Agile Innovation: The Revolutionary Approach to Accelerate Success, Inspire Engagement, and Ignite Creativity

8 Building Agile Innovation as a Core Competence

Define the right outcomes and then let each person find his own route towards those outcomes.

—Marcus Buckingham and Curt Coffman, 1999

One aspect of the Agile Software development process that works so well is the explicit social contract between the programmers and the managers, one that's quite different from what's considered normal in traditional software development organizations. The resulting behavioral change is enormous, and it's a huge part of the reason that Agile is so successful.

In this chapter we'll explore some additional management practices that will support the development and maturation of Agile Innovation in your organization.

Agile Coaching

The purpose of coaching and team development is to unleash the capabilities of each member of the team and of the team as whole. One of the most effective forces that coaches use is the motivation that comes when people understand what is needed and expected of them in terms of outcomes, because this defines targets, scope, and ambition.

With this useful context in mind, each individual can then be guided on his or her own route, continuously improving domain knowledge (both technical and business), self-discipline, and teaming skills. Because we're dealing with A-team players, as long as the ways of working and the chosen routes are compatible, autonomy will inevitably ...