David Gentry CSP
Anarchy Disclaimer
The views and opinions expressed today are those of the author and may not reflect the beliefs of his employer, family members, friends, acquaintances, or pets.
The following topic may make you uncomfortable or question your existing beliefs. If this is true…
You are probably in the right place. Learning Objectives
After today, you will be able to: • Define anarchy and identify notable anarchists • Explain “scientific management” and the contrast between knowledge work • Relate anarchy to the Agile Manifesto Notable Anarchists
Photo: indianexpress.com Notable Anarchists
Photo: quotesnsmiles.com Notable Anarchists
Photo: PA Images / SIPA / USA Today; radio.com Notable Anarchists
Photo: www.thefactsite.com Notable Anarchists
Photo: authorityalchemy.com Scientific Management
Modern Management Theory
Most management theory being used today comes directly from or is an enhancement to the work of Frederick Winslow Taylor.
His book “Principles of Scientific Management” was published in… Scientific Management
Modern Management Theory
Most management theory being used today comes directly from or is an enhancement to the work of Frederick Winslow Taylor.
His book “Principles of Scientific Management” was published in… 1911 Scientific Management
One of Taylor’s protégés created one of project management’s most used and beloved tools. Scientific Management
The protégé was Henry Gantt, creator of the infamous Gantt chart.
“Fear leads to risk, risk leads to process, process leads to hate… and suffering, and Gantt charts.”
[1] Dan North; Keeping Agile Agile Knowledge Workers
Taylor’s theories showed productivity with “manual workers” but fails with today’s “knowledge workers”.
The term knowledge worker was first coined by Peter Drucker in his book “The Landmarks of Tomorrow” published in 1959. Knowledge Workers
Knowledge workers: • Create and refine knowledge more than goods or services • Spend the majority of their time solving problems • “must know more about their job than their boss does – or else
they are no good at all” [1] • Have different motivations compared to manual workers
[1] Peter Drucker; Management Challenges of the 21st Century What is Anarchy?
Anarchy has many interpretations • Common synonyms include nihilism, mayhem, chaos, revolution, lawlessness
• Greek word, anarkhos, that translated means “without rulers”
• “Rejection of all forms of coercive control and authority.” [1]
[1] The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition The Anarchy Spectrum
Control Chaos •oppression •revolution •coercion •nihilism •compliance •lawlessness •hierarchy •mayhem
Compassion •collaboration •empowerment •self-organization •innovation The Anarchy Spectrum
“Compassion is what keeps anarchy from degenerating into violent chaos and individual autonomy from resulting in disrespect and disregard for others.” [1]
[1] anarchopedia.org Agile Manifesto
“Now, a bigger gathering of organizational anarchists would be hard to find, so what emerged from this meeting was symbolic…”
“[They] don’t want to make hard trade-off decisions, so they impose irrational demands through the imposition of corporate power structures.”
Source: agilemanifesto.org/history.html Agile Manifesto
“In order to succeed in the new economy… companies have to rid themselves of their Dilbert manifestations of make-work and arcane policies.”
“Agile approaches scare corporate bureaucrats— at least those that are happy pushing process for process’ sake versus trying to do the best for the customer”
Source: agilemanifesto.org/history.html Why Embrace Anarchy?
• Encourages us to challenge the status quo Why Embrace Anarchy?
• Encourages us to challenge the status quo • Empowers self-organizing teams Why Embrace Anarchy?
• Encourages us to challenge the status quo • Empowers self-organizing teams • Enhances creativity and innovation Why Embrace Anarchy?
• Encourages us to challenge the status quo • Empowers self-organizing teams • Enhances creativity and innovation • Enables and drives disruption Final Thoughts More Information
If you want more information, I suggest “The People’s Scrum” by Tobias Mayer.
If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to contact me at:
www.agile.cool [email protected] References (1)
Ghandi: http://indianexpress.com/article/opinion/columns/mahatma-gandhi-jayanti-father-of-the-nation-5044076/ http://images.indianexpress.com/2018/01/gandhi.jpg
Oscar Wilde: http://quotesnsmiles.com/quotes/70-brilliant-oscar-wilde-quotes/ http://quotesnsmiles.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/70-brilliant-oscar-wilde-quotes-640x480.jpg
J.R.R Tolkien: https://www.thefactsite.com/2013/01/facts-about-john-tolkien.html https://lph5i1b6c053kq7us26bdk75-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/tolkien- facts.jpg References (2)
John Lennon: http://news.radio.com/2018/01/03/john-lennon-trail-bike-auction/ https://cbsradionews.files.wordpress.com/2018/01/john-lennon-pa-images-sipa-usa-today.jpg
Sex Pistols: http://authorityalchemy.com/5-branding-lessons-from-the-sex-pistols/ http://authorityalchemy.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/sex-pistols-5041ff2ab1b3c-1024x576.jpg References (3)
Dan North; Keeping Agile Agile https://qconsf.com/sf2010/dl/qcon-sanfran-2010/slides/DanNorth_KeepingAgileAgile.pdf
Peter Drucker: Knowledge Workers http://www.edbatista.com/2008/10/drucker-1.html
Compassionate Anarchy: http://eng.anarchopedia.org/Compassionate_Anarchism https://www.cnvc.org/compasionate-anarchism
Agile Manifesto History: http://agilemanifesto.org/history.html