Why Agile teams perform better and how it links to behaviour psychology/motivation
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Agile teams perform better primarily due to intrinsic motivation factors such as challenge, curiosity, control, cooperation, and recognition. Research has shown that high-performing teams foster a safe environment, promote quick feedback on results, and build trust among team members, leading to increased motivation and performance. Ultimately, motivating team members, especially millennials, is crucial, and agile methodologies like Scrum effectively enhance this motivation.
Why Agile teams perform better and how it links to behaviour psychology/motivation
- 1. WHY REALLY, DO AGILE TEAMS PERFORM BETTER? JACO VAN DER MERWE 9 MARCH 2017
- 3. ABOUT ME • Not a phycologist! • Passionate about software development. • Head up DVT, • I don’t code anymore but did in Smalltalk, Java and other languages. • Have been responsible for small and large dev teams • Have experienced waterfall, iterative and Agile • Have seen and been part of performing and non performing teams • An introvert
- 5. ARE WE TALKING AGILE OR SCRUM? • The Agile manifesto defined the values of the Agile movement • 12 Principles, not work methods • Did not define how to implement Agile • Software development methods like Scrum and XP defines how to implement (some of) the Agile principles • I am mainly using the Scrum methodology to look at how Agile impacts motivation in practice
- 7. GOOGLE’S RESEARCH • In 2013&2014 Google analysed and interviewed more than 180 of it’s teams to understand what makes some teams perform better than others. • In conclusion, 5 key factors where identified. Surprising discovery: High performing teams did not necessarily have the most skilled or experienced team members!
- 8. SNL • Lorne Michaels is the creator and producer of Saturday Night Live. • The show first aired in 1975 and was hugely successful. • Why?
- 9. LEARNINGS • Sceptics did not believe the show would be a success • A huge success over many decades with different team members • How did producer Lorne Michaels achieve this? • Physiological safety. Able to speak their mind in a weekly planning meeting. • Seeing the results of their work quickly (every week!) Feeling they have an impact and had enough control to make a difference • Able to depend on the team members. Commit to the show. Not individual’s work
- 10. WHAT DO THESE TEAMS HAVE IN COMMON? • Why did these teams perform well? • They felt it is a safe environment to share their opinion • They could see the results of their work fast • They felt their work made an impact • The felt they could depend on team members • The above are all, actually, by-products of one thing: • MOTIVATION.
- 11. TEAMS THAT WORKED REALLY WELL TOGETHER Research by Charles Duhigg: Motivation results from the individual’s belief in the power to make choices and control outcomes. The motivation to accomplish difficult things come from the meaning behind these choices. The most productive teams actively seek each member’s input, have defined rules and goals, trust one another, and feel safe in proposing ideas to each other
- 13. PSYCHOLOGY 101 - MOTIVATION Intrinsic “Internal factors” Learning, Belonging, fun, meaning, curiosity, autonomy, control Extrinsic “External factors” Avoid negative consequences, prizes, awards, competition, money, fear
- 14. ** Malone, T. W. & Lepper, M. R. (1987). Making learning fun: A taxonomy of intrinsic motivations for learning. In R. E. Snow & M. J. Farr (Eds.), Aptitude, learning, and instruction: III. Conative and affective process analysis. Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum **
- 15. THE REAL QUESTION Ask not why Agile teams perform better, rather ask what motivates people in Agile teams to perform better?
- 17. DO AGILE TEAMS PERFORM BETTER? The Standish Chaos report (2016):
- 19. DEVELOPERS LOVE TO LEARN In a workplace, developers value: 70.1% 64.3% 44.1% 40.2% Building something new Having control over product decisions Improving an existing application Believing in the company mission ** According to Stackoverflow.com’s 2016 survey
- 20. DEVELOPERS LOVE TO LEARN In a workplace, developers value: 70.1% 64.3% 44.1% 40.2% Building something new Having control over product decisions Improving an existing application Believing in the company mission ** According to Stackoverflow.com’s 2016 survey
- 21. DEVELOPERS STRUGGLE WITH 70.1% 64.3% 44.1% 40.2% Unrealistic expectations Poor documentation Unspecific requirements Inefficient development processes Changing requirements ** According to Stackoverflow.com’s 2016 survey 40.2% !!!
- 22. DEVELOPERS STRUGGLE WITH 70.1% 64.3% 44.1% 40.2% Unrealistic expectations Poor documentation Unspecific requirements Inefficient development processes Changing requirements ** According to Stackoverflow.com’s 2016 survey 40.2% !!! These prevent developers from seeing code in production. I.e. building (and seeing) something new. The core problem, is it demotivates developers.
- 24. SO WHY DO AGILE TEAMS PERFORM BETTER? • What is at the core of Agile teams, that make them perform better? ANSWER: INTRINSIC MOTIVATION
- 25. INTRINSIC MOTIVATION AND AGILE An Agile approach like Scrum: Pursue gaols with meaning. Weekly Sprints=see results Learning. Sprint Retrospectives. A Learning culture. Decision making close to the people that do the work. Commit to the team. Meet the Sprint objectives Frequently see working code (used) in production. Intrinsic motivation factors: 1. Challenge 2. Curiosity 3. Control 4. Cooperation and Competition 5. Recognition
- 27. MILLENNIALS • People born between 1982 and 2004 (roughly). Ie presently between 13 and 35 • According to stackoverflow.com’s 2016 survey. Developer age distribution is: 77.2% Majority of developers are Millennials. Employers struggle to motivate them 0.80% 3.00% 8.90% 10.20% 18.10% 28.40% 23.60% 7.10% <60 50-59 40-49 35-39 30-34 25-25 20-24 <20
- 28. WHAT DOES MILLENNIALS SAY THEY WANT? ** • Free FOOD and BEAN BAGS • Work in a place with purpose, make an impact, have meaningful work • what is this? • Intrinsic motivation factors. • Create things which they can see make a difference/work in production • Remember what stackoverflow.com’s research showed about developers? • Agile helps to achieve this. ** according to Simon Sinek – Millennials in the workplace
- 30. BRINGING IN IT ALL TOGETHER • High performing teams = teams with motivated team members. • Extrinsic motivation in the work place, does not work so well anymore. • For developers, especially Millennial developers (77%), Intrinsic motivation works well. • Agile works, because it addresses the core Intrinsic motivation factors • Challenge, Curiosity, Control, Cooperation & Competition, Recognition
- 31. CONCLUSION • Key lessons: • Life is just too short to work in a team where you are not motivated. • It’s not really about Agile, it is about motivation! • Agile teams are generally more motivated. • Use Agile to motivate your team. • Join a team using Agile to be motivated!