Management 3.0Management 3.0http://www.management30.com/posts/2011-12-06T10:44:14ZSquarespaceNew Delegation Poker Cards!http://www.management30.com/posts/2011/11/24/new-delegation-poker-cards.htmlManagement 3.0 team2011-11-24T09:20:57Z2011-11-24T09:20:57ZFrom the start, one of the most popular exercises of the Management 3.0 course has been Delegation Poker. No surprise there. It’s the quickest and easiest way to give you and your team insight in the process of delegating work.

In our search for continuous improvement, we decided to lift the cards above the home printed level. Last week we got our first sets of Delegation Poker cards. It’s the real deal, with official poker card dimensions. At the courses in Berlin and Düsseldorf the students could play with them for the first time. As it turns out, these make Delegation Poker even more fun!

Order Now!

But the best news is that you can also get your hands on the real cards. Order your deck of seven times the seven cards (49 cards) for 20 euro, so you have enough cards to play with your whole team. And if you ask us, they make the perfect Christmas present for your boss…

]]>Meet the Teamhttp://www.management30.com/posts/2011/9/18/meet-the-team.htmlManagement 3.0 team2011-09-18T08:48:26Z2011-09-18T08:48:26ZUntil recently the Management 3.0 course was a one-man show. But after months of experimentation and adaptation, the course is finally ready for other trainers. 

I cannot do this on my own. So, while the process of licensing the Management 3.0 course continues, many of you will get in contact with the other members of the Management 3.0 team. It’s about time I properly introduce them to you, starting with myself. :-)

Jurgen Appelo

Content King & Marketing Maven

Blogger, Agilist, trainer, entrepreneur, illustrator, dreamer, freethinker and writer of the book Management 3.0. Jurgen works full-time developing innovative courseware, books, and other types of original content. Although he really enjoys contact with many people around the world, he hasn’t got time to take care of the logistic side of the Management 3.0 course anymore.

Nadira Rambocus

Oracle of Organization

Has a mind like an Excel sheet when it comes to organizing stuff. Sharp as a razor, but never out of patience. Has been into publishing, communications and health care and recently became entrepreneur for the first time in her life. If you have any questions about the Management 3.0 course, licensing, planning, or where to get what, contact Nadira (that is, if your question isn’t to be found here).

Erik Gille

Creative Jester

Likes, as can be expected of a creative mind, to do things differently and is always in for a fresh approach. With a mind for silly jokes and the habit of looking at the world from an upside down perspective he is always good for a surprising twist. Has been in advertising for over ten years and is now working along side Jurgen and Nadira on developing new ideas, texts, and materials.  Also works as a cook in a small restaurant every now and then. Just for fun.

]]>The Licensed Trainer Program Starts Nowhttp://www.management30.com/posts/2011/8/31/the-licensed-trainer-program-starts-now.htmlManagement 3.0 team2011-08-31T10:02:40Z2011-08-31T10:02:40ZAfter six months of experimentation and adaptation, giving courses in 12 different countries, I finally think the Management 3.0 course is maturing and ready for other trainers. The evaluations are consistently good, sometimes excellent. And the feedback I get is supportive and promising. I am convinced we are riding a wave that will change business management forever.

But we cannot ride this wave on our own. We can work together.

When you become a Licensed Trainer of the 2-day Management 3.0 course you can confidently target a big market of team leaders, Development Managers, Scrum Masters, Project Managers, and executives who need help changing organizational culture, empowering teams, setting goals, developing competence, measuring progress, redesigning organizational structures, and launching change initiatives.

As a trainer you get access to great looking materials and awesome games and exercises. My team and I are updating and extending the materials continually, and we will assist licensed trainers with sales and marketing around the world. You will be helped with trainer forums, logistics/pricing, notes and articles, marketing materials, a best-selling book, high customer ratings, word-of-mouth, and a remarkable brand.

Check out the Frequently Asked Questions if you are interested, or send an email to info@management30.com if you wish to join or need to know more.

(pictures by: Renata Guimarães Horta)

]]>Looking for Licensed Trainershttp://www.management30.com/posts/2011/6/24/looking-for-licensed-trainers.htmlManagement 3.0 team2011-06-24T12:51:21Z2011-06-24T12:51:21ZMy calendar is totally full until the end of the year. With three classes per month, that is as much as I am able to take on. And yet, training companies are asking me for more...

