An Interestring from the book "Becoming Agile".

Migrating to Agile is more than changing your process. It also requires a change in culture. For most companies changing culture is the most difficult part. I believe this is true for several reasons. Here are a few:

• Whether successful or not, companies get comfortable with their processes.
• Many people still believe requirements change because they are poorly managed. They cannot comprehend a process that embraces change.
• Most managers have been trained to control events. Empowering the development team to deliver and own the project is not intuitive or logical.
• Job protection. In larger companies whole groups are dedicated to regulating and overseeing projects. An Agile team has less need for these services.

Via: http://www.infoq.com/news/2008/04/smith-creating-agile-environment

Orignial URL: http://www.methodsandtools.com/archive/archive.php?id=70

Interesting Post.

The article, What Every Baby Needs to Thrive, highlights eight steps every baby needs to thrive. For example, the first one is, "Show your love." What I have done is take this step and draw similarities to how this would apply to the success of a development team. This exercise can transcend outside of development teams to other teams, but this is a blog focused on engineering.
I have not altered the steps provided in the article. Each step and how they can be applied to a development team can be seen below.
Step 1. Show your love
How to Apply: Acknowledge them, give them praise, constructive criticism, tone of voice, genuinely care for their progress, listen to them, coach them, help them help themselves.
Step 2. Care for your child’s basic needs
How to Apply: Give them the knowledge and tools necessary to be successful, provide training opportunities for them to take advantage. Rest them, don’t just sprint them month after month without a break. A well rested employee is more productive. Reward them when they have done well, instruct them when they have not. Show them what it means to be a good developer. Provide a welcoming team atmosphere, lead the culture promoting it, and provide frequent feedback.
Step 3. Talk to your child
How to Apply: Communicate openly and frequently, listed and hear them, ask them how they are, what they are doing, learn how to help them.
Step 4. Read to your child
How to Apply: Present to them, demonstrate and show them what you know, teach them skills that they will learn to admire and achieve so they may help themselves.
Step 5. Stimulate all his senses
How to Apply: Give them a broad range of experiences, don’t just stick them in one technology or one facet of a project. Teach them all the parts of the project. See where there interests and skills develop. Groom them for future development in several areas.
Step 6. Encourage new challenges
How to Apply: Encourage them to raise their bar higher, step out of their comfort zone, teach a class, present a session, develop leadership skills. Teach them to teach others. Train the trainer.
Step 7. Take care of yourself
How to Apply: Lead by example, if you are not well rested (on top of your game), it becomes difficult to instill this sense amongst the team. Continue your education to grow and lead. Find time for yourself away from the team.
Step 8. Find good childcare
How to Apply: Develop a good team atmosphere. Who do you want your developers to emulate? Find mentors, get them training, pay for good speakers, find the right conventions. Encourage them to care for each other, to present to each other, to respect one another.

Original URL: http://elegantcode.com/2008/04/02/caring-for-the-team/