Beyond Autonomous Teams

Transcript

1. BEYOND AUTONOMOUS TEAMS ESSENCE AND ACCIDENCE IN ORGANIZATIONS DELIVERING VALUE Simon Rohrer
2. PART 1 WHO ARE WE? (OR, TO AUTONOMY – AND BEYOND)
3. WHO ARE WE? INDUSTRIES RELIANT ON SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT TRADING PLATFORM COMPANY TECHNOLOGY DEPARTMENTS AMSTERDAM OFFICE SIMON & MARCEL
4. THE MEN TOLD US THAT IN ORDER TO ADAPT WITH BEST ADVANTAGE… THEY HAD EVOLVED A FORM OF WORK ORGANIZATION BASED ON PRACTICES COMMON IN UNMECHANIZED DAYS WHEN SMALL GROUPS, WHO TOOK RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE ENTIRE CYCLE, HAD WORKED AUTONOMOUSLY. THESE PRACTICES HAD DISAPPEARED AS THE PITS BECAME MORE PROGRESSIVELY MORE MECHANIZED… AND LED TO AGGREGATES OF MEN… HAVING THEIR JOBS BROKEN DOWN INTO ONE-MAN-ONE-TASK ROLES, WHILE COORDINATION AND CONTROL HAD BEEN EXTERNALIZED IN SUPERVISION, WHICH HAD BECOME COERCIVE. NOW THEY HAD FOUND A WAY AT A HIGHER LEVEL OF MECHANIZATION OF RECOVERING THE GROUP COHESION AND SELF REGULATION THEY HAD LOST AND OF ADVANCING THEIR POWER TO PARTICIPATE IN DECISIONS CONCERNING THEIR WORK ARRANGEMENTS. FOR THIS REASON THE BOOK WHICH OVERVIEWED THE TAVISTOCK MINING STUDIES WAS SUBTITLED, ‘THE LOSS, REDISCOVERY AND TRANSFORMATION OF A WORK TRADITION’
5. → →
6. CONTAINER CONCEPTS THICK CONCEPTS SUSTAINABILITY COURAGEOUS QUALITY GENEROUS “AS A FULL SERVICE ORGANIZATION, WE PROVIDE A TOTAL SOLUTION THAT SUITS YOU” “EVALUATIVE AND SUBSTANTIALLY DESCRIPTIVE AT THE SAME TIME” AUTONOMY https://onderzoekshuis.nl/ blog/containerbegrippenvermijden-voor-helderecommunicatie https://iep.utm.edu/thickco/
7. “TEAMS NEED AGENCY — BUT THEY ALSO NEED TO UNDERSTAND THE WEB OF DEPENDENCIES THEY SIT WITHIN. A 20-PERSON STARTUP CAN MAKE ALMOST ANY DECISION FREELY. A BANK WITH 2,000 PEOPLE IS A DIFFERENT GAME. A GLOBAL COMPANY WITH 300,000 IS ANOTHER GAME ENTIRELY WHAT TEAMS ACTUALLY NEED ISN'T UNLIMITED AUTONOMY BUT CLEAR BOUNDARIES WITHIN WHICH THEY CAN ACT FREELY.” João Rosa, https://aardling.eu/en/insights/the-learningorganisation-with-joao-rosa (2026)
9. PART 2 FROM PRODUCT TO VALUE
11. QUALITY FLOW CUSTOMERS COLLEAGUES SECURITY CITIZENS PRIVACY CLIMATE MINIMUM VIABLE COMPLIANCE
12. BETTER PRODUCTS FASTER BETTER VALUE FASTER BETTER VALUE SOONER BETTER VALUE SOONER, SAFER, HAPPIER
13. PRODUCT TEAMS
16. “THE VALUE STREAM IN THE PRODUCTION OF PHYSICAL GOODS IS OPTIMISED TO PRODUCE THE SAME PHYSICAL THING MANY TIMES. THE VALUE STREAM IN THE PRODUCTION OF SOFTWARE ONLY EVER PRODUCES A THING ONCE!” Chris Matts, https://theitriskmanager.com/2024/11/09/value-streams-and-thefailureship/ (2024)
17. Chris Matts, https://theitriskmanager.com/2024/11/09/value-streams-and-thefailureship/ (2024)
18. COST CENTRES PRODUCT TEAMS VALUE STREAMS VALUE CENTRES
