The Lean and Agile movements thrive upon the adoption of a certain mindset. Living the beliefs and values of that mindset is all that is asked of us as practitioners. (That, and working software!) However, while Agile and Lean methods have become mainstream, the Mindset is often the missing ingredient, preventing teams and organisations from getting the full benefit of their practices.

This talk explores how to coach a mentality by drawing upon those mainstream technical practices, and combining those insights through meaningful dialogue.

The 'soft' social sciences (anthropology, sociology, economics, cultural studies) inform many areas of the professional/ business realm. Think of how we construct the ideas of leadership, motivation, diversity, workplace relations and politics, or teamwork. Each is based to some degree on the research and findings of social science studies.

This talk will attempt to draw some parallels between humanities and the current thinking espoused by practitioners in the world of Lean, Agile and Systems Thinking. What can these disciplines teach us about the Agile mindset and Lean and Systems Thinking, and how can you expand upon your knowledge by exploring the vast wisdom and insights offered by the soft sciences?

(Nick holds a PostGrad Dip in Sociology and has found that knowledge to be directly transferrable to his career as an AgilePM/ Iteration Manager/ Scrum Master).