Next year it will be different. Then I will do only two classes per month, because I need more time to write, think and create. At the same time, demand for the Management 3.0 course is rising, because I keep promoting it, and the book keeps selling.

This can mean only one thing... I need help from other trainers.

Are you interested in giving the Management 3.0 course?

As a licensed trainer you will get professional courseware materials, free copies of the Management 3.0 book to give away, official game and exercise materials, official listing on the training schedule on the website and assistance in marketing your classes. You get this all in exchange for a very reasonable license fee, which will allow me to focus more on research, development and marketing of the course.

Interested? Then please send an email to this address:
info AT management30 DOT com.

]]>New Purpose for This Websitehttp://www.management30.com/posts/2011/6/14/new-purpose-for-this-website.htmlManagement 3.0 team2011-06-14T17:50:21Z2011-06-14T17:50:21ZI have been working to redesign the Management 3.0 website. The original purpose of this site was to create a platform for Agile management resources and discussions. This failed miserably, largely because of lack of time on my part.

The second purpose of this website was to support the Management 3.0 book, which worked reasonably well. The book is doing fine in terms of sales. And it is useful to have a place to where I can keep supporting materials available.

Now it is time for the third (and hopefully final) iteration for the purpose of the site. I intend to use it for all information and resources regarding the Management 3.0 course. The original name of the course was Agile Management, but most people told me I should rename it to match the title of the book. And so it makes sense to move everything to the same website.

You can expect some interesting announcements about the course soon...

]]>Emails from Management 3.0 Readershttp://www.management30.com/posts/2011/3/10/emails-from-management-30-readers-1.htmlManagement 3.0 team2011-03-10T00:12:56Z2011-03-10T00:12:56ZJurgen,

I just wanted to drop you a quick note to say thank you for writing Management 3.0. I have to say, I love the book. I have been working as a manager (of various sorts) in an agile world for 6 years. Before that I was very much a developer, designer, architect, which was always covered nicely in the agile community. I have found that lots of things that you cover in your book covers a lot of the learnings I have made myself over the years. I have theoretical knowledge through my MBA and practical knowledge through the work I do now and the work I did previously as an IT director in British Telecom. The key reason for writing to you is that your book has been liberating to me - I feel it is much more acceptable to talk about the "manager" word. A lot of the agile community has been closed to the thought of a manager, which I have always believed to be wrong. Business owners, managers, directors haven't got the attention they deserve. I intend to join you in writing about the topic. I have started on my blog: http://isthereathirdway.wordpress.com.

Keep up the good work.

Cheers,
Phil 

Hello Jurgen,

I really ENJOY your book. It is a unique book in agile management and I believe that you make a new movement in the agile landscape. I cannot find any book which covers the software complexity and agile management from the scientific perspective except your excellent book. I really appreciate your work.

Best Regards

Alireza

]]>The First Results Are In...http://www.management30.com/posts/2011/1/20/the-first-results-are-in.htmlManagement 3.0 team2011-01-20T16:22:52Z2011-01-20T16:22:52ZThe Management 3.0 book was released two weeks ago (in North America) and the first results are looking very, very good. The book has been in the top 3 bestselling Agile books on Amazon, for several weeks in a row. And the publisher told me they're very happy with the first sales figures. Personally, I am most happy with the 5-star reviews my book has been getting!

Meanwhile, people in Europe (including me) are still waiting for widespread availability in European book stores. (The publisher says this usually takes about 4 weeks after the US release.) I can only hope sales and reviews on this side of the pond are just as good!

We'll just have to wait and see...

]]>A Soldier's Journey from the Front Line to the Bottom Linehttp://www.management30.com/posts/2011/1/4/a-soldiers-journey-from-the-front-line-to-the-bottom-line.htmlJohn Durfee2011-01-04T15:39:40Z2011-01-04T15:39:40ZThis is a guest post by John Durfee...

You can take the man out of the service, but you can't take the service out of a man. Though I left the military years ago, the lessons from that way of living still resonate with me, and I use them to this day. I've moved from being underneath a captain's orders to the director of a marketing department. I've found the military style leadership to be an especially important lesson in managing my workforce.

Working in a marketing department has very similar working conditions as an agile software environment;

  • You need to be open to changes late in a project.

  • You need to have continuous releases of a product that works.

  • You need to have a clear train of communication between business leaders and the sales team to find the best campaign to catch the market's attention.