19. SQUADS VALUE CENTRES
20. TRIBES VALUE CENTRES
21. PODS VALUE CENTRES
22. CANOES VALUE CENTRES
23. DEPARTMENTS VALUE CENTRES
24. VALUE CENTRE BANK VALUE CENTRE INVESTMENT BANK VALUE CENTRE GLOBAL MARKETS VALUE CENTRE EQUITIES LISTED DERIVATIVES VALUE CENTRE CASH EQUITIES VALUE CENTRE HUMAN RESOURCES SHARED SERVICE VALUE CENTRE RECRUITMENT SHARED SERVICE VALUE CENTRE Jonathan Smart, with Zsolt Berend, Myles Ogilvie, & Simon Rohrer, Sooner Safer Happier (2020)
25. CASH EQUITIES VALUE CENTRE
26. LISTED DERIVATIVES VALUE CENTRE CASH EQUITIES VALUE CENTRE
27. EQUITIES VALUE CENTRE LISTED DERIVATIVES VALUE CENTRE CASH EQUITIES VALUE CENTRE
28. GLOBAL MARKETS EQUITIES VALUE CENTRE VALUE CENTRE LISTED DERIVATIVES VALUE CENTRE CASH EQUITIES VALUE CENTRE
29. VALUE CENTRE GLOBAL MARKETS VALUE CENTRE EQUITIES LISTED DERIVATIVES VALUE CENTRE CASH EQUITIES VALUE CENTRE HUMAN RESOURCES SHARED SERVICE VALUE CENTRE RECRUITMENT SHARED SERVICE VALUE CENTRE
30. VALUE CENTRE INVESTMENT BANK VALUE CENTRE GLOBAL MARKETS VALUE CENTRE EQUITIES LISTED DERIVATIVES VALUE CENTRE CASH EQUITIES VALUE CENTRE HUMAN RESOURCES SHARED SERVICE VALUE CENTRE RECRUITMENT SHARED SERVICE VALUE CENTRE
31. VALUE CENTRE BANK VALUE CENTRE INVESTMENT BANK VALUE CENTRE GLOBAL MARKETS VALUE CENTRE EQUITIES LISTED DERIVATIVES VALUE CENTRE CASH EQUITIES VALUE CENTRE HUMAN RESOURCES SHARED SERVICE VALUE CENTRE RECRUITMENT SHARED SERVICE VALUE CENTRE
32. “TEAMS NEED AGENCY — BUT BANK THEY ALSO NEED TO INVESTMENT BANK UNDERSTAND THE WEB OF GLOBAL MARKETS EQUITIES DEPENDENCIES THEY SIT WITHIN. LISTED DERIVATIVES A 20-PERSON STARTUP CAN MAKE ALMOST ANY DECISION CASH EQUITIES FREELY. A BANK WITH 2,000 PEOPLE IS A HUMAN RESOURCES DIFFERENT GAME. RECRUITMENT A GLOBAL COMPANY WITH 300,000 IS ANOTHER GAME ENTIRELY” VALUE CENTRE VALUE CENTRE VALUE CENTRE VALUE CENTRE VALUE CENTRE VALUE CENTRE SHARED SERVICE VALUE CENTRE SHARED SERVICE VALUE CENTRE João Rosa, https://aardling.eu/en/insights/the-learningorganisation-with-joao-rosa (2026)
33. THE WEB OF DEPENDENCIES IS THE SHAPE OF YOUR VALUE SOME OF THESE DEPENDENCIES ARE ACCIDENTAL SOME ARE ESSENTIAL
35. STORAGE IAM ELASTIC COMPUTE A PUBLIC CLOUD HYPERSCALER PORTAL DNS KUBERNETES
36. PRICING ORDERS A TRADING PLATFORM RISK & MARGIN 80 TEAMS, 1 ‘PRODUCT’ PORTFOLIO SETTLEMENT POST-TRADE CORE
37. A UNIVERSAL BANK 30,000 PEOPLE IN OPS & TECH
39. “ANY ORGANIZATION THAT DESIGNS A SYSTEM (DEFINED BROADLY) WILL PRODUCE A DESIGN WHOSE STRUCTURE IS A COPY OF THE ORGANIZATION'S COMMUNICATION STRUCTURE.” “ORGANIZATIONS THAT DESIGN SYSTEMS ARE CONSTRAINED TO PRODUCE SYSTEMS THAT REFLECT THE FINANCIAL STRUCTURES AND INCENTIVES OF THOSE ORGANIZATIONS.” “ALTHOUGH ORGANIZATIONS OSTENSIBLY DESIGN PRODUCTS, IT CAN ALSO BE ARGUED THAT PRODUCTS DESIGN ORGANISATIONS.”
