SAFe® 4.0 Reference Guide: Scaled Agile Framework® for Lean Software and Systems Engineering

#8 – Unlock the intrinsic motivation of knowledge workers

It appears that the performance of the task provides its own intrinsic reward . . . this drive . . . may be as basic as the others . . .

—Daniel Pink, Drive

Lean-Agile Leaders operate within a relatively new, fundamental truth—the “management” of knowledge workers is an oxymoron. As Drucker [2] points out, “knowledge workers are individuals who know more about the work that they perform than their bosses.” In that context, how can any manager seriously attempt to manage, or even coordinate, the technical activities of those who are infinitely more capable of defining the activities necessary ...