Dec 14, 2018
In this episode of Agile Coaches’ Corner, your host,
Dan Neumann, is joined by his guest, Principal Transformation
Consultant and fellow AgileThought colleague, Christy Erbeck. And
today, they’re discussing working agreements.
Christy Erbeck is a client-focused executive dedicated to
leading strategic change. She has broad domestic and international
experience in corporate strategy, change management, program
management and leadership communications. As an Industrial &
Organizational Psychologist, Christy is a compassionate and
courageous collaborator who is passionate about coaching and
developing others and aiding organizations in transformation. Her
specialties include business agility and change management,
Enterprise Asset Management (EAM), manufacturing, distribution and
service organizations, creating customer and employee-focused
strategies, innovation, and much more.
Join Dan and Christy this episode as they have an in-depth
discussion about the importance of having a working agreement in
place, her tips for setting up a work agreement with a new team,
and how to rework a working agreement that has already been
established.
Key Takeaways
- The importance of having a working agreement in
place:
- Helps teams work through problems they’re
struggling with (such as core working hours, handling conflict, and
creating a safe working environment)
- Helps teams come up with their definition of
“normal”
- Sets a clear path to a future they would like to
see with the team
- It gives people permission to show up fully to the
event at-hand
- Christy’s tips for setting up a work agreement with
a new team:
- Give people the time they need to think through
what they want to see in the working agreement
- Eliminate and reduce anxiety by clearly
illustrating the process for them
- Set the stage that it is a safe space to bring
their ideas
- Utilize the facilitation technique, 1-2-4-All
(linked below)
- Boil it down to the core ideas and vet it against
messy, tough scenarios
- Allow the right amount of time to create the
working agreement — it is not something that is meant to be rushed
through
- Humor is important — allow the space to have
fun
- Christy’s tips for reworking a working agreement
that has already been established:
- Establish what is and isn’t working in the working
agreement
- Figure out why it isn’t working and what the team
wants to do differently
- Ask the questions: is the working agreement serving
us or are we serving the work agreement? Is it aligned with our
values?
Key Learnings:
- A working agreement reminds teams of their
mission
- It helps to create a safe space to share ideas and
reminds the team to continue delivering value
- Serves the team in helping them through continued
work struggles
Mentioned in this Episode:
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