40. IT’S NOT JUST YOUR SOFTWARE THAT HAS ESSENTIAL COUPLING, IT’S YOUR VALUE THIS ESSENTIAL COUPLING CONSTRAINS HOW YOU CAN ORGANISE AND HOW YOU CAN TRADE OFF BETWEEN AUTONOMY AND COHERENCE AND THIS IS ALL FRACTAL VALUE DESIGNS ORGANIZATIONS
41. PART 3 FIVE QUESTIONS
42. FIVE QUESTIONS FOR EVERY VALUE CENTRE AT EVERY LEVEL 1. WHAT VALUE AM I DELIVERING? 2. HOW DO WE COORDINATE? 3. HOW DO WE FIT TOGETHER? 4. WHAT’S OUT THERE FOR US? 5. WHO ARE WE?
43. QUESTIONS & CONVERSATIONS ‘I’ QUESTIONS 1. WHAT VALUE AM I DELIVERING? 1. WHAT VALUE AM I DELIVERING? 1. WHAT VALUE AM I DELIVERING? 1. WHAT VALUE AM I DELIVERING? ‘WE’ QUESTIONS 2. HOW DO WE COORDINATE? 3. HOW DO WE FIT TOGETHER? 4. WHAT’S OUT THERE FOR US? 1. WHAT VALUE AM I DELIVERING? 1. WHAT VALUE AM I DELIVERING? 5. WHO ARE WE?
44. QUESTIONS & CONVERSATIONS ‘I’ QUESTIONS 1. WHAT VALUE AM I DELIVERING? 1. WHAT VALUE AM I DELIVERING? 1. WHAT VALUE AM I DELIVERING? ‘WE’ QUESTIONS 2. HOW DO WE COORDINATE? 3. HOW DO WE FIT TOGETHER? 4. WHAT’S OUT THERE FOR US? 5. WHO ARE WE?
