Autonomy and governance
One ”Agile idea” that many large corporations worry about, is the one of autonomy. They base their concern on a misconception of what autonomy means.
Imagine a line with “Anarchy” on one end, and “Bureaucracy” on the other. This is often presented when discussing Agile vs traditional management concepts. The implication is that to go full Agile, means to descend into anarchy. This is a manifestation of the same misconception.
Teams within a company don’t need shared rules, they need shared goals
Autonomy does not mean to give in to random whims, essentially living in a state of chaos. Autonomy is a state of active self-governance. It’s not a state of chaos, it’s a state of deliberate action. An autonomous team makes decisions based on explicit rules. The difference is that the rules are generated within (the team), not imposed from above or outside.
Autonomy isn’t the absence of governance, it’s the presence of self-governance.
Traditional corporations are conservative entities, focused on presenting themselves as responsible. They also think that responsible employees demand active governance. The irony is that a higher feeling of freedom and autonomy, results in a higher sense of responsibility.
If you want a responsible team, you want a self-governed team.
