Soulful Socio-Technical Architecture: the intangible link between code and human

'Soulful Socio-Technical Architecture' is a vision of architecture that transcends the technical and explores the social dynamics within rapid learning teams. We uncover the roots of the "socio-technical" idiom and analyze the backdrop of last century's failed reform of the UK coal mining industry. Through this historical lens, we'll draw parallels to contemporary scenarios within the software industry, unraveling the threads that connect our past to our present.

In this thought-provoking talk, I'll guide you through considerations of design and architecture heuristics, showing a path from the 'complexity in the heart of Software' to the soul of the people with the potential for transforming organizations into living, breathing socio-technical systems. We will transcend the boundaries of mere technical and operational discourse, weaving a narrative that acknowledges the pivotal role of social dynamics in the evolution of rapid learning teams.

This is not just a talk; it's an invitation to reimagine how we craft the future of organizational design with a harmonious blend of great technology and thriving culture. Prepare to challenge conventional thinking as we explore how the symphony of a soulful socio-technical architecture harmonizes technology with the essence of humanity, creating environments that transcend the ordinary and can be the future of radically new organizational designs.

Yes, we can: the miners did it a century ago!

About Marco Consolaro
Co-Founder, Trainer, and Coach at Alcor Academy

Marco Consolaro is an amalgam of diverse professional skills - software crafter, technical coach and trainer, systems thinker, international speaker, and symmathecist - all peppered with his Venetian wit. He is also the co-author of the award-winning book "Agile Technical Practices Distilled, A Learning Journey in Technical Practices and Principles of Software Design".

Marco's path in the world of coding began at the age of 9, with a Commodore and the Basic language sparking what would become a lifelong passion. Over the last two decades, he has been helping customers in Italy and the UK, integrating principles from eXtreme Programming, Agile methodologies, Lean, Domain-Driven Design, and Systems Thinking into his work. His main passion is broad Complex Systems Design, from team organization to Object-Oriented programming.

In 2020, Marco co-founded Alcor Academy to help leaders promote a culture of socio-technical excellence at scale, starting within their software development teams.

About the Host
Policy Expert is the UK’s biggest Insurtech. We set out to redesign what an insurer should be by streamlining how people buy insurance. This was achieved by building our proprietary platform and owning the process end to end. It’s a very exciting time for us, we’ve grown to over 1.4 million customers and are now looking to disrupt new areas of the market.