THE GROUPISHNESS OF GROUPS

Agile Australia 2017

An exploration into some behaviours in groups

KATY ROWETT

The individual is a group animal at war, both with the group and with those aspects of his personality that constitute groupishness

Wilfred Bion 1897-1975

TEAM DYNAMICS WHAT LAYS BENEATH

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Any resemblance to person, persons or organisations, living or

dead, is purely coincidental.

Authorised by Katy Rowett on behalf of the Katy Rowett career protection society

ENTER THE SCAPEGOAT

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TIPS FOR DEALING WITH SCAPEGOATING

Use the agile practices and be disciplined Make feedback a part of the DNA

Leaders, support and serve your teams Manage risks proactively

Be creative with distributed team practices Read up on scapegoating in teams

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A soldier cries out ‘The general has lost his head’ and thereupon all Aryssians take flight. The loss of the leader in some sense or another, the birth of misgivings about him,

brings on an outbreak of panic, though the danger remains the same; the mutual ties between the members of the

group disappear, as a rule, at the same time as the tie with the leader. The group vanishes into dust.

1585 The beheading of General Holofernes

in Freud 1921

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THE SUPER HUMAN LEADER

THE SUPER LEADER

Be gifted with lots of feedback

Learn from great leaders

Read lots of worthwhile books

Apply your learning

Learn coaching skills & continually practice

Acknowledge that you are human

Be authentic

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BEAM ME UP SCOTTY

TIPS FOR AVOIDANCE & CORRUPTION OF TASK

Clarify goals and tasks with stakeholders

Have the crucial conversations

Use the agile practices and be disciplined

Make feedback a part of the DNA

Effective KPIs (monitor behavioural consequences)

Break down the task into bite size little pieces

Inject some humour (appropriately ;) and team fun

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SOMETIMES A CIGAR IS JUST A CIGAR

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ADDITIONAL READING

• Books• TheArtofAuthenticity,Thacker,K.• CrucialConversations,Grenny,J.etal• UpfromScapegoating,Coleman,A.• AgileITOrganisationalDesign,Narayan,S.• TheLastLecture,Pausch,R.• WhatGotYouHere,WontGetYouThere,

Gladwell,M.• TheBrainthatChangesItself,Doidge,N.• TheSpeedofTrust,Covey,S.• QuietLeadership,Rock,D.• Outliers,Gladwell,M.• RadicalCandor,Scott,K.• 5DysfunctionsofaTeam,Lencioni,P.

• Papers• HowtoScapegoattheLeader,

Thomas,M.• Scapegoatinginsmallgroups,Eagle&

Newton.• Anxiety&theNewOrder,Kranz,J.• PreparingforFeedback,Block,P.• SCARFModel,Rock,D.• InPraiseofFollowers,Kelley,R.

Katy Rowettkrowett@thoughtworks.com

THANK YOU

Illustrations by Milly Rowett Dev@REA