How can you change a system as large as your organization? If you have identified something to improve, where do you actually start? The real challenge is to start small, and build from there - one step at a time.
How does this help your team?
We know from experience how demoralizing it can be to consider all the things that need to change in order to make Scrum work in your organization. But don't despair! We also know that big changes are the result of many smaller changes happening simultaneously, or in quick succession.
For our book The Zombie Scrum Survival Guide, we relied heavily on the Liberating Structure 15% Solutions. Initially coined by the economist Gareth Morgan, it reminds us to start with the things we do control rather than all the things we don't. And instead of shifting responsibility to others or the group as a whole, it is all about keeping things personal: what can you do, personally, to contribute to this solution?
How does it work?
Whenever we work with teams or groups, we always ask people to capture their personal contributions as 15% Solutions. Once people have captured a few for themselves, we ask them to form small groups to help each other make them smaller and more concrete. After all, you want to make the first step as easy as possible, so you can pave the way for many steps to follow.
What do you receive?
- A 50-sheet block of tearable 15% Solution-cards, ready to be filled out by members of your team;
- 2 cards that explain one way to use 15% Solutions with your team;
Our cards are printed on cardboard with rounded corners and are printed in full color on both sides. The cards are 15x10.7 cm. We hope to liberate our planet from waste too, so our material is printed on 100% wood-free, recycled paper and inked with ecological paint.
Also for virtual teams!
You can also use this with your virtual team. In addition to the physical deck, you also receive a free digital download that includes the cards as separate images (Jpg), ready for upload in your collaboration tool of choice.
More inspiration
- Trigger BIG change with 15% Solutions;
- The original post on 15% Solutions on Liberating Structures.com;