Presentation held at the Agile2013 conference in Nashville and the Scrum Gathering Paris 2013. This presentation is about how to use Spiral Dynamics in combination with implementation of Agile within organisations. The workshop uses cards to discover what is the dominant color in your organisation, what should be your dominant color and methods for this transition.

1. WARNING
The following presentation contains explicit
content, which can dramatically alter the way you
view the world. There are cases where people
who have been contaminated with this content
happen to see colors that aren’t there. Red
Hummers while they are black, Purple Agile
Coaches and managers in Orange suits.
1

2. 2
Changing Cultural DNA
with Spiral Dynamics to become thoroughly Agile
Dajo Breddels
Agile Wizard

3. 3
Introduction 1
Spiral Dynamics 2
Discover DNA 3
Discover Environment 4
Agile and SD 5
Change DNA 6
Next Steps 7
Section Title 8

4. Who is Who
‣ Who are You?
• Role
• Experience
‣ Who is Dajo Breddels?
• Agile Coaching
• Life Coaching & Spiral Dynamics
• Agile Coaching & Spiral Dynamics
4

5. Have you ever …
‣ Coached an organization to work Agile, everything
seemed ok, you left and half a year later they were
right back were they started.
‣ Been in an organization where people said that they
fully agreed with you, but didn’t change a thing.
‣ Discovered that there were different cultures in one
organization and people were unable to work
together.
5
And wondered why this happened and what you can do
about this?

6. My personal path
1. Understand where they are
2. Acceptance about what’s happening
3. Seeing the limits
4. Using Spiral Dynamics to get them to the next level
6
With combining Agile and Spiral Dynamics

7. 7
Introduction 1
Spiral Dynamics 2
Discover DNA 3
Discover Environment 4
Agile and SD 5
Change DNA 6
Next Steps 7
Section Title 8

8. 8
“The Emergent,
Cyclical, Double-
Helix Model Of The
Adult Human
Biopsychosocial
Systems.”
Prof. Dr. Clare W. Graves

9. 8 ways of thinking, 8 Value Systems
9

10. Continuous interaction
10
‣ Organism
• Individual
• Team
• Organization
• Culture
‣ Environment
• Culture
• Nature
between Organism and Environment
Environment
Organis
m

11. New times, new ways of thinking
11
Time / Complexity

12. BEIGE Instinctive/Survivalistic VS
12
‣ Uses instincts and habits just to survive
‣ Distinct self is barely awakened or
sustained
‣ Food, water, warmth, sex, and safety
have priority
‣ Forms into survival bands to perpetuate
life
‣ Lives “off the land” much as other
animals
Do what you must do, just to stay alive

13. PURPLE Magical/Animistic VS
13
‣ Obeys the desires of the spirit being and
mystical signs
‣ Shows allegiance to chief, elders,
ancestors, and the clan
‣ Individual subsumed in group
‣ Preserves sacred objects, places,
events, and memories
‣ Observes rites of passage, seasonal
cycles, and tribal customs
Keep the spirits happy and the tribe’s nest warm and safe

14. RED Impulsive/Egocentric VS
14
‣ The world is a jungle full of threats and
predators
‣ Breaks free from any domination or
constraint to please self as self desires
‣ Stands tall, expects attention, demands
respect, and calls the shots
‣ Enjoys self to the fullest right now
without guilt or remorse
‣ Conquers, out-foxes, and dominates
other aggressive characters
Be what you are and do what you want, regardless

15. BLUE Purposeful/Authoritarian VS
15
‣ One sacrifices self to the transcendent
Cause, Truth, or righteous Pathway
‣ The Order enforces a code of conduct
based on eternal, absolute principles
‣ Righteous living produces stability now
and guarantees future reward
‣ Impulsivity is controlled through guilt;
everybody has their proper place
‣ Laws, regulations, and discipline build
character and moral fiber
Life has meaning, direction, and purpose with
predetermined outcomes

16. ORANGE Achievist/Strategic VS
16
‣ Change and advancement are inherent
within the scheme of things
‣ Progresses by learning nature’s secrets
and seeking out best solutions
‣ Manipulates Earth’s resources to create
and spread the abundant good life
‣ Optimistic, risk-taking, and self-reliant
people deserve success
‣ Societies prosper through strategy,
technology, and competitiveness
Act in your own self-interest by playing the game to win

