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Elastic Leadership: Growing Self-Organizing Teams
As a manager, technical team leader, architect, or scrum master, you have a lot of responsibilities and challenges. You have to guide your team through different situations, handle conflicts and disagreements, make decisions and trade-offs, and foster a culture of learning and collaboration. You also have to deal with external pressures, such as deadlines, budgets, stakeholders, and changing requirements. How can you cope with all these demands and still lead your team effectively?
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The answer is elastic leadership. Elastic leadership is a framework and philosophy that can help you adapt your leadership style to the needs of your team and the context you are in. It can help you create the elusive self-organizing team that can deliver high-quality results without constant supervision or intervention. It can also help you grow as a leader and develop your skills and abilities.
In this article, we will explain what elastic leadership is, how it works, and how you can apply it in different scenarios. We will also share some techniques and practices that you can use to enhance your elastic leadership skills.
What is Elastic Leadership?
Elastic leadership is a term coined by Roy Osherove, a software development expert and author of the book Elastic Leadership: Growing Self-Organizing Teams . He defines elastic leadership as "the ability to change your leadership style based on which phase you discover your team is in" .
The core idea behind elastic leadership is that there is no one-size-fits-all approach to leading teams. Different teams have different needs, challenges, and goals at different times. Therefore, as a leader, you need to be flexible and adaptable enough to adjust your behavior and actions according to the situation.
Elastic leadership is based on two main concepts: the elastic leadership framework and the team leader manifesto.
The Elastic Leadership Framework
The elastic leadership framework is a model that describes three phases that teams go through: survival mode, learning mode, and self-organization mode. Each phase has its own characteristics, goals, strategies, pitfalls, and challenges. As a leader, you need to recognize which phase your team is in and act accordingly.
Here is a summary of the three phases:
Phase
Description
Leader's Role
Survival mode
The team is constantly putting out fires, dealing with emergencies, fixing bugs, and meeting deadlines. The team has no time or energy for learning or improvement. The team's morale and motivation are low.
The leader acts as a commander, who takes charge, makes decisions, assigns tasks, and solves problems. The leader's goal is to stabilize the situation and reduce the chaos.
Learning mode
The team has some breathing room and can focus on learning and improvement. The team experiments with new ideas, practices, and tools. The team's morale and motivation are higher.
The leader acts as a coach, who guides, mentors, teaches, and challenges the team. The leader's goal is to increase the team's skills and capabilities.
Self-organization mode
The team is capable of delivering high-quality results without much guidance or intervention. The team is autonomous, collaborative, and innovative. The team's morale and motivation are high.
The leader acts as a facilitator, who supports, empowers, and trusts the team. The leader's goal is to enable the team to achieve its full potential.
The Team Leader Manifesto
The team leader manifesto is a set of values and principles that guide the elastic leader's actions and decisions. It is based on the agile manifesto , but adapted to the context of leadership. Here is the team leader manifesto:
We are uncovering better ways of leading teams by doing it and helping others do it.
Through this work we have come to value:
People over processes and tools
Goals over roles
Adaptability over consistency
Integrity over appearances
Empowerment over control
Collaboration over competition
Communication over documentation
Continuous improvement over perfection
That is, while there is value in the items on the right, we value the items on the left more.
The team leader manifesto helps you align your leadership style with the needs of your team and the values of agile software development. It also helps you avoid some common pitfalls and mistakes that leaders make, such as micromanaging, imposing rules, ignoring feedback, or neglecting your own development.
How to Apply Elastic Leadership in Different Phases
Now that you know what elastic leadership is and what it is based on, let's see how you can apply it in different phases. We will look at each phase in more detail and provide some examples of goals, strategies, pitfalls, and challenges that you may encounter.
Survival Mode
Survival mode is the most stressful and chaotic phase for both the team and the leader. It is characterized by constant firefighting, emergencies, bugs, deadlines, and pressure. The team has no time or energy for learning or improvement. The team's morale and motivation are low.
Symptoms and Causes
Some common symptoms of survival mode are:
The team is always working overtime and under stress.
The team is constantly fixing bugs and dealing with technical debt.
The team has no clear vision or direction.
The team has poor communication and collaboration.
The team has low quality standards and practices.
The team has low trust and respect for each other.
The team has high turnover and attrition.
Some common causes of survival mode are:
The team has unrealistic or unclear expectations from stakeholders or customers.
The team has insufficient skills or resources to handle the workload or complexity.
The team has inherited a legacy codebase or system that is hard to maintain or change.
The team has experienced a major change or crisis that disrupted its normal workflow or rhythm.