45. QUESTIONS & CONVERSATIONS ‘I’ QUESTIONS CASH EQUITIES 1. WHAT VALUE AM I DELIVERING? LISTED DERIVATIVES 1. WHAT VALUE AM I DELIVERING? ‘WE’ QUESTIONS 2. HOW DO WE COORDINATE? 3. HOW DO WE FIT TOGETHER? 4. WHAT’S OUT THERE FOR US? 5. WHO ARE WE? EQUITIES LISTED DERIVATIVES CASH EQUITIES
46. PURPOSE ENVIRONMENT VALUE
47. PURPOSE 5. WHO ARE WE? ENVIRONMENT 4. WHAT’S OUT THERE FOR US? 3. HOW DO WE FIT TOGETHER? 2. HOW DO WE COORDINATE VALUE 1. WHAT VALUE AM I DELIVERING 1. WHAT VALUE AM I DELIVERING 1. WHAT VALUE AM I DELIVERING 1. WHAT VALUE AM I DELIVERING 1.WHAT VALUE AM I DELIVERING
48. PURPOSE 5. WHO ARE WE? ENVIRONMENT 4. WHAT’S OUT THERE FOR US? 3. HOW DO WE FIT TOGETHER? 2. HOW DO WE COORDINATE VALUE 1. WHAT VALUE AM I DELIVERING 1. WHAT VALUE AM I DELIVERING 1. WHAT VALUE AM I DELIVERING 1. WHAT VALUE AM I DELIVERING 1.WHAT VALUE AM I DELIVERING
49. PURPOSE 5. WHO ARE WE? ENVIRONMENT 4. WHAT’S OUT THERE FOR US? 3. HOW DO WE FIT TOGETHER? 2. HOW DO WE COORDINATE VALUE 1. WHAT VALUE AM I DELIVERING 1. WHAT VALUE AM I DELIVERING 1. WHAT VALUE AM I DELIVERING 1. WHAT VALUE AM I DELIVERING 1.WHAT VALUE AM I DELIVERING
50. PURPOSE 5. WHO ARE WE? ENVIRONMENT EQUITIES LISTED DERIVATIVES 4. WHAT’S OUT THERE FOR US? 3. HOW DO WE FIT TOGETHER? CASH EQUITIES 2. HOW DO WE COORDINATE VALUE 1. WHAT VALUE AM I DELIVERING 1. WHAT VALUE AM I DELIVERING 1. WHAT VALUE AM I DELIVERING 1. WHAT VALUE AM I DELIVERING 1.WHAT VALUE AM I DELIVERING
51. PURPOSE ENVIRONMENT VALUE
52. PURPOSE ENVIRONMENT VALUE THE PURPOSE OF THE SYSTEM IS WHAT IT DOES
53. THE PURPOSE OF THE SYSTEM IS WHAT IT DOES WHO ARE WE? WHAT WE DO WHAT WE DO WHAT WE DO WHAT WE DO WHAT WE DO
55. PART 4
56. AUTONOMY COHERENCE
57. “…THE ANSWER TO THE QUESTION, ‘WHAT IS AN ORGANIZATION MADE OF?’ IS SIMPLE: ORGANIZATIONS”
58. ORDER DISORDER
59. “IN EVERYDAY BUSINESS LIFE, MANAGERS [ARE] SURROUNDED BY A WORLD THAT IS QUITE CLEARLY CHARACTERIZED AT THE SAME TIME BY STABILITY AND INSTABILITY, PREDICTABILITY AND UNPREDICTABILITY, REGULARITY AND IRREGULARITY, CONTENTION AND CONSENSUS, INTENTION AND CHANCE. THE WORLD THEY FACE IS A PARADOX: INTERTWINED ORDER AND DISORDER.” ORDER ALIGNMENT DISORDER COHERENCE Ralph Stacey, Managing the Unknowable: Strategic Boundaries Between Order and Chaos in Organizations (1992)
60. INTERTWINED ORDER AND DISORDER ORDER ALIGNMENT DISORDER COHERENCE GOVERNING CONSTRAINTS ENABLING CONSTRAINTS ALIGN EARLY COHERE LATER
