The Role of People Managers in SAFe
By Mikael Broomé, Lean-Agile Coach at Think Flow
Note: This article is part of the Community Contributions series, which provides additional points of view and guidance based on the experiences and opinions of the extended SAFe community of experts.
概要
Implementing SAFe requires creating a second operating system alongside the more traditional organizational hierarchy. This second operating system is organized around value streams instead of functional silos. Although a critical step in accelerating value delivery, this can create a challenge for People Managers who are traditionally part of the hierarchy and now find themselves responsible for managing workers who are part of the organization’s ‘virtual value stream network.’ Overcoming this challenge is critical since, at the end of the day, people do all the work; therefore, effective people management is key to unlocking high performance.
Note: This article expands the initial guidance in The Evolving Role of Managers in Lean-Agile Development and refines the people managers’ responsibilities in SAFe.
When a company starts using SAFe, People Managers may face significant changes in their jobs, making it hard for them to adjust. They often find it hard to let go of some tasks they used to do and delegate that authority to Agile Release Train (ART) leaders or teams. This is particularly true for managers responsible for Agile team members. However, managers with greater responsibilities in the hierarchy can experience similar challenges. The recommendations in this article can help People Managers at any level within the company.
This article shares practical tips and ways of thinking that have been successful for People Managers who have evolved how they perform their responsibilities in a company using SAFe. It focuses on the following topics:
Transitioning to Being a People Manager in SAFe outlines how People Managers in a SAFe environment have to think and act differently and how some of their duties may change.
People Manager Responsibilities in SAFe provides a broad overview of the most common areas of responsibility that People Managers in SAFe must embrace.
Success Factors for a People Manager in SAFe describes practical tips for succeeding as a People Manager in SAFe.
Transitioning to being a People Manager in SAFe
People Managers experiencing this transition often ask:
- What role do I play in achieving success in SAFe?
- What changes should I make in how I manage people?
- How do I balance my People Manager responsibilities with the need for Agile teams to be more independent, with advice from their coaches, product leaders, and architects?
- How will these changes to my role as a People Manager impact my career advancement opportunities?
- How can I work with Agile teams in the best way to make the whole system stronger?
Table 1 below summarizes the most common changes needed to move from traditional management roles to being a People Manager in SAFe.
Not all traditional people managers will like these changes to their roles and may be happier pursuing a different career path. Some enjoy creating new products and talking to customers the most. These managers might want to become Product Owners or Product Managers. Other managers love to help teams be more effective and might prefer roles like Scrum Master/Team Coach or Release Train Engineer. Then there are those who would prefer to transition into a senior technical job such as a System, Solution, or Enterprise Architect. Companies should support and encourage these transitions to unlock their employees’ intrinsic motivation while optimizing each person’s contribution to the organization’s success.
People Manager Responsibilities in SAFe
What responsibilities does a People Manager in a SAFe environment have after completing the transitions described in the previous section? This section answers that question by focusing on the five primary areas of responsibility shown in Figure 1 below.
At first, it might seem that the responsibilities of traditional people management and people management in SAFe are the same. The difference is in how these responsibilities are performed, which is explained in the next sections.
Promoting Employee Well-being
In an Agile team, the well-being of employees is an important key to success. A People Manager looks after employees, helping them succeed in the fast-paced and demanding Agile environment by:
Enhancing Health and Work Environment. Attend to the physical and mental health of employees and ensure that the workplace supports the health and well-being of everyone.
Supporting in Crisis Management. Be a strong support in tough times, offering help and advice to employees dealing with hard situations in their work and personal lives.
Managing Stress and Fostering Inclusion. Provide advice on reducing stress while creating a welcoming space where everyone feels valued and heard.
Managing Talent
People Managers in SAFe need to anticipate the evolving needs of domain and technical expertise across the value stream network. New hires must also fit well with the existing Agile Teams, sharing a commitment to working together and upholding Agile principles. By taking a holistic approach, People Managers can avoid making hiring decisions in isolation, which helps keep the workforce across the organization well-rounded and effective. They regularly engage in activities such as:
Setting Expectations and Salaries: Set clear expectations for individual performance, personal conduct, and team contribution. Also, manage compensation, rewards, and recognition, considering the team’s work as a whole rather than focusing solely on individual performance.
Managing Workplace Norms: Promote workplace norms that support Agile principles and practices, creating a place where working together and new ideas are encouraged. Norms set by the company can include things like acting ethically and following company rules. Teams and ARTs can also have additional norms.
Navigating Hiring and Firing: Facilitate hiring by finding and bringing in the right talent. Consider the whole value stream, technical and domain expertise, and fit to Agile culture. Also, handle the sensitive job of making staff changes when needed.
Promoting Growth
A People Manager in SAFe works to improve growth by looking at the needs of individual employees and the team. They collaborate across the company and with each individual to support the right growth, facilitating development rather than just creating and managing individual development plans. Regular activities are:
Competence Development Planning: Help Agile Teams plan their development and support their members in finding ways to improve their skills.
Facilitate Growth Opportunities: Support growth by matching personal goals with organizational needs. This is done in collaboration with roles like Scrum Masters/Team Coaches, Product Owners, and others within a team or ART.
Active Follow-up and Guidance: Monitor and provide necessary resources and support the development plans of teams and individuals.
