Quantum physicist and the Agile Executive

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A Quantum Physicist and an Agile Executive Walk into a Bar: empathy in a disordered world

Jean Tabaka, @jeantabaka August 4 2015

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#icouldbewrong

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www.rallydev.com Confidential Do not copy or distribute without express permission of Rally. ©2015 Rally Software Development Corp. All rights reserved. - 3 -

Why so many martinis?

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Why? Agile transformation

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PREPARATION: • Count off 1, 2, 3 around your table

• Each number has a role: - 1 = CEO - 2 = CIO - 3 = ATM (Agile Transformation Minion)

• CIO grab a pen and paper

A day in the life of the CIO

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ACTIVITY: • CEO and ATM demand many things of the CIO about the agile transformation. Be demanding!

• CIO – write down what’s driving you to drink 5 minutes When I put my hand in the air, finish your discussion.


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What just happened? - 9 -


Agile executives deserve empathy and need experimentation practices

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Quantum physicists can offer practical comfort

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Physicists we know and love

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Isaac Newton - 13 -

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Erwin Schrödinger - 15 -

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“Superposition” - 17 -

Werner Heisenberg - 18 -

Werner Heisenberg - 19 -

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“Uncertainty Principle”

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Margaret Wheatley - 23 -

Ilya Prirogene Henry Stapp Erich Jantsch Danah Zohar

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Quantum language is not entirely dissimilar to agile language

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12 principles of quantum physics for agile executives

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1. Superposition - 27 -

> We need fast feed back loops to know what is actually true

2. Relationship - 28 -

> It is the AND and process we engage in that matter more than hierarchy and structure, give up predictability and open up to potentials

3. Elementary particles

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> We are clouds of relationships and probabilities, with dependencies on each other, as individuals and as teams

4. Disorder and chaos

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> We cannot be creative and innovative without disorder. Growth comes through disequilibrium, experimentation

5. Dissipative structures

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> Adaptation and resilience in agile -- willingness to change based on unexpected conditions

6. Autopoiesis - 32 -

> Every process we have impacts every other, and this is for continuous growth, continuous improvement

7. Self-reference - 33 -

> Stay congruent in your vision and goal as you invite change through self-organization, not command-and-control

8. Holism - 34 -

> Look at the entire value stream, don’t sub-optimize on silos, check your feedback loops

9. Process over structure

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> Watch the flow, the work, not the worker, the processes of interaction versus hierarchy

10. Decentralization - 36 -

> Servant leaders know what decisions to move closest to the value worker, stability is not through control

11. Uncertainty - 37 -

> Let go of false precision; use fast feedback loops to take advantage of uncertainty

12. [ ] - 38 -

> We don’t yet know what we don’t know, all things are possible in our cloud of probabilities


What about empathy? - 40 -

What next? - 47 -

Richard Feynman - 48 -


Design thinking - 50 -


Your turn: empathy experiment

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design: @zachnies artwork:@jeantabaka


• Count off 1, 2, 3 around your table • Each number has a role: - 1 = CEO - 2 = CIO - 3 = ATM (Agile Transformation Minion)

• WHAT IS THE PRINCIPLE AROUND WHICH WE ARE PREPARED TO

EXPERIMENT IN ORDER TO MANAGE OUR MARTINI CONSUMPTION?

15 minutes


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design: @zachnies artwork:@jeantabaka


1.  CEOs and Agile minions demand a lot from CIOs

2.  Newton—cause and effect

3.  Schrodinger--superposition

4.  Heisenberg—uncertainty

5.  12 physics principles can guide reasons for agile practices (next slide)

6.  Execs deserve empathy

What you’ve learned

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7.  CIO as tribal leader must pay attention to tribe’s suck level

8.  David Logan has guidance in “Tribal Leadership”

9.  Use disciplined exploration to understand the CIO

10.  Design thinking guides empathic experiments

11.  Experiment canvas captures guidance, results, next steps


1.  Superposition

2.  Relationship

3.  Elementary Particles

4.  Disorder and Chaos

5.  Dissipative Structures

6.  Autopoesis

Quantum Physics Principles ! Agile

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7.  Self-reference

8.  Holism

9.  Process over Structure

10. Decentralization

11. Uncertainty

12. [….]

What experiments do we have?

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Where to go from here… - 60 -


Agile executives deserve empathy and need experimentation practices

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Quantum physicists can offer practical comfort

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Thank you


Jean Tabaka @jeantabaka

[email protected]


- Sir Isaac Newton © Louis Hersent / Granger Collection presented by: More - funny-quotes.picphotos.net - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V7Cm6HJgi-s - spacedust.com - descubriendo.fisica.unlp.edu.ar - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uWMTOrux0LM - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=noZWLPpj3to - You are probably here. @Trent Johnson Fairweather More - pinterest.com

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Credits


- Margaret Wheatley.png More - richardpettymd.com - Peter Senge on the Challenge of Sustainability More - vimeo.com - Why Community, Why Forums More - markitude.wordpress.com

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Credits