How do you deal with a manager who believes that a software development team needs to go faster and should be pushed? I want to review some of the responses to my earlier blog and test the idea that they would create a productive conversation that would lead to effective outcomes.
How does our advice look if others reflect it back to us?
What were the responses?
I got responses from the the earlier post’s comments, twitter and the DZone Agile centre that were mostly from the team’s perspective.
I believe that the responses were intended to be helpful to someone in the manager’s position and raise some important issues. I’ve seen the results of teams accepting a request to “push harder” and in the majority of cases these have been ineffective, demoralising and created more problems down the track. My intent with the earlier post was to encourage a manager with these views to find a way to discuss differences in views in public in order to jointly design productive ways forward.
When handling issues that generate strong points of view it’s important to focus on not just ‘what is right’ but ‘how can I communicate this effectively?’
I’ve summarised some of the responses under headings from the three assumption level ‘rungs’ of the ladder of inference
Explanations:
- Thinking that pushing a team to go faster is a dysfunctional view and implies little intention to help
- The causes of poor performance are a management issue
- It’s probably not a speed of development issue, usually it’s about prioritisation and communications
Evaluations:
- There are too many assumptions in the question “how can I push the team to go faster?”
- Just going faster is the wrong goal
- Going faster or pushing wont help you reach your goal
Predictions / Proposals for Action
- Pushing has never worked and will never work
- Talk about it differently – say “pulling or enabling” to remind you that it’s about you helping remove impediments
- Focus on removing obstacles not “pushing people”
- The first step is for you to ask the team what you as a manager can change or what you can do to help.
- Ask yourself “is it a pattern that I keep having to push teams to go faster?” If lots of projects require a push then it’s not the team that’s the problem, it’s your planning!
Unjust high-level negative assumptions?
Looking at the comments from a manager’s point of view, they come across as high-level assumptions that are often negative towards the manager.
My assumption is that the responses were in reaction to the perceived unjust negative evaluation implied by a manager even considering “how could I push a team to go faster?” (the headline of the earlier post).
This highlights the importance of a manager with these views clarifying what’s behind them, and sharing them with specific concrete examples, to avoid creating defensiveness in the responses and becoming stuck in a point-counter-point argument.
It intrigues me that some of the responses may have created the same impact for a manager that they felt manager’s views had on them.
What would a manager think if told these views?
I realise that many of the responses were not intended to be directly said to the manager, but if they were I believe it would create defensiveness in the manager.
I doubt that the manager would feel listened to or understood.
The views were mainly stated in strong, rather than tentative terms. There was no mention of asking for more detailed observable data from the manager or any inquiries into what was behind the manager’s view.
How would people would avoid these negative views “leaking out” into the conversation through body language or tone of voice? As a manager (share your views in the comments) I could imagine thinking:
“These responses show people reacting defensively before they’ve listened or understood my view. They are telling me I’m wrong to think this way and I should start by asking how I could be different. It just shows that you can’t talk to a team about these issues”
Skilled unawareness and skilled incompetence?
Some comments advised the manager to take the team’s perspective and ask the team what they might be unintentionally doing to hinder the team and how they as a manager could help. This is useful as other people have a great ability to spot gaps or inconsistencies in our behaviour. Learning how to honestly ask for help from others is a worthwhile practice.
Yet, there was limited evidence in the responses of following that advice and thinking things through from the manager’s perspective and asking how they might be unintentionally contributing or how they could help.
This is an example where people, acting with good intentions, may be skilfully unaware of the fact they’re not following their own advice to others. This relates to the skilled incompetence demonstrated at a recent Agile workshop
I’d welcome your views in the comments. How productive do you think the responses would be if communicated to a manager? If you wanted to respond more productively to a manager who thought it was necessary to push the team what would you say or do?
Hi, I’m Benjamin. I hope that you enjoyed the post. I’m a consultant and coach who helps IT teams and their managers consistently deliver the right software solutions. You can find out more about me and my services. Contact me for a conversation about your situation.
Image Credit: Steve-h on flickr
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