1. For Session 3
1.1. Forward and Intro
1.1.1. 1. What is the "VUCA world"?
1.1.1.1. V
1.1.1.1.1. Volatile
1.1.1.2. U
1.1.1.2.1. Uncertain
1.1.1.3. C
1.1.1.3.1. Complex
1.1.1.4. A
1.1.1.4.1. Ambiguous
1.1.1.5. Antecedents of "VUCA world" construct
1.1.1.5.1. Chron.
1.1.2. 2 According to the Forward, what are the new management principles essential to success in this world?
1.1.2.1. transparency
1.1.2.2. competence
1.1.2.3. localization
1.1.2.4. upside
1.2. According to the Intro,
1.2.1. 3. What are organizations managed by such principles capable of delivering?
1.2.1.1. instant, intimate, frictionless value on a large scale
1.2.1.2. "intimate" and "on a large scale"
1.2.1.2.1. via
1.2.2. 4. Are new technologies and/or AI the basis of these capabilities? If not, what is the basis of their capabilities?
1.2.2.1. No
1.2.2.2. "agility ...
1.2.2.3. with which organizations understand and adapt
1.2.2.4. the technologies to meet the customers' real needs."
1.3. According to Chapter 1, More Value for Less work,
1.3.1. 5. What are the core characteristics of agile organizations? In addition to names, prepare to give a short explanation also.
1.3.1.1. The Law of the Small Team
1.3.1.2. The Law of the Customer
1.3.1.3. The Law of the Network
1.3.1.4. e.g.
1.3.1.4.1. Barclays
1.3.1.4.2. Spotify
1.4. Re Boxes 1 - 2 Agile Manifesto and Glossary
1.4.1. 6. The Agile Manifesto was written in 2001. Did the software developers who wrote it care about planning, process, documentation, and/or contracts?
1.4.1.1. Yes.
1.4.2. 7. What did they care about more?
1.4.2.1. people and interactions more than processes and tools
1.4.2.2. working software more than documentation
1.4.2.3. customer collaboration more than contract negotiation
1.4.2.4. responding to change over following a plan
1.5. 1. Re Boxes 1 - 2 Agile Manifesto & Glossary, 22-24
1.5.1. 8. make an educated guess about when and where all 12 trends began, and b) put the dozen of them in rough chronological order, by time of origin. Time permitting, we will go over this sequence (and family tree as well) in a session .
1.5.1.1. Trends in Mgmt
1.5.1.1.1. Roots and Family Tree of Mgmt. Trends
1.5.1.1.2. Trends Chron. Order
1.5.1.1.3. Trends By Location
2. For Session 6
3. For Session 4
3.1. 1. p. 27 - 31 Three very important new product development efforts have been successful largely because they were organized by the “Law of the Small Team”. What three? P. 29 What is the Law of the Small Team, in a sentence?
3.1.1. p. 29
3.1.1.1. The idea that huge VUCA problems and/or opportunities should be broken down into small chunks, and each should worked through by a small diverse team, in short iterative cycles, based on continuous feedback, from stakeholders, esp. end users.
3.1.1.1.1. video link
3.1.2. 3 product dev. efforts are all hardware
3.1.2.1. iPhone
3.1.2.2. Sweden's Gripen Fighter Jet
3.1.2.3. Tesla Model S
3.2. 2. P. 32-33 In brief, what are the (largely Japanese) roots of this law?
3.2.1. Nonaka & Takeuchi's 1986 article "The New New Product Development Game"
3.2.1.1. uses the "scrum" metaphor from rugby
3.3. 3. P. 34 - 36 What are the common practices of small teams? (Be able to paraphrase each. Notice contrasts with these practices and those of work groups managed by traditional managers (e.g., in Japan, bucho, kacho, etc. )
3.3.1. 1. Work in small batches
3.3.2. 2. Small, cross-functional teams
3.3.3. 3. Limited work in progress
3.3.4. 4 Autonomous teams
3.3.5. 5. Getting to "done"
3.3.6. 6. Work without interruption
3.3.7. 7. Daily standups
3.3.8. 8. Radical transparency
3.3.9. 9. Customer feedback each cycle
3.3.10. 10. Retrospective reviews
3.4. 4. P 37 What are the 5 dynamics that managers of small teams should support?
3.4.1. 1. Psychological safety
3.4.2. 2. Dependability (counting on each other as needed)
3.4.3. 3. Structure and clarity
3.4.4. 4. (Personally) meaningful work
3.4.5. 5. Impact of work (belief in connection to company strategy and effectiveness)
3.5. 5. P 38-42 What are the 4 “striking features” of the corporate culture and approach to management of Menlo Innovations?
