Anthropology is the holistic, global, comparative study of humans. It is the comprehensive study of human beings and of their interactions with each other and the environment. (Wikipedia)
When I work with companies to implement Agile principles and practices, implementing Scrum, XP, and lean practices is the easy part. The greater challenge is aiding in the cultural change that Agile can bring. This entails working with every person that is involved with the software development process, from the Team doing the work, to the customer service folks, to the accounting department, to the executive suites.
To be effective, an Agile Coach must understand the culture of the company, and the people working therein. To me, there is no other way to affect organizational change.
The Agile Coach is an anthropologist of sorts, studying the interactions of the people within the culture, injecting little bits here and there to see the reaction. What are the goals of this organism we call a company? Where is everyone’s place in working toward those goals, and how do they fit in to the big picture? What are their motivations, their needs, their wants? How can we help align everyone toward the common goal? What’s happening in the brain of the organization? How does his/her actions effect everyone else?
This is what is studied by the coach or consultant that truly seeks to help and aid in understanding. And that takes more than a week.
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