61. POST-STRUCTURALISM PRAGMATISM
62. DERRIDA DEMING
63. “INGREDIENTS NOT RECIPES”
64. BOTH AND
65. PART 5 FROM AUTONOMY TO AGENCY + COHERENCE
66. FROM AUTONOMY TO CAT SWETEL JABE BLOOM INTER-CONNECTED SELF CARE FOR OTHERS AGENCY COMMUNION ALICIA JUARRERO SELF-ASSERTION FRED & MERRELYN EMERY ELBOW-ROOM INTEGRATION HOMONOMY AGENCY COHERENCE CAROL GILLIGAN DAVID BAKAN ARTHUR KOESTLER ANDRAS ANGYAL
67. “DANIEL PINK NAMES THE INTRINSIC MOTIVATIONS: AUTONOMY, MASTERY AND PURPOSE. DECI AND RYAN IN [SELF DETERMINATION] THEORY, CALL THEM AUTONOMY, COMPETENCE AND RELATEDNESS. […] I PREFER THE ORIGINAL SDT NAMES FOR THESE MOTIVATIONS WITH THEIR HINT OF THE GROUP OR TEAM ABOUT RELATEDNESS IN PARTICULAR.” Richard W Bown, Daniel Pink’s “Drive” and what Self-Determination Theory (SDT) really says (2023)
68. CONTAINER CONCEPTS THICK CONCEPTS
69. ESSENTIAL BALANCES AGENCY INDIVIDUAL SENSEMAKING (WEICK) LEADER: TEAM LEADER: TRIBE LEADER: DEPARTMENT COHERENCE LEADER: CEO SENSEGIVING (GIOIA & CHITTIPEDDI)
70. STRATEGY & EXECUTION FEEDBACK LOOPS INDIVIDUAL LEADER: TEAM ROGER MARTIN CHOICE CASCADE LEADER: TRIBE LEADER: DEPARTMENT LEADER: CEO HOSHIN KANRI CATCHBALL
71. POLICY & GOVERNANCE INDIVIDUAL LEADER: TEAM LEADER: TRIBE ORDER ALIGNMENT GOVERNING CONSTRAINTS LEADER: DEPARTMENT LEADER: CEO DISORDER COHERENCE ENABLING CONSTRAINTS
73. WHAT TIME FRAMES DO WE THINK IN? CEO: YEARS DEPARTMENT HEADS: QUARTERS TEAMS: WEEKS PEOPLE: DAYS AI AGENTS: HOURS
74. WHAT TIME FRAMES DO WE THINK IN? HELICOPTER? KITE SEA FISH CLAM
76. PART 6 AGENCY IN THE AGE OF AI AGENTS
78. “HUMAN CONTROL DEPENDS ON AGENCY […] WE WANTED TO COME UP WITH A MEASURE THAT TRACKS AGENCY OVER TIME […] WHEN ARE AI SYSTEMS NOW ABLE TO DO LONG, COMPLEX ENOUGH ACTIONS BY THEMSELVES” fi Chris Painter, METR, “Understanding the Most Viral Chart in Arti cial Intelligence” Odd Lots Podcast (2026)
79. TOO ANGLOCENTRIC? ENGLISH GERMAN DUTCH FRENCH SPANISH HUNGARIAN SOCIOTECHNICAL AUTONOMOUS WORK GROUPS TEILAUTONOME ARBEITSGRUPPE (SEMI-AUTONOMOUS) ZELFSTURENDE TEAMS (SELF-STEERING) (ABSORBED WITHOUT DISTINCT TERM) PRE-EMPTED BY AUTOGESTIÓN (NEVER RECEIVED IRON CURTAIN) AGILE TEAMS SELF-ORGANIZING (MANIFESTO / SCRUM GUIDE) AUTONOMOUS SELBSTORGANISIERT ZELFORGANISEREND AUTO-ORGANISÉ AUTOORGANIZADO ÖNSZERVEZŐDŐ HUMAN AGENCY AGENCY HANDLUNGSFÄHIGKEIT (ACTION-ABILITY) HANDELINGSBEKWAAMHEID (ACTION-CAPACITY) AGENTIVITÉ (NEOLOGISM) / CAPACITÉ D'AGIR CAPACIDAD DE ACCIÓN (CAPACITY FOR ACTION) CSELEKVŐKÉPESSÉG (CAPACITY-TO-ACT) AI AGENCY AI AGENT KI-AGENT (LOANWORD) AI-AGENT (LOANWORD) AGENT IA (LOANWORD) AGENTE DE IA (COGNATE) MI-ÁGENS (LOANWORD) COHERENCE KOHÄRENZ / ZUSAMMENHALT (HOLDINGTOGETHER) SAMENHANG (HANGING-TOGETHER) COHÉRENCE (COGNATE) COHERENCIA (COGNATE) ÖSSZEFÜGGÉS (TOGETHER-HANGING) COHERENCE
