Process and Structure can be changed overnight. Mindsets can't

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Process and Structure 
can be changed overnight. 
Mindsets will not
Gaetano Mazzanti
@mgaewsj
agile42

Change Initiatives Often* Fail
Why?
Predefined Target Illusion
Organizational Culture Underestimated/Ignored
…other (minor?) reasons…
1
2
*beware of % failure myths
3

Predefined Target Illusion

Brochureware

Magic Recipes

replicate circumstances (practices) 
hoping to replicate outcomes

Correlation vs Causation
the ones who failed did exactly the same things

Linearity / Cause-Effect Illusion

known(?)
start
predefined
destination
Big Designed Change

Sorry, it doesn’t work

an organization is an ecosystem
of interdependent services

Obvious
Complicated
Complex
Chaotic
Cynefin - David Snowden
Complexity
disorder
Categorize
Best Practices
Rigid Constraints
Analyze
Good Practices
Governing Constraints
Probe
Emergent Practices
Enabling Constraints
Act
Novel Practices
Absence of Constraints
You Are
Here

There are no Best Practices 
in a Complex System

why do you want 
to change?

Wants vs Needs
“confusing wants with needs 
is a common path to 
frustration & ineffectiveness”
Torbjörn Gyllebring

some questions are still the same 
(and they are wrong!)
‘how to manage and control (today)?’
anyway, the answers have changed!

on to culture…

Results
Actions
Beliefs
Experiences
The “Results Pyramid” is copyright of Partners in Leadership LLC
beliefs, actions, results
Culture

The “Results Pyramid” is copyright of Partners in Leadership LLC
beliefs, actions, results
Results
Actions
Beliefs
Experiences
Culture
managelead
managelead

How do you understand your culture?
Assess it
(it takes courage
and a model)

There are Tons of Models

Culture Type: Clan
Orientation: Collaborative
Theory of Effectiveness: Human
development and participation
CVF (Competing Values Framework)
Culture Type: Hierarchy
Orientation: Controlling
Theory of Effectiveness: Control
and efficiency with capable
processes
Culture Type: Adhocracy
Orientation: Creative
Theory of Effectiveness:
Innovativeness, vision, and new
resources
Culture Type: Market
Orientation: Competing
Theory of Effectiveness:
Aggressively competing, customer
focus
Flexibility & Discretion
Stability & Control
InternalFocus&Integration
ExternalFocus&Differentiation

Assessing Your Culture
structured conversations to
share stories from the
company past and present
agree on a cultural profile

Cultural Profile
more Agile

Current Cultural Profile

Desired Cultural Profile
which strategic direction is the company taking?

Narrative Landscapes
Pressure from
management
Pressure
self-imposed
Do it RightDo it Right
Do it Fast

Narrative Landscapes
Pressure from
management
Pressure
self-imposed
Do it Right
Do it Fast

Fitness Landscapes
Pressure from
management
Pressure
self-imposed
Do it Right
Do it Fast

Fitness Landscapes

fine, and then?

What’s in it for me?
LIES

Change Resistance is a Myth

no amount of logic and evidence 
can shift a mindset
Experience vs Explanations
People need to define and experience 
the new way of doing things

you can’t run change initiatives like projects
you can’t manage change in
predefined steps
there’s no schedule to meet
no specific budget to allocate
the outcome is unknown 
months/years

Strategy for Change
look for volunteers, “want to” vs “have to” 
identify safe-to-fail experiments 
only set the direction and some enabling constraints 
share it, make it visible

Enabling Constraints
Heuristics vs Rules
opening possibilities by limiting choices
provide guidance which can adapt to the unknowable unknowns
might be done vs must be done

experiment
checklearn
do
metric
hypothesis
Change Loops

Learn Fast
run multiple experiments
it’s ok if some of the experiments fail
learn early, fail fast less
establish a regular cadence

aligned with the change strategy
how could it  
increase the organization’s fitness for purpose 
deliver more customer value 
improve people’s lives 
amplify success or dampen failure
be validated as fast as possible
Experiments – How To

Rituals
 
 
to strengthen the behaviors the organization wanted more 
to dampen the ones which are considered inappropriate
 
keep the beneficial ones from the existing culture 
(e.g.: Daily Standup, Ritual Dissent, …)

Check You are Moving in the Right Way
mmmh
Adapt!desired
actual
Pressure from
management
Pressure
self-imposed
Do it Right
Do it Fast

keep experimenting and learning 
never stop

Spread the Virus
Adverse 
Culture
New 
Culture Connectors
Barriers

Here come the New Fads

New Fads
Holacracy – B.Robertson 
“There are no bosses here, because I say so” ~Zappo’s CEO
Teal – F.Laloux 
1st necessary condition is “Top Leadership” 
Leadership has to have a mind set that is compatible with the ideals of
Teal. i.e. and “integrated worldview”. 
2nd necessary condition is “Ownership” 
Enlightened Owners share the ideals of Teal
Mindfulness 
“Sure, you could introduce a new ‘mindfulness’ program at work…
or you could fix your system that is overburdening people”
@SemanticWill

just a few more words 
(the words of change)
change of language as 
a sign of cultural change

The (wrong) Words of Change
Enforce
Drive
Install
Fear
Shame
Blame
Resource
Busyness
Compliance
Best Practices

The Words of Change
Experiment
Learn
Adapt
Trust
Alignment
Autonomy
Value

a quick recap
don’t change everything
map the culture, map the stories
engage people from different parts of the organisation
set enabling constraints
run multiple parallel small safe-to-fail experiments
learn (measure, spot anomalies, check language, …)
loop, keep going

be ready for the unexpected

“a path emerge 
when we walk on it”
Dave Snowden

be sure it does not get wiped away

Gaetano Mazzanti
@mgaewsj
gaetano.mazzanti@agile42.com
agile42

Process and Structure can be changed overnight. Mindsets can't

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