3.5.1. 1. short 1-week work cycles
3.5.2. 2. staffing for collaboration -
3.5.2.1. speed dating
3.5.2.2. selected applicans work
3.5.2.2.1. 1 day
3.5.2.2.2. 1 week
3.5.2.2.3. 1 month
3.5.2.2.4. then they are hired or not
3.5.3. 3. All work is done in pairs
3.5.4. 4. Use of (high-tech) anthropology (so that software doesn't require user manuals or help desks)0
3.6. 6. P. 45 - 48 According to Denning, how does the 21st century “law” of small teams” differ from the enthusiasm for teams in the mid-to-late 20th century? (Very interesting point, and one that I would agree with, having managed a lot of teams in the mid-to-late 20th century.)
3.6.1. language
3.6.1.1. 20th century team
3.6.1.1.1. romantic and hopeful
3.6.1.2. 21st century agile team
3.6.1.2.1. practical, everyday
3.6.2. assumptions about problems
3.6.2.1. 20th
3.6.2.1.1. problems are "hard" but frameable, solvable using steady objectivity and analysis
3.6.2.2. 21
3.6.2.2.1. problems are VUCA; might not be solvable, frames change constantly, must be "gotten in to" and "played with others", like a game
3.6.3. technology
3.6.3.1. 20th
3.6.3.1.1. standalone computing and local area networks kept problem solving teams sequestered, separate from other stakeholders and perspectives; privacy was possible and useful but groupthink was difficult to avoid
3.6.3.2. 21st
3.6.3.2.1. cloud technologies opens problem solving teams to the world; privacy may not be possible or useful (c.f. Wikipedia)
3.7. 7. Practically speaking, what does this law mean for managers? What “competencies” would such managers have? (“Competencies” in a business context, typically means “awareness, knowledge, skills, and attitude.”)
3.7.1. p. 47 (e.g.)
3.7.1.1. able to
3.7.1.1.1. deliver value to customers continuously
3.7.1.1.2. recognize and use expertise of others
3.7.1.1.3. remove obstacles to the team
3.7.1.1.4. enable team to work without interruption
3.7.1.1.5. solve problems in VUCA world
4. For Session 5
4.1. In Chapter 3, Denning discusses what he considers two epoch-making changes in humanity’s view of itself in the universe.
4.1.1. What, in your own words, are they?
4.1.1.1. paradigm shifts (p. 67)
4.1.1.1.1. transformations in the way people and organizations experience and interact with the world
4.1.2. Who were the innovators? When did they occur?
4.1.2.1. Copernicus
4.1.2.1.1. 1539 and years following
4.1.2.2. Peter Drucker
4.1.2.2.1. 1954 and years following
4.1.3. What does he call these two innovations?
4.1.3.1. the Copernican Revolution
4.1.3.2. the Copernican Revolution in management
4.1.3.2.1. power in the marketplace shifted from the seller to buyer
4.2. The short epigraph at the beginning of the chapter suggests a “lifecycle” as it were, of major innovations. What is it? Why do you think the author chose this epigraph?
4.2.1. Lifecycle of big innovations
4.2.1.1. Stage 1: Ideas ridiculed
4.2.1.2. Stage 2: Ideas violently opposed
4.2.1.3. Stage 3: Ideas accepted as self-evident
4.2.2. To explain lifecycle of Law of the Customer/"Copernican Revolution in Mgmt"
4.3. Denning argues that firms succeed in our VUCA context because they have learned the "Law of the Customer". What are some characteristics of such firms? (p. 54)
4.3.1. 1. There is a shared goal of delighting the customer.
4.3.2. 2. Top mgmt. takes responsibility for ensuring enthusiasm for delighting the customer throughout the organization.
4.3.3. 3. The firm aspires to be the best at what it does.
4.3.4. 4. Everyone in the organization has a clear line to the customer.
4.3.5. 5. The firm ensures it has accurate and thorough knowledge of the customer.
4.3.6. 6. Staff members are empowered to take decisions.
4.3.7. 7. The firm's structure changes with the marketplace.
4.3.8. 8. Relationships are interactive, vertically, horizontally, internally, and externally
4.3.9. 9. Back office transactions are aligned to serve the customer.
4.3.10. 10. Value for customers must be monetizable for the organization.
4.4. Practically speaking, what does this law mean for an individual manager? What “competencies” would such a manager have? (“Competencies” in a business context, typically means “awareness, skills, knowledge, and attitude.) (e.g. pp. 70 ff.)
4.4.1. Managers who obey the Law of the Customer have these "competencies" (or "practices): they....
4.4.1.1. "target" (clearly define) core customers.
4.4.1.2. Focus on the simplest thing that will delight the customer
4.4.1.3. constantly experiment. Because this is more viable than assuming you know and do what is "best".
4.4.1.4. partner, esp. with start ups. They don't try to do everything themselves.
4.4.1.5. increase product malleability (by basing it on software as much as possible)
4.4.1.6. innovate in short stages. Lauch with a minimum value propositions, then selectively add features based on customer response/values
4.4.1.7. Evaluate. Don't just add features. Make sure they really delight your core customers.
4.4.1.8. Be willing to disappoint. Don't try to do everything, even for your core customers.
4.4.1.9. Deliver value faster. Be as close to "instant" as possible.
4.4.1.10. Customize. Tailor or personalize products and services relentlessly.