Complexity & Change Navigation
Agile thrives in complex environments. These parables explore how teams sense and respond to change, deal with uncertainty, and move forward without full visibility.
| Concept | Agile Relevance | Usage in Agile |
|---|---|---|
| The Elephant & The Rider | Rational vs. emotional decision-making. | Use to introduce change management strategies. |
| Blind Men & The Elephant | Partial views of the whole. | Promote system thinking and inclusive dialogue. |
| The Iceberg Model | Surface events vs. root causes. | Facilitate systems-thinking conversations in Retrospectives. |
| The Labyrinth & The Minotaur | Navigating the unknown. | Prepare teams for iterative exploration and learning in complex domains. |
| The Crow & The Pitcher | Incremental problem solving, resourcefulness, systems thinking. | Show teams how small, creative actions compound to solve big problems. |
| The Builders & The Blueprint | Design vs. emergence. | Contrast predictive vs. empirical planning. |
| Lighthouse & The Ship | Guiding principles vs. rigid plans. | Use in PI Planning or strategy sessions to emphasize vision over control. |
| The Drowning Man & The Helicopter | Ignoring help due to fixed expectations. | Teach adaptability and openness to unexpected solutions. |
| The Boiling Frog | Slow change and normalization of deviance. | Raise awareness about growing dysfunction or technical debt. |
