Empowerment: The Key to

Organizational Agility

Never tell people how to do things. Tell them what to do and they will surprise you with their ingenuity.

—George Patton, Jr.

Introduction

Why do so many Agile transformations disempower people instead of empowering them? Why do so many Agile experts claim to value Individuals and interactions over processes and tools, yet demonstrate they really value their (Agile) process and tools more?

I believe part of the problem is people do not have a clear and precise definition of empowerment, one they can use to ensure people are empowered without any risk of losing control. Fortunately, there is such a definition.

This paper will briefly look at the role of empowerment in the Agile Manifesto. It will then provide and explain a precise and actionable definition of empowerment. Finally, it will discuss empowerment in the Scrum Framework, and why it’s central to Scrum’s success.

The Agile Manifesto: A Call for Empowerment

Let’s look briefly at empowerment in the Agile Manifesto. The first value, Individuals and interactions over processes and tools is essentially saying: let the people who do the work decide how to do it. The second value: Working software over comprehensive documentation is saying: hold people accountable for their deliverables but not how they get there. In case there is any doubt the Manifesto is call for empowerment, look at the fifth and twelve principles behind the Manifesto: Build projects around motivated individuals. Give them the environment and support they need and trust them to get the job done, and The best architectures, requirements, and designs emerge from self-organizing teams. Simply put, don’t tell people how to do their jobs (though do hold them accountable for their deliverables).

The Need for Clear, Actionable Definition of Empowerment

Dean Meyer, prominent in the field of organizational design, provides a clear and precise working definition of empowerment in his book, How Organizations Should Work. He explains:

Empowerment exists when everybody is accountable for their own results and everybody has authorities that match those accountabilities.

What he means by authorities that match accountabilities is quite simple. Authorities consist of three things: 1) Information, 2) Resources, and 3) Decision Rights

Authorities = Accountabilities

  • Resources

  • Information

  • Decision Rights

What Happens When Authorities Do Not Match Accountabilities?

A person with authorities but not matching accountabilities is free to become an unconstrained tyrant, and those with accountabilities but insufficient authorities risk becoming scapegoats when the person with authority makes bad decisions.

No Group Should Ever Tell Another Group How To Do Their Jobs

It should be clear from Meyer’s definition of empowerment that no group should ever tell another group how to do their jobs. However, every group has the right to hold every other group accountable for their deliverables. These axioms can and should drive every Agile program and organizational improvement effort.

Scrum: A Shining Example of Proper Empowerment

The remarkable growth of Scrum (there are currently over 1.34 mm active certified Scrum Masters) is a testament to its effectiveness. It is also a model for effective empowerment, for the Scrum Guide clearly enumerates both the authorities and the accountabilities for the roles in Scrum: the Scrum Team, the Product Owner, the Developers, and the Scrum Master.

Below are the accountabilities and authorities for the Scrum Team, the Product Owner, and the Developers. Note how clearly and completely they are defined.

The Scrum Team:

  • Is empowered by the organization [with the authority] to manage their own work

  • Has authority to decide who does what, when and how

  • Their ability to adapt becomes more difficult if the people involved are not empowered or self-managing.


Product Owner Accountabilities:

  • Maximizing the value of the product resulting from the work of the Scrum Team

  • Developing and explicitly communicating the Product Goal

  • ·Creating and clearly communicating Product Backlog items

  • Ordering Product Backlog items

  • Ensuring that the Product Backlog is transparent, visible, and understood

  • Delegating responsibility to others. Regardless, the Product Owner remains accountable.

Product Owner Authorities:

  • The Product Owner is one person, not a committee [e.g., has ultimate authority]

  • Those wanting to change the Product Backlog can do so by trying to convince the Product Owner

  • For Product Owners to succeed, the entire organization must respect their decisions

  • Only the Product Owner has authority to cancel the Sprint

The Developers Accountabilities:

  • Creating a plan for the Sprint: the Sprint Backlog

  • Instilling quality by adhering to the Definition of Done

  • Adapting their plan each day toward the Sprint Goal

  • Holding each other accountable as professionals

The Developers’ Authorities:

  • The Developers who will be doing the work are responsible for sizing [estimating]

  • Only the Developers select items from the Product Backlog to include in the Sprint

  • How the work is done is at the sole discretion of the Developers.

  • No one else tells them how to turn Product Backlog items into Increments of value.

Why Are the Clearly Defined Authorities and Accountabilities so Important? Because:

  • The Developers have been empowered with the authority to get the information they need because the Scrum Guide explicitly states the Product Owner is accountable for providing it.

  • The Product Owner has the right to hold the Developers accountable for meeting their commitments because the Developers have been empowered with authority to decide how much work they will do each Sprint AND how to deliver it.

  • Because the Developers have been empowered with authorities that match their accountabilities, they naturally take ownership and responsibility for meeting their commitments and are enthused by the freedom they have to use their talents without outside interference.

Everybody wins when people’s authorities and accountabilities match!

Once can deduce from Meyer’s definition of empowerment a simple, yet powerful axiom: No group should ever tell another group how to do its job. This axiom applies to every group in any organization, but it especially should be heeded by Agilist whose job it is to help empower people.

Meyer’s definition of empowerment can be used to assess if people are properly empowered and if not ensure they, without any risk of losing control. In fact, empowerment establish control, control of the right kind

Let’s Discuss!