leadership must be paramount – and not just from one executive. It’s about vision, action, innovation, and celebration, as well as essential managerial processes.

Have to + Want to. Those who feel included in a meaningful opportunity will help create change in addition to their normal responsibilities. Existing team members can provide the energy – if you invite them.

Head + Heart. Most people aren’t inspired by logic alone, but rather by the fundamental desire to contribute to a larger cause. Extraordinary results are possible if you can give greater meaning and purpose to your effort.

Select Few + Diverse Many. More people need to be able to make change happen – not just carry out someone else’s directives. Done right, this uncovers leaders at all levels of an organization, ones you never knew you had.