Talk with management consultant provides new perspective on Scrum
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Michael de la Maza
Feb 13, 2012, 2:57:03 PM2/13/12
to Scrum Alliance - transforming the world of work.
Last week I spoke to a senior management consultant from a big four
firm and he said something that gave me a new perspective on why
executives value Scrum.
He said, “Middle managers[1] at virtually all large companies are in
way over their head.”
Why might this be? First, the standard way to learn to be a middle
manager is to get an MBA. The MBA is widely considered to be one of
the weakest advanced degrees[2], much less valuable than an MS, MA,
PhD, JD, or MD. Second, there is a lot of evidence that humans are
not good at working with large groups of people. Dunbar’s number says
that we have difficulty having relationships with more than 150 people
and hunter-gatherers spent their lives interacting in tribes of 10-30
people.
So, we humans have not found a good way to nurture middle managers and
nature does not provide them.
Unhappily, as corporations grow in size and number, the need for
middle managers increases and there are just not enough to go around.
The companies which have excellent middle managers either hire the
best and brightest (e.g., Google) or have extensive training and
mentoring programs (e.g., GE). The first strategy cannot be widely
duplicated and the second strategy has not been widely duplicated.
Enter Scrum. The typical engineering middle manager will almost
certainly become a better manager by:
1. When possible, doing Scrum.
2. When Scrum is not possible, following agile values and principles.
So, senior executives like Scrum because they know that their middle
managers are not up to par and they view Scrum as the best way to
upgrade their middle management [3].
SCRUM = Super Cool Ritual to Upgrade Management
[1] I do not have a crisp definition of “middle manager” but, roughly,
I consider a middle manager to be someone who manages managers and is
not a GM or above.
[2] http://www.economist.com/whichmba/think-twice
[3] I am consulting at a company that has a very solid training
program and makes some of the most highly rated management programs,
such as “Crucial Conversations” and “Five Dysfunctions of a Team,”
available to virtually all managers. One middle manager told me that
Scrum training has proven to be far more useful than any of this other
training.
firm and he said something that gave me a new perspective on why
executives value Scrum.
He said, “Middle managers[1] at virtually all large companies are in
way over their head.”
Why might this be? First, the standard way to learn to be a middle
manager is to get an MBA. The MBA is widely considered to be one of
the weakest advanced degrees[2], much less valuable than an MS, MA,
PhD, JD, or MD. Second, there is a lot of evidence that humans are
not good at working with large groups of people. Dunbar’s number says
that we have difficulty having relationships with more than 150 people
and hunter-gatherers spent their lives interacting in tribes of 10-30
people.
So, we humans have not found a good way to nurture middle managers and
nature does not provide them.
Unhappily, as corporations grow in size and number, the need for
middle managers increases and there are just not enough to go around.
The companies which have excellent middle managers either hire the
best and brightest (e.g., Google) or have extensive training and
mentoring programs (e.g., GE). The first strategy cannot be widely
duplicated and the second strategy has not been widely duplicated.
Enter Scrum. The typical engineering middle manager will almost
certainly become a better manager by:
1. When possible, doing Scrum.
2. When Scrum is not possible, following agile values and principles.
So, senior executives like Scrum because they know that their middle
managers are not up to par and they view Scrum as the best way to
upgrade their middle management [3].
SCRUM = Super Cool Ritual to Upgrade Management
[1] I do not have a crisp definition of “middle manager” but, roughly,
I consider a middle manager to be someone who manages managers and is
not a GM or above.
[2] http://www.economist.com/whichmba/think-twice
[3] I am consulting at a company that has a very solid training
program and makes some of the most highly rated management programs,
such as “Crucial Conversations” and “Five Dysfunctions of a Team,”
available to virtually all managers. One middle manager told me that
Scrum training has proven to be far more useful than any of this other
training.
Pierre Neis
Feb 14, 2012, 6:40:52 AM2/14/12
to scruma...@googlegroups.com
Hi Michael,
I agree with you and I will add my 5".
I've been supporting this kind of companies as a Scrum/Lean mentor and I make lectures on Scrum in MBA Operational Excellence classes.
A MBA is just an academic level/award like a certification. That gives just the keys on the car but not enough experience to drive it carefully like taking a CSM to a large Scrum Transition Program.
Senior Managers love it because it kills middle management: if you measure the essence of Agile, you skip the Back Office, skip the Middle Office and focus only on the Front Office to be closer as possible to market, customer.
Like in Lean we are talking about changing paradigms regarding company's structure. We are getting out from a functional orga (silos) and moving into a cross matrix or System organization.
A system needs guidance from Senior Management for governance. Middle management exist only the time of a project: i.e. Middle Management is then PO & SM.
Cheers
Contact me:
pierr...@gmail.com 
pierre.neis
Pierre E. NEIS, csp
Operational Excellence Consultant @ coPROcess S.A. │ Scrum & Lean Coach
M: +352 / 661 727 867│ Meet with me: http://meetwith.me/pierreneis
Owner of the "Product Owner's Help Desk"
Contact me:
pierr...@gmail.com pierre.neis |
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