A great read Jurgen, thank you for so vulnerably sharing your story. Historically I've had one foot in the Agile industry and one foot in Product and whilst there is still work to convert the late majority and laggards, Agile coaching is indeed drying up. Product on the other hand I think still has a long way to go before companies really embrace empowered product managers and teams and this is where I think Marty Cagan is gaining popularity with the "Product Operating Model" - figuring out how to introduce product patterns for re-organising teams could be an interesting addition to UnFIX.
My take (& passion) is that I believe the next evolution in management is to go deeper than we're all willing to go, to bring therapy into leadership development. With AI being confident at telling falsehoods and lacking in humanistic traits like empathy, I think now more than ever, we need to help raise the collective consciousness to divert our attention away from hyper productivity / growth onto a wellbeing & sustainability angle that, in my opinion, can only be achieved when one addresses the roots of childhood trauma and conditioning.
AI is like we've figured out how to attach a NOS cylinder to an old car that is driving in the wrong direction. Helping humans hold complex and paradoxical viewpoints, be able to hold healthy ego patterns and actually listen / care for others, to me, is not only what I believe is needed, but I think people are craving it in this new AI, remote-work, hyper productive world we live in. That's where I plan to go and using your words, it's a crazy bet.
I know I’m getting hysterical, but I have to write one more comment about UnFIX (third time’s the charm).
I know you’ve repeatedly advocated that it’s not meant to be a framework, and I respect that. But it leaves a void.
To continue with the LEGO analogy from the book:
“Pattern libraries are a bit like that box of LEGO bricks in your attic. With those bricks, you can build just about anything, but it’s up to you to figure out what works best in your context.”
That’s one way to look at LEGO’s use case — but there’s another:
LEGO isn’t just a bunch of bricks. It’s a combination of those bricks plus the vision of the end result — like that Batmobile pictured on the front of the LEGO box you bought.
In the case of organizational design and development, the missing piece is the end result: What am I going to build with UnFIX bricks? How do I paint that picture?
That’s where the challenge may lie for the user — and sure, it’s fair to expect them to figure it out on their own.
But what if UnFIX could also help by painting that vision?
Today as I was reading on the Human Robot Agent, I got struck by this idea: UnFIX as a Pattern Library offers specific fixes in certain contexts. But what if UnFIX got evolved to Pattern Language and offered not only DIY specific fixes but the whole package of designing "Organisational Habitats" - "build me a UnFIX city - mapping out dependencies as connected trains", or "build me an UnFIX village - small dense population where everyone can knock on everyone else's door without prior notice or scheduling".
I can relate to list-making, but I used to do it much more privately. As a kid, I copied the Euro Top 20 list from MTV every week into my notebook and added arrows to indicate who moved up, down, got knocked out or entered the list :)))
Here's an opinion as someone who practices agile coaching:
- You don't always have to be ahead of the curve. Only the industry insiders claim the "Agile is dying" but plenty of companies still see benefit in introducing the new or better ways of working in their own pace.
Another opinion:
- UnFIX really has a certain glow to it. I keep coming back to over and over again. Perhaps it could turn into a product one day? As it is now, it can feel like a big box of legos and one needs to guide oneself in brick-building. But what if it was a digital product like Workday or Jira? It has every element to become a product.
I copied all national pop lists (we had three in The Netherlands) and calculated the averages.
Good times.
A great read Jurgen, thank you for so vulnerably sharing your story. Historically I've had one foot in the Agile industry and one foot in Product and whilst there is still work to convert the late majority and laggards, Agile coaching is indeed drying up. Product on the other hand I think still has a long way to go before companies really embrace empowered product managers and teams and this is where I think Marty Cagan is gaining popularity with the "Product Operating Model" - figuring out how to introduce product patterns for re-organising teams could be an interesting addition to UnFIX.
My take (& passion) is that I believe the next evolution in management is to go deeper than we're all willing to go, to bring therapy into leadership development. With AI being confident at telling falsehoods and lacking in humanistic traits like empathy, I think now more than ever, we need to help raise the collective consciousness to divert our attention away from hyper productivity / growth onto a wellbeing & sustainability angle that, in my opinion, can only be achieved when one addresses the roots of childhood trauma and conditioning.
AI is like we've figured out how to attach a NOS cylinder to an old car that is driving in the wrong direction. Helping humans hold complex and paradoxical viewpoints, be able to hold healthy ego patterns and actually listen / care for others, to me, is not only what I believe is needed, but I think people are craving it in this new AI, remote-work, hyper productive world we live in. That's where I plan to go and using your words, it's a crazy bet.
Thanks Brendan! You raise good points. Agreed, the deficiencies of AI create new opportunities for humans.
I know I’m getting hysterical, but I have to write one more comment about UnFIX (third time’s the charm).
I know you’ve repeatedly advocated that it’s not meant to be a framework, and I respect that. But it leaves a void.
To continue with the LEGO analogy from the book:
“Pattern libraries are a bit like that box of LEGO bricks in your attic. With those bricks, you can build just about anything, but it’s up to you to figure out what works best in your context.”
That’s one way to look at LEGO’s use case — but there’s another:
LEGO isn’t just a bunch of bricks. It’s a combination of those bricks plus the vision of the end result — like that Batmobile pictured on the front of the LEGO box you bought.
In the case of organizational design and development, the missing piece is the end result: What am I going to build with UnFIX bricks? How do I paint that picture?
That’s where the challenge may lie for the user — and sure, it’s fair to expect them to figure it out on their own.
But what if UnFIX could also help by painting that vision?
Yes, I called them starter kits. But I didn't really know how to continue with that idea.
Today as I was reading on the Human Robot Agent, I got struck by this idea: UnFIX as a Pattern Library offers specific fixes in certain contexts. But what if UnFIX got evolved to Pattern Language and offered not only DIY specific fixes but the whole package of designing "Organisational Habitats" - "build me a UnFIX city - mapping out dependencies as connected trains", or "build me an UnFIX village - small dense population where everyone can knock on everyone else's door without prior notice or scheduling".
Great entrepreneurial stories!
Having seen some of these closer than most, I can realte to the lessons learned.
I wonder how these relate to the insights from your Red Queen article.... 🤔
That's something I'll think about!
And thank you for sharing these raw stories! That's a great example for all.of us who should share more of our lessons learned!
The Red Queen will beat us all.
Great journey!
I can relate to list-making, but I used to do it much more privately. As a kid, I copied the Euro Top 20 list from MTV every week into my notebook and added arrows to indicate who moved up, down, got knocked out or entered the list :)))
Here's an opinion as someone who practices agile coaching:
- You don't always have to be ahead of the curve. Only the industry insiders claim the "Agile is dying" but plenty of companies still see benefit in introducing the new or better ways of working in their own pace.
Another opinion:
- UnFIX really has a certain glow to it. I keep coming back to over and over again. Perhaps it could turn into a product one day? As it is now, it can feel like a big box of legos and one needs to guide oneself in brick-building. But what if it was a digital product like Workday or Jira? It has every element to become a product.