In this special edition episode, we talk to IT Service Management specialist and value stream thinker David Billouz about the fourth chapter of Marie's journey in Zebra Apps.What do you think Marie should do? Join the conversation on our LinkedIn pageReach out to us:Anne Katrine & Ivanna

In the last commentary episode of chapter 4, we talk to Mary Lemmer, who is not only the founder of the company Improve, but also a keynote speaker, conference session facilitator, longtime entrepreneur, writer/author, and improv comedian. The story episode is full of attempts to solve the team communication and culture problems that have been identified earlier, and to disclose the key lessons from the commentary episode up front: The way you approach a situation makes a differenceYou need to acknowledge the root of a problem before you can fix itSugar will not solve your company's culture problemWe discuss some of the possible reasons to trust a leader besides professional capability, and how cinnamon buns are nothing but #emptyperks, when Zebra Apps' management continuously leave out diabetics like Willie. And frankly, when is sugar really the right solution? We talk about the impact of information hoarding, communication gaps, and imposter syndromes.  The importance of people's tone of voice. And finally, a kind recommendation to everyone listening: "If it feels weird, do it." Frameworks and modelsParadox of knowledgeThe Tiny Things Tuesdays ritual, where the team get together to surface tiny things that need to be paid attention to. CliftonStrengths Online Talent Assessment to look at employee's strengths and potential to improveThrive, tested, thanked: A framework for individuals to assess where they thrive, where they feel tested, and how they would like to be thanked.Kim Scott's Radical Candor The acceptance principle: Saying “Yes, and” — A principle for improv, business & life | by Mary Lemmer | IMPROVE | MediumYou can learn more about Mary on her website, or about the company Improve on their website. Also, check out Mary's TED Talk: “How improv can improve your leadership and life”.What do you think Marie should do? Join the conversation on our LinkedIn pageReach out to us:Anne Katrine & Ivanna

Marie and Mark are interviewing for the CFO position, and Marie learns from the employees in the Finance department that they are not wishing for a specialist manager, but a leader to represent them in the management team. Natalie suggests the VP of Sales, Jaque, which disappoints Mark. Jason returns to Zebra Apps, and Paul bakes cinnamon buns for an extended HR breakfast. Joseph makes assumptions about Marie's health, and Erik suggests that Marie takes a break from her job in HR to become a full-time coach in the Engineering department.What do you think Marie should do? Join the conversation on our LinkedIn pageReach out to us:Anne Katrine & Ivanna

In the second part of chapter 4, we are lucky to get hands-on advice from queer millennial expat leader Laurence Paquette who works as Vice President of Marketing for the large renewable energy company Vestas.The story episode is full of drama, and the conflict avoidance reaches a new high when Zebra Apps' management fails at setting boundaries when it comes to physical aggression. And suddenly, everybody is calling everybody on a Sunday. We talk about how to be a female leader. How you can assert credibility and authority while being friendly and fun. And finding your own way to lead without trying to fit into a certain (navy suite and tie) mold. We do not apply theoretical frameworks, but discuss based on our own collective experiences how Marie can maneuver through the different layers of workplace dynamics, leadership issues, software development challenges and personal relationships. Laurence is authentic and inspiring, and we encourage you all to check out her website for more tips and tricks to navigate corporate life: Millennial neurodivergent leader and mother | LaurencePaquette.com.What do you think Marie should do? Join the conversation on our LinkedIn pageReach out to us:Anne Katrine & Ivanna

Marie gets closer to Jenni and starts to understand the pressure she is facing from Natalie. Shaine accepts a pay cut to make up for the salary disparity, but it is too late to avoid mass mutiny. After a dramatic incident in the office, Marie is sent home on sick leave. During her time off, Marie is approached by the previous employee, UX Designer Jason, who wants to re-join Zebra Apps because he believes there is hope after Marie has started working on the retention issue. VP of Sales Jaque manages to get Marie back to the office to fix ASLO's quality issues and save Zebra Apps from financial demise.What do you think Marie should do? Join the conversation on our LinkedIn pageReach out to us:Anne Katrine & Ivanna

In the first commentary episode of chapter 4, we are lucky to have "post transformation dude" Joe Auslander in the studio to share his great perspectives from his work which he describes as 'physical therapy of the delivery world and organizational transformation'. We talk about how to avoid getting lost in trying to fix 'people problems', how holding people accountable is not about staring at them with a mean face, and the actual value of whiteboards compared to virtual tools. We discuss "backlog literacy", the idea that backlog management is not just about planning your work, but about communicating, and the ability to tell a story through your work, listen and interact based on this. Listen to learn more about what kind of environment can promote self-organizing teams, and whether there really is such a thing as dysfunction. Models & FrameworksJoe's "Give them rope"-modelThe concept of 'Agile hot-rocking'Backlog literacyVirtual whiteboard tool MiroIvanna's meditation app: Insight TimerPssst: Would you love to learn more from Joe? Joe is a co-host at the podcast Joekub where he talks to his friend Jakub about 'agile, life and monkeys'.What do you think Marie should do? Join the conversation on our LinkedIn pageReach out to us:Anne Katrine & Ivanna

