Category: Culture

  • The Human Pulse Signals Published Metrics Can’t Capture

    What 15 years of ground-level observation reveals about DSO’s real trajectory BOTTOM LINE Published metrics tell one story. Ground-level observation tells another. I’ve watched Bayer’s evolution for over 15 years—close enough to see patterns that analyst reports miss. The signals…

  • What Zappos Learned That Bayer Hasn’t—Yet

    Precedents, patterns, and why scale changes everything BOTTOM LINE The largest Western self-management experiment before Bayer was Zappos. They had 8 years as “best place to work,” 1,500 employees, and voluntary departures. They still quietly retreated from holacracy. Bayer has…

  • The Meeting-to-Meeting Pattern

    Work moves only between recurring sessions. Actions picked up right before the meeting, clarified during it, stalled until the next slot. Calendar inertia, not flow. Why this matters: Classic Lean waste: delays, over-processing, rework, bloated WIP. Decisions depend on people…

  • Where Should Organizations Start on Their Business Agility Journey?

    Culture, Leadership, and Governance lie at the heart of Business Agility. For organizations aiming to embrace agility, getting these elements right can set the stage for sustainable change. Here’s how to start: 1. Lead with Leadership Transformation Align on Purpose…

  • The Most Misunderstood Aspect of Business Agility

    For those who know me, I’m viewed as being passionate about simplicity, continual learning, and unlocking the potential within people and organizations. Whether I’m leading product discovery, enabling product mode transitions, or driving agile transformations, I focus on aligning vision…

  • De Bono’s Dilemma: A Challenge to Product Thinkers and Agile Teams

    “The system will always be defended by those countless people who have enough intellect to defend but not quite enough to innovate.” – Edward De Bono   This quote rings particularly true in the realm of product development. Often, we…

  • Trick or Treat: Unmasking Business Agility 🎃

    For those who know me, I love Halloween. Happily experiment and create shocking artifacts (like last year’s three-amigo pumpkins). Halloween is a time for costumes, haunted houses, and surprises around every corner—but it’s also a great metaphor for exploring business…