Visualization and transparency perceived as a threat

[Stephan Schwab]

Hi!

I'm making an experience where quite simple visualization as part of using Kanban is perceived by a manager as a threat to his authority.

What are your experiences with that topic? How have you dealt with it? Once the cat is out of the bag it's hard to store it away. So the reaction has to be dealt with somehow.

Awaiting your thoughts / stories ...

Stephan

[Andrea Chiou]

I would simply ask for a conversation one-on-one with the manager.

Mention what you heard or saw that led you to think he was threatened. Tell him that you want to support him and the team to deliver and improve. Ask him if that's his understanding of what you are doing as well?

Then sit back and listen....

Repeat back to him what he says,

So, you believe z,y,z about the board and kanban, did I hear you correctly?

(Let him fix whatever you didn't understand and repeat that back making sure you now understand him correctly)

Acknowledge his point of view. 

Ask him whether you may present an alternate view- would he be interested  in hearing a bit more about Kanban and how it can help?  Proceed accordingly

Ask him, if he still resists, whether he would be willing to treat it as an experiment for a few weeks and re-evaluate then giving his input on what he does or doesn't like.

Good luck!

Cheers,

Andrea

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[Dave Nicolette]

It sounds like a very common problem. With no background about the
specific situation, it's hard to say why the manager is reacting in
this way.

Of course we all know people are fearful of any change, generally. In
a case like this, I try to find out exactly what the person's real and
perceived problems are. Then, I try to align with his/her personal
goals. In one way or another, a lean transformation is likely to
address the manager's problems/goals. He/she may not be able to see
how this is so without guidance.

I can think of many possible contributing factors, and I can't guess
which ones are at play in your situation, or whether it is something
entirely different.

One factor is who initiated the consulting engagement?

If it was the same manager who is fearful of visualizing the process,
then it's possible he/she has realized the methods you are introducing
are more powerful than he/she had imagined, and might expose more than
was planned.

If the engagement was initiated by someone above the manager in the
formal hierarchy, then he/she may be playing along as a good corporate
citizen, but actually has reservations that have not been discussed
openly.

If the engagement was initiated by a peer of the manager or by someone
in a different department, then the fear may be that the other person
is trying to undermine the manager's position or credibility, to
position themselves for future advancement.

Another factor is the length of time the person has been in his/her
present position.

Assume the manager has been responsible for their department for more
than 4 or 5 years. If you demonstrate the possibility of 2x - 4x
process improvement, the manager will look good. They were smart
enough to engage you! If you demonstrate the possibility of 10x or
more improvement, they will look bad. How did they let the situation
get so bad during their tenure?

Assume the manager has inherited the process within the last 12
months. In this case, if they can achieve 10x or more improvement they
will look like a hero.

The visualization will make all of that very obvious. We often have to
tread carefully and be aware of who stands to gain or lose.

[Stephan Schwab]

On 09.09.2013, at 15:29, Dave Nicolette <daveni...@gmail.com> wrote:

> One factor is who initiated the consulting engagement?
>
> If it was the same manager who is fearful of visualizing the process,
> then it's possible he/she has realized the methods you are introducing
> are more powerful than he/she had imagined, and might expose more than
> was planned.

After the most recent conversation with the manager it appears to me that this was the case. Of course, there are always other contributing factors (things I and other people I influence do) besides the mere visualization.

The observed reaction made me think, again, about the subversive nature of working as an Agile Coach. It is not subversive per se but can easily be misunderstood and perceived as such. I've actually added something about risks and side effects to the material I use to explain what I do. I'm also thinking about writing a blog post about that part for further discussion.

Stephan