Mark, Marie and Paul spend a full day offsite to share and celebrate failures, with the purpose of starting to solve their department’s dysfunctions. Marie and Paul learn that Mark has been fighting Natalie to focus on culture since he started in Zebra Apps. Mark also admits that he has not been doing his job as a leader and investing in the HR department as a team. Paul agrees to join Marie’s arranged HR breakfasts if he gets to bake cinnamon buns. Marie joins the Engineering department’s stand up meeting only to learn that it is no longer a physical meeting with a whiteboard and post-its, but taking place virtually. Marie learns  that the Engineering department is having serious quality issues with their star product ASLO.What do you think Marie should do? Join the conversation on our LinkedIn pageReach out to us:Anne Katrine & Ivanna

In the last commentary episode of chapter 3, we talk to global business leader Vivek Menon about the challenges Marie faces as this chapter comes to an end.Based on many years of leadership experience, Vivek shares his thoughts on the topics of the episode, which all revolve around organizational dysfunction. We talk about equal pay for equal work, professionally educated versus self-taught employees, and intelligent jerks. We talk about lack of accountability, and what role the gender of the VP of Engineering plays (or doesn’t play). Models and frameworksFive dysfunctions of a team by Patrick LencioniSilver spoons and scrappers Levels of resistanceStages of conflictWhat do you think Marie should do? Join the conversation on our LinkedIn pageReach out to us:Anne Katrine & Ivanna

The identity of the corporate rebel is revealed. Will he get away with it?Marie aggressively confronts Paul about the salary disparities in the engineering department. Later, she learns from Mark that Paul is under a lot of pressure because of a legal dispute with the ex-CFO Frank.Marie and her team facilitates a townhall meeting where the employees in Zebra Apps  work through the company values and what they mean. During the meeting, one of the  engineers from Willie’s department makes a scene and leaves the room. The CTO Jenni admits to Marie that the engineering department is dysfunctional and asks Marie to “fix her team”.Thank you to Katie Christensen for reading this episode.What do you think Marie should do? Join the conversation on our LinkedIn pageReach out to us:Anne Katrine & Ivanna

Is purpose your boss? In the second commentary episode of chapter 3, we have an interesting talk with Marc-Peter Pijper about holocracy, purpose, how to succeed and learn together as a team, equal pay for equal work, motivation, and not least the many metaphors of Marie's story. Is the pile of junk in the basement a metaphor for all the problems of the company - and Marie's way of dealing with them? Learn how Marc-Peter thinks Zebra Apps could benefit from using their basement as a space to enable the organization to flourish. We also discuss what would happen if we skip traditional performance bonuses and reward people for their loyalty instead, and how to successfully approach the changes needed in Zebra Apps by starting small and experimenting with self-organization on the team-level.Frameworks and conceptsHolocracySelf-managing vs. self-organizing teamsSelf-determination theoryAutonomy, mastery and purposeCurious to learn more about these topics? Marc-Peter is a columnist for Corporate Rebels, and you can find all his columns  here.What do you think Marie should do? Join the conversation on our LinkedIn pageReach out to us:Anne Katrine & Ivanna

Going to get the cinnamon buns from the pile of junk in the basement, Marie finds a hidden sugar stash and meets the datacenter technician Willie. During lunch hour in the canteen that day, a dramatic happening occurs, involving sugar and a banner falling from the stairwell.Marie and Erik learn from Shaine, who was recently headhunted from ConvoSystems, that he has told Willie about his salary in Zebra Apps, which is twice the amount that Willie gets paid. Marie confronts Mark about the salary difference, and Mark indicates that this is not a problem because Willie is loyal to Zebra Apps.What do you think Marie should do? Join the conversation on our LinkedIn pageReach out to us:Anne Katrine & Ivanna

In this first commentary episode of chapter 3, we are delighted to talk to Rob England and Dr. Cherry Vu, partners in life and in their company Teal Unicorn. Together as a team, they transform organizations to New Ways of Working and Managing by being 'midwifes to the solution' for their customers (listen to the episode to find out what we mean).Hear real-life examples from Teal Unicorn about how other companies have introduced rituals to cope with and learn from failure. Why is it a problem that there is a lack of psychological safety in Zebra Apps? How could Marie and her peers benefit from the good old marriage counsel 'X, Y, X formula' for feedback? And where would Cherry and Rob start if they had to help Zebra Apps investigate and solve their retention issue?Visit https://tealunicorn.com/ to get Cherry's facilitation and Big Room Planning (Teal Planning) tips and tricks, as well as a lot more great content for making work better in organizationsFrameworks and conceptsHumble Consulting by Edgar ScheinOpen Space TechnologyThe Phoenix Project by Gene KimPssst: Cherry and Rob write books in English and in Vietnamese about New Ways of Working, Open Management, and even how these ideas illuminate raising a family. Find a full list here: https://tealunicorn.com/books/What do you think Marie should do? Join the conversation on our LinkedIn pageReach out to us:Anne Katrine & Ivanna