17. GREEN Communitarian/Egalitarian VS
17
‣ The human spirit must be freed from
greed, dogma, and divisiveness
‣ Feelings, sensitivity, and caring
supersede cold rationality
‣ Spreads the Earth’s resources and
opportunities equally among all
‣ Reaches decisions through
reconciliation and consensus processes
‣ Refreshes spirituality, brings harmony,
and enriches human development
Seek peace within the inner self and explore, with others,
the caring dimensions of community

18. Yellow Integrative VS
18
‣ Life is a kaleidoscope of natural
hierarchies, systems, and forms
‣ The magnificence of existence is valued
over material possessions
‣ Flexibility, spontaneity, and functionality
have the highest priority
‣ Differences can be integrated into
interdependent, natural flows
‣ Understands that chaos and change are
natural
Live fully and responsibly as what you are and learn to
become

19. TURQUISE Holistic VS
19
‣ The world is a single, dynamic organism
with its own collective mind
‣ Self is both distinct and a blended part
of a larger, compassionate whole
‣ Everything connects to everything else in
ecological alignments
‣ Energy and information permeate the
Earth’s total environment
‣ Holistic, intuitive thinking and
cooperative actions are to be expected
Experience the wholeness of existence through mind and
spirit

20. New times, new ways of thinking
20
Time / Complexity

21. 21

22. Mathematical Formulas
‣ 18 + 24 = 42
‣ 𝑎 + 𝑏 = 𝑐
‣ 𝑓 𝑥 = 𝑎𝑥2 + 𝑏𝑥 + 𝑐
‣ 𝑑𝑦 = 𝑓 𝑥 𝑑𝑥
‣ 𝐹 = 𝑓 𝑥 𝑑𝑥
22
Increasing complexity:
The bottom equation isn’t better than the top one.

23. Example individual Value System profile
23
RED Centered: Hägar the Horrible Profile
ILLNESS
RELIGIOUS
FAMILY OR HOME
SOCIAL
(neighbourhood)
WORK
SOCIAL
(clubs)

24. Example individual Value System profile
24
GREEN Centered: Scandinavian Society Profile
WORK
SPORTS
PARTICIPATION
FAMILY
SOCIAL RELIGIOUS
POLITICS

25. 25
Introduction 1
Spiral Dynamics 2
Discover DNA 3
Discover Environment 4
Agile and SD 5
Change DNA 6
Next Steps 7
Section Title 8

26. Discover DNA
26
Environment
Organis
m

27. Different levels
27
‣ Individual
‣ Team
‣ Organization
‣ Environment
Environment
Organization
Team
Individual

28. Discover Cultural DNA
28
Discover vMemes Cards

29. Discover Cultural DNA
29
Discover vMemes Cards
2x 1x 1x 1x

30. 30
Introduction 1
Spiral Dynamics 2
Discover DNA 3
Discover Environment 4
Agile and SD 5
Change DNA 6
Next Steps 7
Section Title 8

31. Discover DNA
31
Environment
Organis
m

32. Discover Environment
32
Discover Life Conditions Cards

33. Discover Environment
33
Discover Life Conditions Cards

34. 34
Introduction 1
Spiral Dynamics 2
Discover DNA 3
Discover Environment 4
Agile and SD 5
Change DNA 6
Next Steps 7
Section Title 8

35. Agile Manifesto
‣ Individuals and interactions over processes and tools
‣ Working software over comprehensive documentation
‣ Customer collaboration over contract negotiation
‣ Responding to change over following a plan
35
We are uncovering better ways of developing
software by doing it and helping others do it.
Through this work we have come to value:
That is, while there is value in the items on
the right, we value the items on the left more.

