Format: Interactive lecture with small group discussions.
Duration: 60 minutes

Abstract

Power is about what we choose to do. Command and Control versus Self Organizing principle is about power. The product Owner and Team relation includes it. In changing an organization real resistance starts when you touch the power configuration.

Power is central in everyday life. We have an intuition of it. This session intends to give understanding and tools to observe, think and converse about power.

We will introduce a few useful concepts and discuss how they fit in our everyday (or extreme) experiences. The concepts are useful in recognizing and making sense in what is going on at interaction situation or wider organizational movement.

Becoming conscious of power helps to decide and find new ways to act. This is helpful if you are powerful, empowered and self-organizing. And it is helpful if you are going to be that. Or if you are supporting people becoming that. This fits any organizational setting agile or not.

We will touch:

• what is power
• power in relations
• power basis
• complexity theory perspective
• empowerment

The session alternates theory inserts, small group work and discussion.

Detailed description and timetable

2 min Introduction

• presenter, goal of the session, ways of working

8 min What is power?

• groups of 3, discuss for 3 mins and come up with a definition
• collect results and discuss
• presenter's definition, as one alternative Different from authorization

10 min Power bases

• no-one has power over me unless I give the power
• power basis, 5 reasons to give power to the other
• small group work on social agreements and mental images as power bases
• discussion

10 min Claims about power

• always exists in relationship
• who needs other more has less power
• discussion in small groups about examples at work - like project management, work supervision

10 min Briefly about Complexity theory

• system of intelligent agents interacting create patterns
• what mattters: local interaction
• "Power is constraining the enabling conversation in organizations."
• discussion, conclusions

10 min A practical approach to discuss empowerment.

• victim-owner axis

10 min advice, questions, discussion.

Bio

Ari Tikka has MSc in structural mechanics. He has done software professionally since 1990 and organizational development promoting self-organizing teams since 1997. He was internal Agile coach at Nokia Siemens Networks since 2006 and an independent consultant since 2008.