Don’t play the game, hack the system: the ‘political quotient’ for agility
Details
Most Agile initiatives don’t die because the code is bad or the framework is wrong. They die in the "invisible currents" of the organisation. We tell teams to be transparent, yet we operate in opaque political systems where great ideas are blocked by "gatekeepers" and decision-making happens in the shadows.
It’s time to stop treating office politics as a dirty word and start treating it as a complex system. If you can map a legacy codebase, you can map a political landscape.
This session introduces "Political Quotient" (PQ)—the missing metric for Agile success. We move beyond the org chart to map the real flow of influence, capital, and friction in your business. You will learn to identify the invisible walls blocking your progress and gain the radical clarity needed to move your ideas vertically to leadership and horizontally across silos. Stop flying blind. Learn to navigate the system with intent.
Key Topics:
- The Shadow Org Chart: Why the official hierarchy is a lie and how to map the actual decision-making network.
- Decoding Gatekeepers: Distinguishing between those who protect the business and those who protect their turf.
- Vertical vs. Horizontal Momentum: Why you need different languages to influence peers (horizontal) versus executives (vertical).
- System Mapping: Applying systems thinking to human dynamics.
Key Takeaways - participants will leave with:
- A System Map, Not a Stakeholder List: A practical framework to visualise the "currents" of influence in their organisation, identifying exactly where their Agile transformation is losing momentum.
- The "Gatekeeper" Key: A diagnostic tool to categorise resistance. You will learn which blockers can be turned into sponsors and which need to be navigated around.
- Radical Clarity on Value: A method to strip away Agile jargon and articulate value in a way that aligns with the personal and political motivations of senior leadership.
- An Action Plan for Monday: A specific set of "next moves" to unblock a stalled initiative using the principles of Political Quotient.
Sponsors
A BIG thank you to u&u (Especially Will Caporn) for providing the venue, food, and drinks, and also to our overall sponsor PMI Agile Alliance.
