We preach a lot about teams self-organizing around work with Agile teams forming, planning, and chunking the work that they do. But why does these Agile concepts stop short once HR is involved? Most organizations rely on some form of manager approval of rewards (be it chocolate or cash). Individuals are rewarded based on their individual objectives but then told to commit fully to an "Agile team." This talk will explore what happens when you take the hierarchy out of the reward system and how that changes group behavior.

You’ve been a program or project manager for years and now all of sudden you’ve been asked to be a scrum master on an Agile project.  With less of an emphasis on controlling scope, what exactly do you do now?  This talk will share and explore various ways for newly minted scrum masters to contribute to the value of their project team by taking you through various scenarios that scrum masters encounter on a daily basis.

Teal is a natural extension of the Agile mindset, but who would have thought flattening the hierarchy could be this difficult! If Agile removes impediments and empowers teams to deliver more frequently and more valuable offerings, teal removes organizational impediments (hierarchy built on lack of trust ) and fosters empowerment by localizing decision making, re-centering activities around an evolutionary purpose, and aligning the personal with the organizational (wholeness). But what actually happens when you put rubber to road and empower teams to recruit, hire, fire, and determine each other’s bonuses? Well, things get a little messy. If you’re patient, set aside short-term outcomes, and look to long-term gain, it can prove deeply rewarding. I’ll take you on our own evolutionary journey from green to teal and share with you lessons learned along the way.

If you’re curious about alternative management styles or interested in the next extension of Agile, then come sit, chat, and reflect.