Blogs, Articles, Videos and Additional Resources

Cobra effect: When incentives help worsen a situation

The cobra effect describes the worsening of an initial situation by the attempt to improve the situation.

Follow Our Blog. Reach Your Full Potential.

Help your organization become outstanding. Read through Yes and Why’s latest articles on team culture, leadership, Agile implementation, and more.

7 Guidelines to Make Your Agile Transition a Success

So many businesses start to transition to Agile but make critical mistakes along the way. By following these seven guidelines, you can feel progress toward reaching your full potential—and see your teams and business thrive

MENTORS OF OUR METHOD

All money generated by purchasing the books through these links will be donated to the following causes:

Smiling Gecko,
an NGO using a holistic approach to help Cambodian children and their families

Amnesty international,
because only in a world in which we feel safe can we change things for the better

Reporters without borders,
because it takes a balanced, multi-perspective view of reality to be able to act and make life on earth oustanding for everyone

WWF,
because without an earth to live on, all of the above won’t be possible

Watch Videos from Leaders Around the Globe

Agile Leadership: Preparing for an Unconventional Career Path

5 Things I Wish I’d Known Before My First PI Planning

How Great Leaders Inspire Action

10 Ways To Have A Better Conversation

The Resource Utilization Trap

Frequently Asked Questions

Effectiveness is doing things right to reach a desired outcome. Efficiency is doing things right with minimum effort.

Effectiveness is the answer to the question, “Which actions contribute to a defined goal or desired result?” The greater the contribution of the action, the greater its effectiveness.

Efficiency plays a role once it has become clear what action is to be taken. It is the answer to the question, “Is this the right action in terms of effort, time, energy or resources?” If this is the case, efficiency gains can still be achieved.

A transition is the process of change. A transformation is a snapshot of where the company is after a certain amount of transition. Why is this linguistic precision of any importance? The trouble with using the word “transformation” for the process of change is that it insinuates that there is such a thing as an end to change. This is simply not true.

Change is an innate part of a company. A company is never fully transformed, rather it is in a state of permanent transition, leading from one transformation snapshot to the next. The same applies to the Agile context, where there is no end to change, improvement, and learning.

When classical change initiatives are “measured,” various studies conclude that their failure rate is about 70%. They fail in regards to time frame, budget and/or technical, business, and human objectives.

These classical approaches mistake transitions for transformations (see FAQ question above). They try to reach broad objectives with one straight, targeted process. This rarely works, because frame conditions (e.g. the planned availability of those involved) can change over time and human nature only allows us to accept changes introduced in small steps.

On the other hand, small changes are the norm in every company. With these, a company develops continuously, consciously, and at its appropriate speed. Working step by step doesn’t lead to resistance. It helps introduce small, helpful improvements that ultimately make a big difference.

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