The two most important items for me during this read of Coach Agile Teams by Lyssa Adkins are found in the first part of this chapter. Reflecting back on my previous cover-to-cover read, I think that the number of great facilitation techniques in this chapter caused me to overlook two very important concepts. The first is an approach for differentiating collaboration and coordination. The approach is simple but very powerful. Why would any coach care about observing the difference? Because the two concepts are different and are useful in different scenarios.
Coordination delivers an outcome that progresses from step to step. Coordination is an efficient way to work when innovation or great leaps of understanding aren’t needed. Lots of work only requires coordinated activity and trying to make it a collaborative effort could be counterproductive. Coordination is not a foregone conclusion in a team. Teams without a well-understood goal will fail to coordinate activities. Trust and a level of personal understanding are required to interact and get work completed. The author makes the point that the ability to coordinate is a precursor to collaboration. If you are a coach that is working with a new team (at any organizational level) you need to begin by helping the team learn to comfortably coordinate before moving to collaboration.
Collaboration delivers an outcome that emerges and is more than the sum of the parts individuals contribute. Most team-level innovation occurs from collaborative efforts. I recently read a part of a biography of Thomas Edison, who is reputed to be one of the greatest individual innovators. The subtext in the book was that because Edison worked with a huge staff the innovations he delivered with more collaborative than the public persona suggests. Coaches can help teams to learn to collaborate (hence the term conductor in the title). The requirements of collaboration are far deeper than coordination. Retrospectives are a form of collaboration. Immature teams, teams in fear-based organizations, or teams dominated by win at any cost egos have huge issues collaboratively improving their performance. Being honest and sharing your ideas is not safe. The coach needs to help teams find that safety so that all voices are heard and so that solutions can emerge.
The second major aha is perhaps more of a reminder. Coaches are great conductors but even great conductors can limit the growth of the group they are guiding. As a coach, you need to recognize that once a team has learned what they can from you, it is time to move on. The Code of Ethical Conduct for Agile Coaching, calls this point out explicitly. One of the nine commitments coaches make when agreeing to the code of conduct is:
“As an ethical agile coach I commit myself to the following:
Ensuring the relationship is valuable for both coach and the client
I will ensure that the relationship remains valuable and I won’t extend it unnecessarily.
I will be honest about any perception of declining value.”
As a conductor, when you begin to limit the growth of the people you are working with based on your knowledge, experience, and agenda, it’s time to move on.
As noted earlier this chapter is richly littered with references to agile games and exercises. Read the chapter twice because those bright shiny objects can obscure the less flashy bits that are as or more important in the long run.
Logistics Note: We have three more chapters which we will follow with a recap before starting. Extraordinarily Badass Agile Coaching: The Journey from Beginner to Mastery and Beyond (Amazon Associate Link – buy your copy soon and start reading)
Remember to buy a copy of Coaching Agile Teams by Lyssa Adkins (SPaMCAST Amazon affiliate line https://amzn.to/38G0ZD3) and read along!
Previous Installments
Week 1: Logistics and Introduction – https://bit.ly/3A1aNTe
Week 2: Will I Be A Good Coach – https://bit.ly/3nzDAHg
Week 3: Expect High Performance – https://bit.ly/3Rl4fFf
Week 4: Master Yourself – https://bit.ly/3zL8t2n
Week 5: Let Your Style Change – https://bit.ly/3Q8zHWa
Week 6: Coach as Coach-Mentor – https://bit.ly/3QLcSIi
Week 7: Coach as Facilitator – https://bit.ly/3AaP5KY
Week 8: Coach As Teacher – https://bit.ly/3AURGdL
Week 9: Coach As Problem Solver – https://bit.ly/3C06Gr7
Week 10: Coach As Conflict Navigator – https://bit.ly/3R6tmuc