80. AUTONOMOUS TEAMS (SELF-LAW) TEAMS WITH AGENCY SELF-ORGANIZING TEAMS
81. QUESTIONS & CONVERSATIONS (AGENT EDITION) ‘I’ QUESTIONS 🤖 🤖 🤖 🤖 🤖 1. WHAT VALUE AM I DELIVERING? 1. WHAT VALUE AM I DELIVERING? 1. WHAT VALUE AM I DELIVERING? 1. WHAT VALUE AM I DELIVERING? 1. WHAT VALUE AM I DELIVERING? ‘WE’ QUESTIONS 2. HOW DO WE COORDINATE? 3. HOW DO WE FIT TOGETHER? 4. WHAT’S OUT THERE FOR US? 5. WHO ARE WE? 🤖 🤖 🤖 🤖 🤖
82. “WHAT TEAMS ACTUALLY NEED ISN'T UNLIMITED AUTONOMY BUT CLEAR BOUNDARIES WITHIN WHICH THEY CAN ACT FREELY.” CONTEXT + HARNESS AGENCY = CAPACITY TO ACT João Rosa, https://aardling.eu/en/insights/the-learningorganisation-with-joao-rosa (2026)
83. CONTEXT + HARNESS SKILL. MD SKILL. MD WHOLE ORG SKILL. MD DEPT. SKILL. MD T-O-T TEAM INDIVIDUAL SKILL. MD
85. PART 7 WHO ARE WE?
86. THREE MOVES FROM TO PRODUCT VALUE AUTONOMY AGENCY+ COHERENCE AUTONOMOUS PRODUCT TEAMS ORGANISATION OF NESTED + NETWORKED VALUE CENTRES
87. WE ARE AN ORGANISATION OF NESTED + NETWORKED VALUE CENTRES WITH AGENCY + COHERENCE
88. WE ARE AN ORGANISATION OF NESTED + NETWORKED VALUE CENTRES WITH AGENCY + COHERENCE Source: https://integrationtraining.co.uk/
89. WE ARE AN ORGANISATION OF NESTED + NETWORKED VALUE CENTRES WITH AGENCY + COHERENCE SETS POLICY THAT AFFECTS MENTORS LEADS COMMUNITY OF PRACTICE 🤖 🤖 🤖 🤖 🤖 🤖 🤖 🤖 🤖 🤖 🤖 🤖 🤖 🤖 🤖 🤖 🤖 🤖
90. THE SHAPE OF OUR VALUE DETERMINES OUR TRADEOFFS BETWEEN AGENCY AND COHERENCE VALUE CENTRE BANK VALUE CENTRE INVESTMENT BANK VALUE CENTRE GLOBAL MARKETS VALUE CENTRE EQUITIES LISTED DERIVATIVES VALUE CENTRE CASH EQUITIES VALUE CENTRE HUMAN RESOURCES SHARED SERVICE VALUE CENTRE RECRUITMENT SHARED SERVICE VALUE CENTRE
91. WE ALL HAVE A PURPOSE – THAT’S WHAT WE HAVE AGENCY TO DO THAT’S NOT STATIC; IT’S NOT CASCADED TOPDOWN, NOT EVEN NECESSARILY ALIGNED – IT’S CONTINUALLY NEGOTIATED UP AND DOWN BUT HOPEFULLY MOST OF THE TIME IT’S SOMEWHAT COHERENT WHO ARE WE? WHAT WE DO WHAT WE DO WHAT WE DO WHAT WE DO WHAT WE DO
92. WHO ARE WE? HUMANITY VALUE DEVELOPMENT PROFESSIONALS SOFTWARE ENGINEERING COMMUNITY CRAFT CONFERENCE PURPLE STAGE