NEW EPISODE #173

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“Three characteristics of an organization that is operating with maximal effectiveness are value, clarity, and flow.”
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Are you feeling the strain of growth? Struggling to maintain alignment and efficiency as your organization scales? In this episode, I sit down with Steve Pereira and Andrew Davis, authors of the groundbreaking new book, “Flow Engineering”.

Learn why traditional scaling methods focusing on rigid coordination can actually hinder progress and how flow engineering offers a solution. We delve into the challenges and paradox of scaling, the core principles of flow engineering, its five primary mapping techniques, and the leadership mindset shift required to create a culture of flow engineering.

If you’re looking to overcome misalignment and optimize performance as you scale, this episode is a must-listen!

Listen out for:

• The Problem with Scale
• The Dangers of Increasing Coordination
• The Paradox of Scale
• Flow Engineering
• 5 Primary Maps
• All Maps are Wrong
• 5 Principles of Flow Engineering
• Leading Flow Engineering
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Show notes & transcript: techleadjournal.dev/episodes/173.
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​3 Key Takeaways

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1. The Challenges of Scale​
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   As organizations scale up, there is an inevitable increase in distance between everything in the organization—distance between individual actions and their impact, distance between employees and the organization’s core mission, and even physical distance between colleagues, partners, and customers.​
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   This increased distance can be harmful if left unchecked. It often manifests as distraction, disorientation, and disengagement – three substantial human costs of scale.​
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   Distraction hinders our focus on things that matter and from getting things done. Disorientation caused by misalignment between people and teams. Disengagement stems from a lack of clarity regarding desired outcomes and their significance.
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2. The Dangers of Increasing Coordination​
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   Our default response to the challenges of scale is often to increase coordination. After all, increased scale seems to demand extreme coordination to manage the amplified complexity of communication and collaboration.​
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   However, it’s crucial to remember that collaboration comes at a cost, especially without a proper support structure of protocols and guidelines.​
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   Paradoxically, as the Ringelmann effect highlights, individual effort declines as group size grows. Our best work often emerges in less coordinated settings, where waiting times, handoffs, and shared responsibilities are less prevalent.
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3. Flow Engineering​
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   To achieve effective collaboration at scale, three elements are essential: value, clarity, and flow. This means having a clear sense of the value we are delivering, clarity on how our work fits into the bigger picture, and the smooth flow of actions.​
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   Building upon the foundations of cybernetics and the Toyota Production System, flow engineering offers a practical approach to achieving these elements.​
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   At its core, flow engineering helps teams bridge the gap between the current state and a well-defined target state through collaborative mapping exercises.​
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   The goal of the exercises is to establish a clear objective, identify gaps, and implement a feedback loop for continuous evaluation and course correction.
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​2 Quotes for Reflection

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​1 Tech Lead Wisdom

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