The team has a toxic culture or environment that discourages learning or improvement.
Goals and Strategies
The main goal of the leader in survival mode is to stabilize the situation and reduce the chaos. The leader needs to act as a commander, who takes charge, makes decisions, assigns tasks, and solves problems. The leader also needs to protect the team from external distractions or interference.
Some strategies that the leader can use in survival mode are:
Prioritize the most urgent and important tasks and delegate them to the team members according to their strengths and availability.
Create a clear plan of action with milestones, deadlines, and deliverables.
Communicate frequently and transparently with the team, stakeholders, and customers about the status, progress, and issues.
Provide clear feedback and guidance to the team members on how to perform their tasks effectively and efficiently.
Monitor and measure the team's performance and progress using metrics and indicators.
Identify and eliminate the root causes of the problems using techniques such as the five whys method .
Recognize and reward the team's achievements and efforts.
Pitfalls and Challenges
Some pitfalls and challenges that the leader may face in survival mode are:
The leader may become too authoritarian or directive, which can demoralize or alienate the team members.
The leader may neglect their own well-being or development, which can lead to burnout or stagnation.
The leader may focus too much on short-term results and ignore long-term goals or strategies.
The leader may resist or postpone the transition to the next phase, which can limit the team's growth or potential.
Learning Mode
Learning mode is the most productive and enjoyable phase for both the team and the leader. It is characterized by experimentation, innovation, improvement, and feedback. The team has some breathing room and can focus on learning new skills, practices, and tools. The team's morale and motivation are higher.
Symptoms and Causes
Some common symptoms of learning mode are:
The team is working at a sustainable pace and with less stress.
The team is delivering features and value with higher quality and reliability.
The team has a clear vision and direction.
The team has good communication and collaboration.
The team has high quality standards and practices.
The team has high trust and respect for each other.
The team has low turnover and attrition.
Some common causes of learning mode are:
The team has realistic and clear expectations from stakeholders or customers.
The team has sufficient skills or resources to handle the workload or complexity.
The team has improved or replaced a legacy codebase or system that was hard to maintain or change.
The team has overcome a major change or crisis that disrupted its normal workflow or rhythm.
The team has a positive culture or environment that encourages learning or improvement.
Goals and Strategies
The main goal of the leader in learning mode is to increase the team's skills and capabilities. The leader needs to act as a coach, who guides, mentors, teaches, and challenges the team. The leader also needs to provide opportunities and resources for learning and improvement.
Some strategies that the leader can use in learning mode are:
Involve the team in setting goals, planning, designing, and decision making.
Encourage the team to experiment with new ideas, practices, and tools.
Provide frequent and constructive feedback to the team members on how to improve their work and skills.
Create a safe space for the team to share their opinions, experiences, and learnings.
Facilitate peer-to-peer learning and collaboration among the team members using techniques such as pair programming or code reviews .
Sponsor or support the team's participation in external learning events such as conferences, workshops, courses, or meetups.
Pitfalls and Challenges
Some pitfalls and challenges that the leader may face in learning mode are:
The leader may become too lenient or permissive, which can lead to complacency or inconsistency in the team.
The leader may neglect their own well-being or development, which can lead to burnout or stagnation.
The leader may focus too much on long-term goals or strategies and ignore short-term results or feedback.
The leader may resist or postpone the transition to the next phase, which can limit the team's growth or potential.
Self-Organization Mode
Self-organization mode is the most desirable and rewarding phase for both the team and the leader. It is characterized by autonomy, collaboration, innovation, and value. The team is capable of delivering high-quality results without much guidance or intervention. The team is self-organizing, meaning that it can manage its own work and processes. The team's morale and motivation are high.
Symptoms and Causes
Some common symptoms of self-organization mode are:
The team is working at an optimal pace and with high satisfaction.
The team is delivering features and value with excellence and agility.
The team has a shared vision and direction.
The team has excellent communication and collaboration.
The team has best quality standards and practices.
The team has high trust and respect for each other.
The team has high retention and engagement.
Some common causes of self-organization mode are:
The team has aligned and clear expectations from stakeholders or customers.
The team has outstanding skills or resources to handle the workload or complexity.
The team has built or maintained a modern codebase or system that is easy to maintain or change.
The team has adapted to a major change or crisis that disrupted its normal workflow or rhythm.
The team has a supportive culture or environment that empowers learning or improvement.
Goals and Strategies
The main goal of the leader in self-organization mode is to enable the team to achieve its full potential. The leader needs to act as a facilitator, who supports, empowers, and trusts the team. The leader also needs to remove any obstacles or constraints that may hinder the team's performance or growth.