In this first episode of chapter 3, all the sugar packets mysteriously disappear from the tables in the canteen. Sheila feels bad about her experience with Frank, and Marie and her team members get together for a structured exercise to cope with failure, each sharing a mistake and celebrating the learnings. Will this exercise help Sheila feel better? And what happens when Marie reluctantly admits to having dropped the bag of cinnamon buns down the stairwell into the heap of junk in the basement of Zebra Apps?Thank you to Katie Christensen for reading this episode. What do you think Marie should do? Join the conversation on our LinkedIn pageReach out to us:Anne Katrine & Ivanna

In this special edition episode, international thought leader, author, lecturer and practitioner Christian Nissen interviews Ivanna and AK about the first two chapters of Marie's journey in Zebra Apps. What do you think Marie should do? Join the conversation on our LinkedIn pageReach out to us:Anne Katrine & Ivanna

In this final commentary episode of chapter 2, Futocracy Network host Dr. Ross Wirth joins us to provide some constructive criticism to Marie and her approaches.What are some of the missed opportunities and facilitation basics that Marie failed to get right at the leadership offsite? How could the five levels of involvement help Zebra Appa succeed with their culture program? And are we naive when we build organizations for stability and expect change readiness?Frameworks and conceptsFive levels of involvement Kurt Lewin’s change management modelEdgar Schein’s learning processFeeling inspired? Join the Futocracy Network to explore new ways of thinking about organizations, leadership and change with other passionate change-makers.What do you think Marie should do? Join the conversation on our LinkedIn pageReach out to us:Anne Katrine & Ivanna

The culture program is approved at the leadership meeting. Marie meets with Todd from HR in ConvoSystems to get the scoop on Jaque, and Todd shares some unsettling news about Anne and Zebra Apps co-founder Richard.Marie and her team facilitates the leadership offsite meeting. Marie’s team member Sheila has an uncomfortable facilitation session with the CFO Frank. Later that same week, Frank retires from Zebra Apps and Marie is so startled that she drops a bag of cinnamon buns down the stairwell to the basement floor.Thanks to Tiffany Lam and Katie Christensen for reading this episode.What do you think Marie should do? Join the conversation on our LinkedIn pageReach out to us:Anne Katrine & Ivanna

Author and coach Heidi Helfand helps us dissect the second episode in chapter 2 of Marie's journey. While Marie learns more about Mark and his background, an unknown company rebel hangs post-its on the recently installed soda fridges. Heidi Helfand shares her insights on how Marie and Mark's relationship could be improved using Organizational Relationship Systems Coaching's methodologies. Is Marie unknowingly violating international coaching etiquette? Tune in to learn more about how to coach organizational entities! Coaching & working with teamsOrganization and Relationship Systems Coaching (ORSC) by CRR Global: Coaching organizational dynamics as systemsFive dysfunctions of a team by Patrick LenzioniCreating intelligent teams by Dr. Anne Rød & Marita FridjhonA series of facilitated instructions e.g. deep democracy facilitation exercisesFinally, Heidi quoted fabulous Brené Brown: "In the absence of data, we will always make up stories"You can contact Heidi on LinkedIn or via email: heidi.helfand@gmail.com. Learn more about her book Dynamic Reteaming on the website heidihelfand.com.What do you think Marie should do? Join the conversation on our LinkedIn pageReach out to us:Anne Katrine & Ivanna

While Marie gets closer to understanding Mark and his background, an unknown company rebel hangs post-its with insults on all the soda fridges. The HR Development team members plan the culture program, and Mark and Marie presents it to Natalie. But how will she react to the resurfaced company values? And is she even ready to approve a culture program that will require time and effort in the leadership team and among employees? Thank you to Tiffany Lam for reading this episode.What do you think Marie should do? Join the conversation on our LinkedIn pageReach out to us:Anne Katrine & Ivanna

Silicon Valley veteran Sam McAfee from Startup Patterns helps us kick off chapter 2 of Marie's journey in this episode. What does it say about a company when it takes an archeological process to uncover previous work done to define and distribute company values? What can we learn from 20th century literature about mind games in the office? And what would Sam do if he had to help Zebra Apps with their dysfunctions?Mind games in organizations Sam refers to the book Games People Play written by Eric Berne about Transactional Analysis Sam refers to Stephen Karpman's drama triangle, which is a model of dysfunctional social interaction Check out Startup Patterns' article about mind games in the office, further detailing Berne and Karpman's conceptsInfluence map Sam talks about creating an influence map, you can find an example of one here Team organizationSam shares his thoughts about team organization in the episode. You can learn more in this Startup Patterns blogpost You can listen to the story part of the episode here.What do you think Marie should do? Join the conversation on our LinkedIn pageReach out to us:Anne Katrine & Ivanna

Chapter 2 kicks off with a member of the leadership team testing Marie's patience - and Marie learning something new about why Anne left Zebra Apps. Marie also discovers that Natalie did define a mission statement and company values when she founded the company. So how will Marie tackle the culture program presentation for the leadership team? And what's with the big fridges being installed in all corners of Zebra Apps?Thanks to Tiffany Lam for reading this episode.What do you think Marie should do? Join the conversation on our LinkedIn pageReach out to us:Anne Katrine & Ivanna