In this episode, Christy Erbeck, Principal Transformation Consultant, and Dan Neumann discuss the importance of working agreements. They talk about establishing core working hours, creating a safe working environment, and setting a clear path for the team's future. They also provide tips on how to create a working agreement with a new team and the significance of incorporating fun and humor. Additionally, they discuss their experiences with 'The Age of Agile' and 'Dare to Lead' books.
23:03
forum Ask episode
web_stories AI Snips
view_agenda Chapters
auto_awesome Transcript
info_circle Episode notes
insights INSIGHT
Define Your Team’s Normal
Working agreements give teams a shared definition of “normal” and a path to a future way of working.
They surface expectations like core hours, conflict handling, and safety so teams can operate coherently.
question_answer ANECDOTE
Backgrounds Explain Team Tensions
Christy recounts a team with a documentation-focused member and an Agile skeptic whose backgrounds explained their behaviors.
That context informed the team’s decisions on documentation, unit testing, and definition of done.
insights INSIGHT
A Neutral Anchor For Conflict
A working agreement acts like a neutral third party the team can reference instead of blaming individuals.
It keeps conversations at the systems level and reinforces safety when things get tough.
Get the Snipd Podcast app to discover more snips from this episode
In this episode of Agile Coaches’ Corner, your host, Dan Neumann, is joined by his guest, Principal Transformation Consultant and fellow AgileThought colleague, Christy Erbeck. And today, they’re discussing working agreements.
Christy Erbeck is a client-focused executive dedicated to leading strategic change. She has broad domestic and international experience in corporate strategy, change management, program management and leadership communications. As an Industrial & Organizational Psychologist, Christy is a compassionate and courageous collaborator who is passionate about coaching and developing others and aiding organizations in transformation. Her specialties include business agility and change management, Enterprise Asset Management (EAM), manufacturing, distribution and service organizations, creating customer and employee-focused strategies, innovation, and much more.
Join Dan and Christy this episode as they have an in-depth discussion about the importance of having a working agreement in place, her tips for setting up a work agreement with a new team, and how to rework a working agreement that has already been established.
Key Takeaways
The importance of having a working agreement in place:
Helps teams work through problems they’re struggling with (such as core working hours, handling conflict, and creating a safe working environment)
Helps teams come up with their definition of “normal”
Sets a clear path to a future they would like to see with the team
It gives people permission to show up fully to the event at-hand
Christy’s tips for setting up a work agreement with a new team:
Give people the time they need to think through what they want to see in the working agreement
Eliminate and reduce anxiety by clearly illustrating the process for them
Set the stage that it is a safe space to bring their ideas
Utilize the facilitation technique, 1-2-4-All (linked below)
Boil it down to the core ideas and vet it against messy, tough scenarios
Allow the right amount of time to create the working agreement — it is not something that is meant to be rushed through
Humor is important — allow the space to have fun
Christy’s tips for reworking a working agreement that has already been established:
Establish what is and isn’t working in the working agreement
Figure out why it isn’t working and what the team wants to do differently
Ask the questions: is the working agreement serving us or are we serving the work agreement? Is it aligned with our values?
Key Learnings:
A working agreement reminds teams of their mission
It helps to create a safe space to share ideas and reminds the team to continue delivering value
Serves the team in helping them through continued work struggles
Agile Coaches' Corner