Coaching the Agile Enterprise

Most organizational leaders have recognized that agility is paramount to their organization's survival. Still, many have abandoned their Agile Transformations in the past, only to come back for a second (or third) attempt, perhaps with a different approach, or a different vendor. Why? The painful stories from Enterprise Agile coaches are largely the same: management doesn't get it, culture doesn't change, no meaningful customer involvement; or, Agile works, but our organizational processes, structures and leadership don't align with our new way of working. As leaders, we are being asked to see into the future as never before, challenged with our VUCA world, asked to upgrade the thinking behind our thinking. In short, we are in over our heads, struggling to fulfill the promise of Agile with the organization -- and internal leader's operating system -- that we currently have.

Agile Transformation is founded on the Integral Agile Transformation Framework (TM) (IATF), which utilizes the power of Integral thinking to help us gain a thoroughly fresh perspective on Agile Transformations. Integral is natively systemic, intentionally multi-leveled (individuals up to organizations), inherently subjectively oriented (heart-centered) and objectively oriented (data-driven), providing a left and right-brain integrated approach. The Integral view looks with compassion at the different and conflicting worldviews, offering us clarity and new ways of understanding each other and our own world. Most importantly, the IATF does not attempt to replace any other models or applications; rather, it gives them all a clear place within an understandable meta-framework, one that provides a sort of universal addressing system. Said another way, the IATF does not supersede the 'applications' (such as scaled frameworks or leadership or culture models), rather it provides a map or addressing system within which all these applications have a place, and a clear relationship to each other. The Integral Agile Transformation Framework(TM) reveals each application's inherent strengths, limitations, and what other apps might support it. It is neutral in the sense that it's not biased to one approach, but accommodates and maps all equally.

The first portion of the book is devoted to helping the Transformation Leader download this organizational operating system for their organization's transformation efforts. The second portion of the book addresses the necessary upgrade to their own Leader's Operating System (LOS), one that will allow to become an authentic Transformational Leader, one capable of actually leading such an organizational transformation.

Michael Spayd has specialized in large-scale Agile transformations since 2001. Training as an Organizational Systems Coach created a foundation for his approach, along with experience in executive coaching, organizational change, systems methods, and consciousness transformation. In 2010, Michael co-founded the Agile Coaching Institute with Lyssa Adkins, where he was CEO until 2017 when they sold the company. In 2016, he co-founded Trans4mation with Michele Madore. His formal credentials include Certified Organization and Relationship Systems Coach (ORSCC), Certified Professional Facilitator (CPF), ICAgile Expert in Agile Coaching (ICE-AC), SAFe Program Consultant (SPC), and Certified Scrum Master (CSM). He has been an organizational change coach and consultant for more than 25 years, working in Fortune 1000 to small businesses.
Michele Madore is co-founder and Managing Partner of Trans4mation where her focus is conscious integral leadership development and organizational agility. Her formal credentials include Leadership Circle(TM) and Leadership System(TM) Certified Practitioner, 4Sight Conscious Change Consultant Practitioner, Certified Scrum Professional (CSP), and SAFe Agilist (SA), ICAgile Professional. She founded the Agile Richmond user group, and studied in the Organizational Behavior program at Ashford University. Michelle’s executive coaching has included clients such as Women in the Press, Capital One, Morgan Stanley, and dozens of others. In 2005, she discovered Agile and began working with her first large-scale Agile transformation. For the last 11 years, she has dedicated herself to being an architect of change.