Author: Rebecca Pope-Ruark, PhD
As we enter this new academic year, we do so confronting a sea of change, concern, and uncertainty based on our current national landscape, cuts to research funding and DEI programs, and a host of other challenges we will have to work through together. In this environment, many faculty will find themselves pivoting, shifting gears, pointing in new directions for research and teaching. And while change like this is challenging on so many levels, our work must go on as we create new knowledge, prepare future workers and citizens, and serve our communities.
In our upcoming workshop in August, I will be introducing participants to the Scrum project management framework, the subject of my book, Agile Faculty: Practical Strategies for Research, Service, and Teaching (Chicago, 2017). Why take up a new project management strategy when everything else seems up in the air? Strategies like Scrum, which is a values-driven approach that breaks large projects into small, bite-sized tasks and tracks progress toward goals visually, can provide some stability in uncertainty and allow one to feel more control over circumstances and productivity in the moment. In the workshop, we’ll cover the entire Scrum process for managing work and work on building your first project board to track your progress.
For this post, I introduce the five Scrum values that guide the process, which was originally designed for teams but can be used by individuals as well. One of the things that really attracted me to Scrum beyond the project management framework was this attention to humanistic values. While grounded in empirical control theory and based on the core tenet “inspect and adapt,” Scrum practitioners are guided by five core values that, when felt and lived, are supposed to strengthen Scrum teams, empower them for success, and lead to professional and personal development for each team member. These values align with many of the things faculty care most about, because faculty work IS collaborative and value(s)-driven even if we seem to be on our own much of the time.
So what are the values and how do they connect to faculty work?
Commitment. Agile teams “work together to support each other” as they work toward the same team-identified goals; they trust each other, ask questions when they are unsure, and are careful not to overcommit. While faculty can often feel like free agents or independent contractors with autonomy over the work we do, in reality we are all part of a team, whether it’s a research team, a program team, or a department or unit, we get more done when we can trust each other, ask reasonable questions, and know our limits.
Courage. Agile teams “must feel safe enough to say no, ask for help, and try new things” as well as question the status quo when it interferes with success. First, know your own definition of success – what does it look like for you? What resources do you need? How will you achieve it? Courage is pursuing your version of success while also feeling able to lean on others for support when needed.
Focus. Agile teams agree on the work they will focus on for a time period called a sprint and then devote their attention to those goals. They of course have other goals and things to work on, but they agree to focus on what they’ve decided is the priority for the sprint. Focus can feel like a luxury, especially during a busy semester, but when we focus on the things that matter most to us, we achieve our most meaningful goals.
Openness. This value is about being open to new ideas and possibilities and also being open about when you need help and the challenges you face. Agile teams are always looking for ways to learn how to do something better and try out lots of ideas. Faculty also need to be open to different teaching methods for today’s students, for example, or new methods to approach their research. And faculty run into walls just like Scrum teams, so having a support network you can tap when you need help is important for success.
Respect. Respecting others creates a good workplace climate. For Scrum teams, they need to respect each other, others in the organization, and their stakeholder. Faculty need to respect each other, their unit heads, students, and administration. When we do this, we set up better conditions for collaboration and success while still giving each other permission to have a bad day once in a while..
The values of commitment, courage, focus, openness, and respect already align with my values as a professional. With a Scrum mindset, we allow that we are all doing the best we can at a given moment and that helping those around us grow (and being open to that support ourselves) is equally important as productivity.
How do these values align with your own professional values? How do these values show up in the work you do day to day? How might leaning into these values help us persevere in challenging times?