"The team gives wings" - Iris Maier on successful agile working

Picture of Iris Maier

Iris Maier

November 26, 2021

Agile working always means working in a team - largely without hierarchies and with a lot of personal responsibility. In order for the team to get into the flow and for all employees to make their contribution, it is important to create the right conditions. How the team becomes a dream team and what that entails Iris Maier, author of the article "Living the principles of agile and lean - from practice for practice" in an interview.

Editor's note: Click here to go directly to part 1 of the interview with Iris Maier Agile values: orientation for agilization in practice

Agile teams: motivated, willing to learn, passionate

Katja Heumader: Team members in agile teams need to be highly motivated and willing to learn. How can these characteristics and skills be promoted?

Iris Maier: Motivation and a willingness to learn need time and space and shared basic values. People are naturally curious, keen to experiment, capable of learning and enthusiastic. We can take children as an example. Unfortunately, many of them were not encouraged to do this at home or at school and have therefore atrophied. I am convinced that there are passions and strengths in everyone.

To achieve a high level of motivation, each team member has different trigger factors. In an agile setting, I have often observed that many people are extremely motivated by both the feeling and the perception that they can achieve much more as a "dream" team than the sum of their individual performances. The same goes for the fact that there is no "top" and no "bottom". Everyone works together in an appreciative and respectful manner. It doesn't always work straight away, that would be too nice. That is also what makes the agile setting so strenuous: everyone has to work on themselves and at the same time work together as a team, learn and become more and more attuned to one another.

A willingness to learn can be strongly encouraged by incorporating iterations at regular intervals that are not scheduled. In which people can and should experiment, alone or in a team or with other experts. Keynote speeches followed by an expert exchange also promote a willingness to learn. This is often done in communities of practice or in meet-ups. Learning opportunities should be diverse, as everyone learns best in different ways: self-taught, for example, with learning videos, face-to-face training, CoP (exchange opportunities). It also makes sense to offer learning opportunities before the next joint program increment (PI) planning in order to ensure that all team members have a certain level of knowledge on a specific topic.

Trust is better!

KH: Trust is an important success factor for projects - both within the team and between employees and management. Is trust even more important in agile teams than in waterfall projects?

IM: Yes, it is. Because in an agile setting, we are in permanent learning loops in relation to ourselves, the interaction within the team and in relation to processes and products. Whereas in waterfall projects, everyone is closely linked to the phases and makes their contribution as a cog with a straight outer edge, generally as a lone wolf. This could also take place sequentially. In an agile team, on the other hand, we have cogwheels that mesh closely together and work at the same pace, in a permanent continuous improvement process at all levels. Without mutual trust, a team cannot deliver a good overall performance or get into the flow.

KH: In your article, you differentiate between management and leadership. What is the difference and why is it relevant?

IM: The change from traditional management to "servant leader" management is an extremely important success factor.

The classic manager is often associated with hierarchies, power games on the backs of employees and customers, arbitrariness, decision-making power, organization and controlling.

The Servant Leader Manager prefers to work in flat hierarchies, as the decision-making power has been distributed to where the expertise and experience lie. The teams can now make many decisions themselves, as this is where the relevant expertise lies. Strategic decisions, for example on budget pots, organizational company-wide adjustments in connection with legal regulations and many other things will remain with management. The servant leader motivates and inspires employees by exemplifying the agile core values and working on them.

Team communication is a decisive factor

KH: Direct communication is an essential part of successful agile teams. How does this requirement fit in with the trend towards mobile working and virtual meetings (also, but not only, due to coronavirus)?

IM: Mobile working and a large proportion of virtual meetings (including dailies, retrospectives, etc.) have become standard today. Today, it is important to carefully consider which meetings and agile practices can take place in person and which can take place remotely.

In my experience, PI planning, which takes place every three to six months, should definitely be in presence (even if it is a high investment), as the advantages outweigh the disadvantages.

KH: For team members, agility means a high degree of self-organization and personal responsibility. Can anyone learn this or is it not for everyone?

IM: There will always be people who are absolute lone wolves and in an agile setting it is better to make clearly defined "individual deliveries" in order to contribute to the overall success of all teams. In other words, there will always be the type of person who needs a clear assignment in order to work through it in a structured manner. Every employee should have the opportunity to be deployed where they can best utilize their strengths.

The interview with Iris Maier was conducted by Dr. Katja Heumader for the TCI editorial team.

"Agility in companies": theoretically sound and practical

Agility in companies Book cover
Picture: © Springer Verlag

The focus of "Agility in Companies" is on the practical application of the concepts. In addition to an introduction to the theoretical foundations, the contributors to the anthology cover various areas: Corporate and personnel management, organizational management, evaluation and controlling, decision-making behavior, roles in projects and the management of business processes.

"Agility in Companies" is aimed at internal and external practitioners for whom transformation management is at the center of their tasks. Coaches, business managers, managing directors and other decision-makers will benefit from the comprehensive perspectives in this anthology, as will academics and lecturers specializing in organization, agile management, project management, business management, change management, product management, development, process management and strategic management.

Note from the editors:

Buy the entire book or individual chapters directly here as eBook for Euro 46.99 (complete edition) or Euro 26.70 (individual chapters)!

Or order the anthology as a high-quality Hardcover for Euro 59,99!

Source cover image: © deagreez | Adobe Stock

About the author

Picture of Iris Maier

Iris Maier

As an agile coach, trainer and expert in lifelong learning and hybrid project management, Iris Maier supports her clients in change and transition projects. With her extensive experience (IT and leadership), she brings a wealth of best practice experience to every project.

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