The key is enabling and trust. In a military unit you put your faith in your squad mates - your life is literally in their hands, and vice versa. With that sense of responsibility, you don't want to let anyone down. I try to build that same sense of trust in my office team.

To build that trust, I make it a point for people to supervise each other's work. That is, I make sure work is cross-checked between colleagues before being presented as a finished product to me. That way, the level of quality goes up as mistakes are minimized, and employees have to rely on each other. It's a simple system, but its something that reinforces cooperation and inter-reliance every day.

Enabling employees with more responsibility is a tricky matter. You may easily run the risk of placing implied hierarchies within a group and resentment can follow. Leaders rise to the top. When I can, I like to task my department with tasks a little above their ken - I move forward the deadline a week sooner than usual, or I send in work for revision close to the end. I then keep an eye out for the ones who take responsibility upon themselves to deliver, and who do it without raising complaint or ill will. Those people that continually and consistently meet the challenges, I promote to assistant or lead positions. They will be the ones who you can show the bigger picture to, and with that widened latitude I've found great insight and advice from them.

John is an Operation Freedom War veteran and a manager for Airsplat, the nation's largest retailer of Airsoft Guns including Spring Airsoft Rifles.

]]>Pre-publications on Various Siteshttp://www.management30.com/posts/2010/12/17/pre-publications-on-various-sites.htmlManagement 3.0 team2010-12-17T12:53:37Z2010-12-17T12:53:37ZIn the last 2 weeks several excerpts of the Management 3.0 book were published on various sites. Here's an overview:

The Shape of Change (Agile Journal)

Many times, Scrum Masters and agile coaches are confronted with the need to change a team that seems to be stuck in its own behavior. And though team members may be willing to change, they just can’t seem to get out of their current situation. With this article I try to shed a new light on this difficult problem, and I propose to change the environment instead of the team. It could be a much easier strategy. Read more...

The Fear of Uncertainty (on Mark Levison's blog)

My partner and I once went to Cuba, where we unexpectedly visited a famous tobacco plantation. This happened because we had picked up a young hiker who turned out to be one of the workers at the plantation... Read more...

Personality Assessments (on Eric D. Brown's blog)

As a manager you need diversity in your teams. A diversity of personalities stimulates stability, resilience, flexibility, and innovation. On the other hand, there must be sufficient common ground among team members to ensure cohesiveness, and for them to be able to resolve conflicts... Read more...

The Agile Blind Spot (on Mike Cottmeyer's blog)

It’s nearly 10 years that the Agile Manifesto was written, and everybody and their grandmother loves pointing out “weaknesses” in the original document. Allow me to jump on that bandwagon and add my own thoughts to the ever-growing pile.... Read more...

Adaptation, Anticipation, Exploration (on Martin Proulx's blog)

The business unit I was leading some months ago was a fine example of a complex adaptive system trying to survive. As a young start-up business, our prime objective was to find paying customers. We anticipated in which places we could find them, and we adapted when it turned out they weren’t there.... Read more...

The Achilles' Heel of Agile (on John Hunter's blog)

When I wrote this, I was working in a big open office space in the Van Nelle Factory in Rotterdam (see photo). About 100 people work in an office that was the first of its kind in Europe, when it was built in 1929. And more than 80 years later, architecture lovers from all over the world still come to admire it, take pictures, and make drawings. I sometimes waved at them... Read more...

Agile Goal Setting (InfoQ)

Much has been written in agile literature about vision, mission, and goal setting, but few experts seem to agree on what it really means to set goals in an agile way. Dictionaries don’t agree with encyclopedias, and process frameworks don’t agree with leading consultants. Or the other way around. This article is my attempt at adding some fuel to the fire... Read more...

]]>Book Launch!http://www.management30.com/posts/2010/12/5/book-launch.htmlManagement 3.0 team2010-12-05T21:58:28Z2010-12-05T21:58:28ZThe Management 3.0 book will be "officially" launched on February 4th, 2011. By that time the book will have been available for several weeks, and plenty of copies will have been shipped to The Netherlands for the Dutch market.

REGISTER HERE FOR THE BOOK LAUNCH

The book launch event will take place at Selexyz Donner, the biggest book store in The Netherlands. It will involve a talk by author Jurgen Appelo, preceded by two brief contributions of friends from the worlds of social media and Agile software development.

Readers, reviewers, colleagues, and other interested people are all welcome to join Jurgen and his friends, for a brief chat, a drink, and (of course) some book signing!

REGISTER NOW!

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