Autonomy, is that what we really want? @ RBI AED

@kenny_baas @[email protected] Where every voice shapes the software

@kenny_baas @[email protected] Autonomy, is that what we really want? What
we really really want?

@kenny_baas @[email protected]

@kenny_baas @[email protected] Autonomy, as described by Mr. Pink, is the
urge to direct one's own life. Without the ability to control what, when, and how we work, and who we work with, we'll never be completely motivated to complete a task

@kenny_baas @[email protected] “Man is born free, but one of the
first things he learns is to do as he is told and he spends the rest of his life doing that. Thus his first enslavement is to his parents. He follows their instructions forevermore, retaining only in some cases, the right to choose his own methods and consoling himself with an illusion of autonomy.” — Eric Berne

@kenny_baas @[email protected] Definition of autonomy The quality or state of
being self- governing especially : the right of self- government The territory was granted autonomy. Self- directing freedom and especially moral independence personal autonomy A self- governing state Autonomy Has Origins in Law Since nomos is Greek for "law", something autonomous makes its own laws. The amount of autonomy enjoyed by French- speaking Quebec, or of Palestinians in certain towns in Israel, or of independent- minded regions of Russia, have become major issues. The autonomy of individual states in the United States has posed serious constitutional questions for two centuries. The autonomy of children is almost always limited by their parents. But when those parents are elderly and begin driving poorly and getting confused about their finances, their children may see the need to limit their autonomy in much the same way. 1. 2. 3. Source: https://www.merriam- webster.com/dictionary/autonomy

@kenny_baas @[email protected] http://ueberproduct.de/ep-22- jabe- bloom- marc- burgauer- designing- systems- pt-
ii/ “I hate the word autonomy. ... I think autonomy is individuating. ... The way I hear the word and I think other people hear it – and I might be wrong and other people hear it differently – but the way I hear it is “I have the right to make my own decisions. I have the right to make my own rules.” — Jabe Bloom

@kenny_baas @[email protected] Autonomy can be compulsive Photo by Viktor Mui
on Flckr

@kenny_baas @[email protected] Photo by Etienne Girardet on Unsplash

@kenny_baas @[email protected] Positive effect from 100% side L Positive effect
from 100% side R Negative effect from 100% side R Negative effect from 100% side L Whole Part Polarity map - based on Barry Johnsons work Uniqueness Connectedness Sameness Isolation

@kenny_baas @[email protected] Photo by Martin Rancourt on Unsplash Autonomy on
several levels > Code level > Team Level > Teams level > Organisation level

@kenny_baas @[email protected] Autonomy in code No silver bullets and golden
hammers Photo by James Harrison on Unsplash

@kenny_baas @[email protected] https://martinfowler.com/articles/2021- test- shapes.html

@kenny_baas @[email protected] Business stakeholder Domain Experts Other roles involved in
designing and building software Code Represents Communicates Communicates Software Team Communicates Tests Represents

from 100% side R Negative effect from 100% side R Negative effect from 100% side L Feeling secure to change the code Cascading changes Sociable Solitary Test in isolation Fast feedback on failure Failure of bug in other class Slower feedback on failure Coherent testing No Mocking coupling Cascading changes on mock/stub Loss of "unit of work" cohesiveness Polarity map - based on Barry Johnsons work

@kenny_baas @[email protected] Autonomy in teams Individuals and interactions over processes
and tools

@kenny_baas @[email protected] Like me, please Photo by Judith Prins on
Unsplash

@kenny_baas @[email protected] Autonomy IS NOT dictatorship Photo by GR Stocks
on Unsplash

@kenny_baas @[email protected] Autonomy is not an excuse to hold something
against someone Photo by Pop & Zebra on Unsplash

@kenny_baas @[email protected] Sunken Cost Fallacy: Why change now? We’ve already
wasted so much money. Photo by NESA by Makers on Unsplash

from 100% side R Negative effect from 100% side R Negative effect from 100% side L Always in a releasable state Bugs, Bugs, Bugs Trunk based Actions/heuristics Signals/observations Signals/observations Actions/heuristics Branch Polarity map - based on Barry Johnsons work Freedom Individual creativity Care for the whole Shared mental model in code team effort Loss of cohesive mental models Excessive conformity Compete to change the same code When this happens we need to take action Ensemble/mob or pair programming

@kenny_baas @[email protected] Autonomy between teams The “Ivory Towers” Photo by
Product School on Unsplash

@kenny_baas @[email protected] We should be thinking about limiting the size
of software, services, and products to the cognitive load that the team can handle.

@kenny_baas @[email protected] Credits: Eric Evans & https://github.com/ddd- crew/context- mapping

@kenny_baas @[email protected] Photo by Ismael Bashiri on Unsplash Enabling teams
actively avoid becoming “ivory towers”of knowledge, dictating technical choices for other teams to follow.

from 100% side R Negative effect from 100% side R Negative effect from 100% side L Customer centric Tower of babel Collaboration Actions/heuristics Signals/observations Signals/observations Actions/heuristics Isolation Freedom Team Creativity Work ahead of new technology Uniqueness Connectedness synergy of the whole Care for the customer Loss of equality Isolation Selfish Sameness High cognitive load Excessive comformity

@kenny_baas @[email protected] Heavily focusses on one of the poles

@kenny_baas @[email protected] Autonomy in organizations A continuous negotiation Photo by
Mike Kononov on Unsplash

@kenny_baas @[email protected] Vision, boundaries, or both? Photo by Annie Spratt
on Unsplash

@kenny_baas @[email protected] Vision, boundaries, or both? Photo by Tingey injury
on Unsplash

@kenny_baas @[email protected] Leadership is not Dictatorship It requires us to
balance power and Love Photo by Tingey injury on Unsplash

@kenny_baas @[email protected] We gave them autonomy. Why aren’t they doing
anything with it? Photo by Lucas van Oort on Unsplash

@kenny_baas @[email protected] When there’s autonomy everywhere, do we still need
managers and architects? Photo by Miguel a Amutio on Unsplash

from 100% side R Negative effect from 100% side R Negative effect from 100% side L Agency Indecisiveness Centralised decisions Actions/heuristics Signals/observations Signals/observations Actions/heuristics Decentralised decisions Empowering teams Spontaneuous Teams acting decisively Empowering the organisation Organisation can coordinate Organisation acting decisively Everyone feels included Organisation cannot coordinate FOMO and feeling left out Burden of consequences for mistakes Disempowering the teams no creativity or spontaneous Lack of team accountability queues

@kenny_baas @[email protected] Patterns of autonomy and isolation are fractal. If
you find one at one layer, you can bet you can find the same at other layers as well. Photo by Martin Rancourt on Unsplash

@kenny_baas @[email protected] Autonomy, is that what we really want? >
Define and negotiate boundaries continuously > Manage polarities

@kenny_baas @[email protected] Leave the judging to the cats!

Autonomy, is that what we really want? @ RBI AED

Autonomy, is that what we really want? @ RBI AED

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