Throughout my professional life, I have met many people who, hearing the word Agile or SCRUM, responded: “We did it and it did not work well”. This short article addresses one of the main reasons why it doesn’t work — because it means losing power.
Power has always kindled the minds of people who wanted to get it — to rule people, resources, feel better, and more important than others. The main activity of managers and directors ceases to be accounting, ordering, steering, and checking subordinates. Agile frameworks, however, mean that they are expected to build a team, help subordinates, and remove difficulties that disrupt work and make it difficult for specialists to perform.
Companies employing large numbers of specialists have understood that what counts is intelligent employees, often with above-average creativity and problem-solving capabilities. Agile encourages them to actively participate in the process of creating products, and their manager is to ensure that developers are open, courageous and willing to create. In terms of traditional power, what they have left to do is evaluate these ideas and take responsibility for the choice of ideas that will be implemented.
So why is Agile so appealing? If it is successful, we have committed employees who fulfill themselves in their work and can give free rein to creativity and cleverness. As a result, they work much more efficiently and change jobs less frequently. It matters the most in the case of software companies since it is the most expensive part of the software development process. Companies managed in this way quickly outperform their competitors and gain a good reputation.
Now think about the problems the Ego creates in changing the approach to management. Typical statements that we can hear when first explaining what it’s all about is:
- “Previously, we ordered and now we have to ask employees how can we help?”
- „So now I have to become an assistant to my subordinates?”
- „After all, this is a madhouse and we are to give it over to lunatics?”
Currently, it is one of the most serious problems of many technology and production companies (in R&D departments), because changing attitudes is not easy, but still necessary. It’s worth it.