• ResultsFromHumansDesignedForInteraction

Discovery session D19:

Led by: Jeff Grover, Zhon Johansen

Contact us: jeff.grover@oakleynetworks.com OR zhon.johansen@oakleynetworks.com

Web site: xputah.org

Title: Humans: Designed for Interaction

Topic: Using principles of dynamic intelligence in agile settings

Overview: This session consisted of four highly interactive games, after each of which was a discussion (with a shorted version for the last activity due to time contraints). If you left wanting more or if reading this has made you curious: You can find additional reading on this subject by following the URL in the "References" at the end of this summary.

The principles covered and comments were:

1. DECLARITIVE & IMPERATIVE COMMUNICATION:

• Declaritive is a statements, inviting
• Imperative is a question or command, off-putting Observations:
• Sometimes questions are just sugar-coated
• It's not about being better than others, it's about "awareness"
• Use of words like "maybe" invite participation
• Negotiations, in contrast, encourage asking a lot of questions
• In our exercises, most teams had 60-80% declaritive language in casual conversation Applications to Agile:
• Pair Programming
• Coaching
• Managing

2. ZONE OF CONNECTION & SELF-REGULATION:

• The spacing and orentation of our bodies makes a huge difference in communication Observations:
• People have different distances at which they are comfortable
• Side-by side is sometimes easier to tolerate than face-to-face
• Connection zones change according to the nature of the interaction
• Too far away is as uncomfortable as close
• We're wired to move closer to seek social interaction
• If you can't change the connection zone, change the nature of the interaction

• When pairing, use chairs with wheels that allow you to both work side-by side and turn and move apart & closer

• The comefort zone should shrink as your relationships strengthens with team members
• It's easier to handle an uncomfortable zone if both people are aware of it, and there is a limit to the uncomfortable interaction

3. RHYTHM & VARIATIONS (OR: SAFETY & CHALLENGE)

• Predictable rhythms allow us to feel more safe, but make us bored
• Unexpected variations allow us to feel challenged, but less safe Observations:
• After one person has introduced a variation, others feel more safe doing it
• Increase in this safety can lead to an escalation of innovation
• Even when a variation is introduced, it is compelling to retain or return to a known rhythm
• Many simultaneous yet harmonious rhythms become a symphony Applications to Agile:
• Iterations are a rhythm
• Test-code-refactor is a rhythm
• Agile is about introducing variation through many techniques
• Retrospectives are one such technique to introduce variation

4. CO-CREATION & CORRECTION

• Co-creation is more productive and rewarding than correction, because you share a joint attention activity Observations (after the session):
• It was easier to create something together non-verbally than to talk about requirements and correct things
• It was more enjoyable to co-create than correct

5. TWO OTHER CONCEPTS WE MENTIONED BUT DID NOT DISCUSS

• EPISODIC & SEMANTIC MEMORY

• CO-REGULATION & DISTRACTION

  (Put them on the "conference tree" if you'd like to see them next year )

REFERENCES: See Dr. Steven Gutstein and Rachel Sheely's book list at the URL http://www.rdiconnect.com/resources/default.asp?cat1=1

• We particularly recommend:
• The Developing Mind
• The Cradle of Though
• Apprenticeship in Thinking
• Developing Through Relationships
• Wisdom, Intelligence, and Creativity Synthesized

Thanks for attending!