Alignment & Autonomy

Step 1

PRE-WORK:

If your team does not have clearly stated purpose, culture and working routines, consider using the Purpose & Culture or Point of Departure tools before running this workshop.

Before you kick off the workshop, Make sure you are familiar with the framework yourself, and take time to define 3 key things:

1. Set parameters for what is an acceptable level of autonomy for your team

2. Alignment: Define what it is that you want each team member to align around. This is generally around your organisation's goals, purpose, culture, mission, vision, strategies, agreements, etc...

3. Personal Responsibility/Autonomy: Define what it means in this team for each individual to take Personal Responsibility. This is generally defined as each member follows through on their tasks & their agreements. Sticking to agreed processes (like check-ins, feedback, reflection, communication, self-directed, following through, taking ownership, being curious).

Prepare the Alignment & Autonomy model on a flip chart, before your workshop (refer to video, draw "y" axis as Alignment, and "x" axis as Personal Responsibility, marking High and Low on each axis ).

If you are not the formal leader of the team, discuss these parameters with the relevant leader. This is an important pre-step because it establishes the frames for the workshop and decisions that may flow from it.

Once the parameters for alignment, personal responsibility/autonomy are defined, you're ready to bring your team together.

Step 2

Talk though the Alignment & Autonomy framework by Peter Smith.

Supporting Media:
This article describes the framework in some depth. For a quick intro, check out this 1 minute video short video by Spotify agile coach Henrik Kniberg. For a longer context watch this 13 minute video longer video.

Tips:
Consider asking participants to read the above article and/or watch the above video(s) as a pre-task.

Step 3

Invite your team to reflect on the past 3-6 months of the team's work.

A. You will now build upon the model together. Ask them to think about moments when they felt:

- High Alignment, High Personal Responsibility (we strive to work in this space. Innovative Organisation, Collaborative & Committed Culture,
- High Alignment, Low Personal Responsibility (Authoritative Organisation, Conformist Culture.
- Low Alignment, Low Personal Responsibility (Micromanaging Organisation, Indifferent Culture.
- Low Alignment, High Personal Responsibility (Internally Competitive Organisation/Entrepreneurial, Chaotic Culture.

B. In each quadrant described above, What were you and others saying? What were you and others doing? How did you feel? How do you recall others feeling?

C. Capture viewpoints in each quadrant on your flip chart or digitally.

Step 4

Now ask the team to reflect as individuals on the following questions:

- What is hindering my alignment?
- What could I do to get more aligned with the team's purpose and goals?
- Anything hindering me from taking personal responsibility?
- What could I do to take more personal responsibility (autonomy).

Encourage members to be as open and honest as they feel comfortable to be. Encourage them to be specific about what hinders them and what would support them.

Ask them to share one-by-one with the rest of the team.

After the round of sharing, make sure to address any misconceptions or misunderstandings that the team might have.

Be sure to clarify expectations of what is possible in terms of autonomy.

Step 5

Finally, building on what was expressed in the previous step, invite the team to suggest tangible actions that the team could take to increase alignment and autonomy.

Invite members to suggest actions, writing each on a post-it, and placing it on the wall. Once suggestions have been made, review them and decide together how to proceed with each.