手本を示す
It’s important to lead by example, especially regarding Agile behaviors. A people manager can shape how employees think and act through activities such as:
Exemplifying New Behaviors: Consider if your actions match the behaviors and attitudes that Lean-Agile values promote. Adjust as needed and show the proper behavior in an authentic manner, encouraging others to do the same.
Leading others to embrace change: Actively deal with worries and reluctance from individuals or teams as they transition to Agile. Build an environment that supports change and ongoing improvement.
Cultivating a Culture of Adaptability: Promote adaptability and flexibility in and across teams, highlighting the need to adapt to changes.
Strengthening Team Conditions
People Managers apply a supportive approach by asking, “How can I help?” They help team members grow and remove barriers when necessary. They also show a lot of trust in the team to be self-directed.
Empowering Scrum Masters/Team Coaches: Work with Scrum Masters/ Team Coaches to find ways to help. When they ask, help them with their coaching skills. Always trust the Scrum Master/Team Coach and the team to handle progress and how things are done.
Empowering Product Owners: Support product owners when they need help. Encourage them to fully take charge of their product by focusing on delivering customer value and delight. Support the Product Owner’s decisions regarding details about the product,
Creating the conditions for success: Help remove barriers slowing progress. Build a safe and supportive environment where everyone can learn and improve. Encourage the Agile team to become independent and capable by creating growth and self-reliance.
Success Factors for a People Manager in SAFe
People managers in SAFe must handle their duties in alignment with the overall company strategy and direction. In doing so, they play a big part in helping their teams and the entire company move forward while advancing Lean-Agile ways of working. This role requires a mix of leading effectively, showing understanding and care, and really living the SAFe values and principles. This helps create a place where teams can develop and succeed.
Changing how you perform as a People Manager can be difficult. You might face issues like not feeling motivated or supported. You might struggle with the feeling of being held responsible for the team’s performance without having the authority to direct their daily work. You may also have to think differently about how to lead change effectively in this new context. Fortunately, there are several key strategies that successful people managers use to overcome these hurdles. These strategies are illustrated in Figure 2 and described in the text that follows.
1. Decide if Being a People Manager is the Right Role for You
Choosing a role with a good understanding of what it involves is good for any job. For a People Manager in SAFe, this is very important because the job of managing people is changing a lot. To do well as a People Manager, you need to really want to do it and get support from your leaders. It’s a good idea to talk to your manager about these things:
- What would serving as a People Manager in SAFe mean for me?
- How do I decide what’s more important to me: working with people, working on products, or working on processes? What decides these priorities for me?
- Which job and path seem the best for me?
- How can I best help the organization and add value?
- What kind of support and conditions do I need to choose my future path?
2. Delegate Responsibility through Decentralized Decision-Making
A good People Manager delegates decision making authority, while still being responsible for the results. This means a People Manager must move away from ‘command and control’ and foster an environment of trust. In this environment, teams and individuals can make informed decisions and grow their autonomy in a responsible manner. This involves:
- Empowering workers while making sure they have the competence and clarity needed to make good decisions. [1]
- Having open discussions about who gets to decide what. This means clearly agreeing on who has the authority to make certain decisions and where some level of control is still held. [2]
3. Experiment with Ways to Stay Engaged
Being a good People Manager in SAFe means staying involved enough to support the team without taking over. It’s important to recognize that sometimes your presence can make team members hesitant to speak up and address issues. In my experience, I’ve noticed two common problems:
- Managers in SAFe transformations stepping back too much, becoming hard to reach, and not in a position to help the team.
- Managers providing direction on team concerns like backlog matters instead of clearly deferring those questions to the Product Owner and the rest of the team.
In both cases, the team’s performance could improve if the manager stayed engaged and ready to help if asked without undermining the team’s autonomy.
4. Grow Leaders
The best People Managers do more than guide the people in their charge. They also embrace their responsibility to prepare individuals they manage to be great people managers in the future. They positively contribute to the company’s leadership culture by encouraging their peers and even the senior leaders above them in the hierarchy to follow these same People Management guidelines. By doing so, the organization can maintain a strong People Management culture even as individual leaders come and go. This requires:
- Coaching and mentoring those you manage with the knowledge and skills needed to grow into future People Managers.
- Encouraging peer People Managers to model these same behaviors.
- Setting an example that influences the leaders above you to evolve their People Management skills as well. [3], [4]
まとめ
Mastering the responsibilities outlined in this article is crucial for the success of Agile teams, ARTs, and the larger organization. By balancing leadership, empathy, and an understanding of Agile principles, People Managers in SAFe can create environments where teams thrive, driving innovation and productivity.
Being a great People Manager is an individual and unique journey. The best results are often experienced when you join forces with other People Managers inside and outside the organization to network, exchange perspectives, and support each other.
Learn more
[1] L. David Marquet, Turn the Ship Around – a true story of turning followers into leaders, Penguin Business 2019
[2] Delegation Poker described by Jurgen Appelo in Managing for Happiness: Games, Tools, and Practices to Motivate Any Team, Wiley, 2016
[3] Jocko Willink and Leif Babin, Extreme Ownership: How U.S. Navy Seals Lead and Win, St Martin’s Press, 2017
[4] Allan R. Cohen and David L. Bradford, Influencing up, Wiley 2012
Last update: 15 August 2024