The idea of an Agile Mindset is a bit nebulous. It is very often discussed and written about, yet still seems hard to define. In my agile journey, I have read many blogs, articles, and online discussions about it. Quite simply, a mindset is a way of viewing the world—a way of thinking. It can be thought of as an attitude or ethos. My experiences in the Army inculcated the Warrior Ethos within me, and I constantly reflect on my own Agile Ethos. To me an Agile Mindset requires a thirst for knowledge, and an ability and willingness to grow.
Jeff Sutherland talks about the Pillars of Agile: transparency, inspection, and adaptation. Core Scrum has values: courage, commitment, focus, openness, and respect. These values and ideas are all integral to an Agile Mindset. But it is more than just a mentality; it is a way of being. Allistair Cockburn talks about the Heart of Agile: collaborate, deliver, reflect, improve and he advocates that practitioners must maintain focus, discipline, and agility. All of these ideas are important in understanding an agile mindset and form a structure on which practitioners can grow.
At the team level, an Agile Mindset offers motivation. Dan Pink describes autonomy, mastery, and purpose as the three elements that motivate us. I find a similar concept in self-determination theory, with competence, autonomy, and relatedness forming the basis of motivation. In either case, teams that truly embrace an agile mindset are self-organizing and self-managing. They value collaboration and rely on their own collective intelligence (the collective intelligence of the system) to improve a process. Agile teams focus on the customer and seek to produce value. They take pride and ownership in their work. An Agile Mindset leads to approaching problems with flexibility and adaptability, and being willing to try new things and to fail. Agilists need to have an entrepreneurial spirit and move outside their comfort zone. They focus on what is possible.
As an agile coach, having an agile mindset requires servant leadership for and to the team. I work to give and receive feedback, and I coach and embody resilience in the face of challenge. I also promote tolerance of ambiguity, and strive to have team embrace this idea as well. I am continually working to improve my own performance and that of the team. I believe all of these ideas are important for any agile coach to understand and leverage.
Until the next iteration . . .
Jason