Some strategies that the leader can use in self-organization mode are:
Delegate authority and responsibility to the team members according to their skills and interests.
Encourage the team to innovate and create value for the customers and the business.
Provide recognition and appreciation to the team members for their work and achievements.
Create a feedback culture where the team can give and receive feedback from each other, stakeholders, and customers.
Enable cross-functional collaboration and integration among the team members and other teams or departments.
Advocate or represent the team's interests and needs to the senior management or external parties.
Pitfalls and Challenges
Some pitfalls and challenges that the leader may face in self-organization mode are:
The leader may become too detached or invisible, which can lead to isolation or confusion in the team.
The leader may neglect their own well-being or development, which can lead to burnout or stagnation.
The leader may lose sight of the big picture or the strategic alignment of the team's work with the business goals or vision.
The leader may face resistance or conflict from other leaders or teams who are not used to or supportive of self-organization mode.
How to Transition Between Phases
As we have seen, each phase of the elastic leadership framework has its own advantages and disadvantages. The ideal phase for a team is self-organization mode, where the team can deliver high-quality results with minimal guidance or intervention. However, not all teams can reach this phase easily or quickly. Some teams may get stuck in survival mode for a long time, while others may oscillate between learning mode and survival mode. As a leader, you need to be aware of these dynamics and help your team transition smoothly between phases when needed.
Here are some tips on how to transition between phases:
From Survival to Learning
To transition from survival mode to learning mode, you need to do two things: stabilize the situation and create space for learning. Stabilizing the situation means reducing the chaos, pressure, and stress that your team is facing. Creating space for learning means providing opportunities, resources, and incentives for your team to learn new skills, practices, and tools. Here are some steps you can take:
Prioritize the most urgent and important tasks and delegate them to the team members according to their strengths and availability.
Create a clear plan of action with milestones, deadlines, and deliverables.
Communicate frequently and transparently with the team, stakeholders, and customers about the status, progress, and issues.
Provide clear feedback and guidance to the team members on how to perform their tasks effectively and skills.
Identify and eliminate the root causes of the problems using techniques such as the five whys method .
Recognize and reward the team's achievements and efforts.
Create space for learning by allocating time and budget for training, coaching, mentoring, or experimenting.
Encourage the team to share their learnings and feedback with each other and with other teams or departments.
Introduce new practices or tools that can help the team improve their quality, productivity, or collaboration.
From Learning to Self-Organization
To transition from learning mode to self-organization mode, you need to do two things: empower the team and enable value creation. Empowering the team means giving them more authority and responsibility to manage their own work and processes. Enabling value creation means providing them with opportunities and resources to innovate and create value for the customers and the business. Here are some steps you can take:
Delegate authority and responsibility to the team members according to their skills and interests.
Encourage the team to set their own goals, plan their own work, design their own solutions, and make their own decisions.
Provide recognition and appreciation to the team members for their work and achievements.
Create a feedback culture where the team can give and receive feedback from each other, stakeholders, and customers.
Enable cross-functional collaboration and integration among the team members and other teams or departments.
Advocate or represent the team's interests and needs to the senior management or external parties.
Encourage the team to innovate and create value for the customers and the business.
Provide them with resources and support to test new ideas, launch new products or features, or solve new problems.
From Self-Organization to Survival or Learning
Sometimes, a team that has reached self-organization mode may need to go back to survival mode or learning mode due to some external or internal factors. For example, a major change or crisis may disrupt the team's workflow or rhythm, a new requirement or challenge may exceed the team's skills or resources, or a new leader or member may join or leave the team. In these cases, you need to do two things: communicate the change and facilitate the transition. Communicating the change means explaining to the team why they need to change their mode and what are the expected outcomes. Facilitating the transition means helping the team adjust their behavior and actions according to the new mode. Here are some steps you can take:
Communicate clearly and transparently with the team about the reason, impact, and duration of the change.
Listen empathetically and address any concerns or questions that the team may have.
Reassure the team that this is a temporary situation and that they will return to self-organization mode as soon as possible.
Involve the team in defining the goals, strategies, and metrics for the new mode.
Provide guidance and support to the team as they adapt to the new mode.
Monitor and measure the team's performance and progress in the new mode.
Review and evaluate the results and feedback of the new mode regularly.
Plan and execute the transition back to self-organization mode when appropriate.
How to Use Elastic Leadership Techniques and Practices
In addition to adjusting your leadership style according to the phase of your team, you can also use some techniques and practices t