The invitation to speak at Agile Saturday Tallinn came across just a month before the event, but at the right time for me to decide to join. The way it was arranged and the communication with the organizers were giving an encouraging vibe of enthusiasm and eagerness to bring interesting topics to participants!
As a speaker, I always try to deliver fresh knowledge to the conferences. Sometimes, one may get a feeling at Agile events that there is nothing new anymore to discuss and learn, and I find it very pitiful, taking into account the complexity of the subject. This time I have chosen to talk about “Psychology of change management”. Anyone can learn agile frameworks in a reasonable amount of time, however real challenge comes with an attempt of implementation. Agile transformation – it is first of all a change. A change that concerns the way of working, the way of planning and the way of thinking. And of course, it affects the way people feel. Every leader, scrum master or Agile coach during change implementation encounters episodes of resistance and lack of motivation. Why does it occur and how to overcome it?
In my talk I covered the concept of universal emotions and the main emotions that drive our perception of change, circumstances that make it difficult and, in opposite, make it easier to go through the change process, the way to craft the change story, and usage of the Kubler-Ross curve for leading people towards acceptance and enthusiasm. Of course it is quite a challenge to deliver such a complex topic in only 45 minutes, and I could see from the feedback I’ve received from participants that it triggered the interest and more questions:
“Maybe a couple of things could have been opened up a bit more”
“A longer talk next time!”
That is why, if the format of the conference allows, for topics like this I’m always trying to offer a 3 or 6 hours workshop. Although, I felt that my goal of bringing the knowledge and awareness regarding human Psychology and its impact on day-to-day life at work was reached. Furthermore, I was happy to see that more people with a degree in Psychology began to participate in such conferences. I was glad to listen to the talk of Joseph Pelrine, where he gives a scientific perspective to such a buzzword as Psychological Safety.
Overall, Agile Saturday Tallinn was greatly organized, with a very professional, yet friendly atmosphere. It was an absolute delight to find out that the event is free for all the participants. I would highly recommend everyone to join it next time!
By Tatiana Lukyanova, Agile coach & Psychologist
