What do you do when you want something to change in your company or on your team? When your team tries to change, does it stick to new things or are you back to the old ways after a few weeks? How to make meaningful change that actually lasts is a challenge all teams and companies face. For the past two years, I have studied different ways to approach this challenge as part of my coursework for a Masters degree in Management Sciences. My elective course is change management, a topic that really captures my interest. Here, I’ll share not...
Continue reading...sociotechnical engineering
Thoughts on organizing architecture
When being part of an enterprise, you will meet different architects on any given day. The first one introduces itself as a solution architect, the other calls itself the enterprise architect, and they both mention a domain architect. It might feel like different names for the same thing, and perhaps even a bigger question, do we even need all of these different architects? Should the team not be able to make all of these architectural decisions by themselves?
Continue reading...Three Leadership Responsibilities
Last week I wrote about the – to me – incomplete Architect Vacancy. The reactions I have received were amazing to read. I am incredibly happy that many people agree with the need for socio-technical characteristics in an architect. Some reactions also, rightfully, commented that it is something that is assessed during interview processes. For example, by asking and evaluating experiences of the candidates. Although I genuinely applaud that these things are asked, I do find it isn’t enough. And after some tinkering, I found out what was bothering me.
Continue reading...The incomplete architect vacancy
I find LinkedIn a great medium. Of course, It has its downfalls, but I check it out a couple of times a day. Often, LinkedIn is suggesting me a career opportunity or I have a message from a recruiter. Although I am not looking for a new job, I am really happy at Xebia currently, I do find it interesting to read the vacancy. Especially when it is concerning an Enterprise Architect role, as they make me raise my eyebrows every time. To me, something is fundamentally wrong in the characteristics companies are looking for in an Architect. Before I...
Continue reading...Thriving in a complex world of uncertainty, ambiguity and volatility
Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity and Ambiguity – VUCA – or simply a catch-all phrase to say “it is crazy out there”. Living in a VUCA world means we have to think differently about how we organise our organisations and projects. It is important that any organisation is able to quickly adjust their plans and structure if the environment requires to do so. As the COVID-19 pandemic shows us our environment can change in a snap and have huge consequences on any organisation. Working in a VUCA world might sound scary, but it doesn’t have to be. When you are aware of...
Continue reading...A layman’s introduction to socio-technical systems
Nowadays, there is an increasing interest and mentioning of socio-technical engineering, socio-technical systems. And although the words do not strike as odd on its own I personally have struggled quite a bit with the different meanings of the terms and understanding the field of socio-technical systems. So in this article, I will provide a layman’s introduction to socio-technical systems. Knowledge about socio-technical engineering can help you to understand what constraints might prevent or help you to succeed in your current project.
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