Corporate Sex Therapy

Organization Transformation is hard enough as it is. Add inter-departmental strife and it's over. Or is it...?

Change hurts.

But what hurts more are the people who rather die trying to block change than consider the benefits.

They rather keep burning themselves on the hot stove, no matter how many times you tell them that really, truly nothing bad is going to happen when they stop.

Oh, and as an added benefit, those nasty blisters will heal, too!

Metrics hurt, too. Especially when it's the truth.

"Whaddya mean, I only get 3, 4 productive hours out of my staff? I'll show them pencil-neck geek prima donnas..."

Change and metrics go hand in hand, since metrics will show you whether your change is improving things or not. Metrics will also show you where you need to make changes.

But people fear the truth, because, in the infamous words of Col. Nathan R. Jessep:

"You want the Truth?!?!?! You can't HANDLE the Truth!!!"

Sometimes it's just better to show how metrics helped improve things afterward. At that point, there is no use arguing over its merits: they have already proven themselves.

After all, it's hard to argue that your average speed was 20 mph if you left at 2:30, drove for 40 miles and arrived at 4:30.

Ah, how nice it would be if we could just do what comes naturally.

However, even with the best intentions, doing it right requires a context that allows things to evolve.

Many methodologists talk about their preferred way to do things in the context of teams. But that is not realistic, especially in organizations that have a conflicting methodology.

Also, the implementation of any methodology needs to be adapted to the drivers of each team and layer in an organization.

It's a little bit like a layered software architecture, as Gary Pollice points out in this article

I'd like to add to this that for an organization to enable itself to learn and improve, it has to let go of everybody talking to everybody. Managers have to learn to create abstractions from their teams via interfaces and entrust their team managers, or their direct reports, with determining the most optimal way their teams can operate.

You want to DO it.

You REALLY want to.

But you can't.

Because THEY are afraid....

...that it'll hurt.
...that they will be exposed

...that they'll LIKE IT!


So you can't get it on.

You can't even get it up. Whatever you have tried before, not more than a flacid response.

So, it's time for some therapy!

What's hampering you, sailor, is your lack of Agility!

If you want your tribe to do The Big Nasty, you gotta teach them to DANCE, brother!

So here it is.
This blog is about how to lube up an organization and make them svelte, slick and a rock-hard performer using Agile Program and Project Management techniques.

Will it get dirty?

You betcha! But GOOD dirty, not MEAN dirty.

You'll be turned on by the saucy stories of success, profit and efficiency.
You will want to hook up with your partners and try all the different tricks and techniques right away.
It'll put that spark back in your relationship and you'll be glad you went to Corporate Sex Therapy.