36. Value Systems and Agile
36
BLUE
Value System
ORANGE
Value System
GREEN
Value System
YELLOW
Value System

37. Value Systems and Agile Manifesto
37
BLUE
Value System
ORANGE
Value System
GREEN
Value System
YELLOW
Value System
Comprehensive
documentation over
working software
Following a plan over
responding to change
Processes and tools over
individuals and
interactions
Contract negotiation over
customer collaboration
Working software over
comprehensive
documentation
Individuals and
interactions over
processes and tools
Customer collaboration
over contract negotiation
Responding to change
over following a plan

38. BLUE Purposeful/Authoritarian VS
38
Being dominant in an Agile environment
‣ Name: Procedural Agile
‣ Right Use: Life critical applications
‣ Strong: Order and Control
‣ Weakness: Slow and Inflexible
‣ Danger: Unstoppable growth of
procedures
‣ Typical
‣ One Truth, hierarchical, inflexible,
silo thinking, one specific method,
reacts slow to changes,
guidelines, templates, procedures,
disciplined
‣ To keep it agile
‣ Something in, something out

39. ORANGE Achievist/Strategic VS
39
Being dominant in an Agile environment
‣ Name: Money Driven Agile
‣ Right Use: Direct financial crisis
‣ Strong: Quick win and Improving
‣ Weakness: Long term
‣ Danger: Burning up people
‣ Typical
‣ More with less, success,
improves, competition, outsmart
others, situational ethics, drive
‣ To keep it agile
‣ Limit the maximum cost reduction
/ growth

40. GREEN Communitarian/Egalitarian VS
40
Being dominant in an Agile environment
‣ Name: People Centric Agile
‣ Right Use: Political sensitive projects
‣ Strong: Team thinking and
involvement
‣ Weakness: Paralysis through
consensus
‣ Danger: Too many people involved
‣ Typical
‣ People first, consensus,
everybody is equal, flat
organization, team effort,
acceptance, slow in taking
decisions
‣ To keep it agile
‣ Limit number of stakeholders

41. Yellow Integrative VS
41
Being dominant in an Agile environment
‣ Name: Effective Agile
‣ Right Use: Chaotic and global
environments
‣ Strong: Respond to change
‣ Weakness: Seen as unstable
‣ Danger: Loosing the rest
‣ Typical
‣ Effectiveness over efficiency,
people are different, embrace
change, improve, out-of-the-box,
wolf in sheep’s clothing, hard to
understand, can loose interest, no
interest in status, long term
thinking

42. Real life example
42
‣ Management
‣ Team
‣ Organization
‣ External Environment

43. 43
Introduction 1
Spiral Dynamics 2
Discover DNA 3
Discover Environment 4
Agile and SD 5
Change DNA 6
Next Steps 7
Section Title 8

44. Where is change needed?
44
‣ Individual
‣ Team
‣ Organization
‣ Environment
Environment
Organization
Team
Individual

45. Change Cultural DNA
45
Three strategies
Decrease
‣ A Value system has a
negative impact on the
system
‣ Lessen the influence of
the Value System
Increase
‣ The lack of a Value
System has negative
impact on the system
‣ Add something new in the
system to add a little bit
of this Value System
Transcend
‣ The current dominant
Value System can’t cope
with the Life Conditions
‣ Use parts of the old Value
System to interest people
to new ideas which are
part of the next Value
System

46. Change Cultural DNA
46
vMeme Magic Cards

47. Change Cultural DNA
47
vMeme Magic Cards

48. 48
Introduction 1
Spiral Dynamics 2
Discover DNA 3
Discover Environment 4
Agile and SD 5
Change DNA 6
Next Steps 7
Section Title 8

49. Your path?
1. Understand where they are
2. Acceptance about what’s happening
3. Seeing the limits
4. Using Spiral Dynamics to get them to the next level
49
With combining Agile and Spiral Dynamics

50. Next Steps
50

51. Agile Wizardry Library
51
Crowd Sourced Solutions

52. Resources
‣ Books
• Spiral Dynamics, Don Beck and Christopher Cowan
• Virus of the Mind, Richard Brodie
• Spiral Dynamics Integral, Don Beck (audiobook)
‣ Websites
• http://www.jobeq.net (example Value System test)
• http://www.clarewgraves.com/
• http://www.dajobreddels.com/agilewizardry
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53. 53
Dajo Breddels
Agile Wizard
Contact for more information
dajo@dajobreddels.com