Cultural Confusion: Bridging the gap between initiative and implementation
A presentation at All Day DevOps 2021 by Laura Santamaria
@nimbinatus | #AllDayDevOps Laura Santamaria Developer Advocate, Pulumi Cultural Confusion: Bridging the gap between initiative and implementation
Car Culture Driving Tail of the Dragon, courtesy of KillBoy Photography. @nimbinatus | #AllDayDevOps
What is “culture”? Merriam-Webster. (n.d.). Culture. In Merriam-Webster.com dictionary. Retrieved October 01, 2021, from https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/culture @nimbinatus | #AllDayDevOps
Fuzzy Bolten, J. (2014). The dune model – or: How to describe cultures. AFS Intercultural Link, 5(2), 4-5. https://issuu.com/afsinterculturalprograms/docs/afs_intercultural_link_news_magazin/4 @nimbinatus | #AllDayDevOps
Hard to pin down @nimbinatus | #AllDayDevOps
Implementation is hard @nimbinatus | #AllDayDevOps
Unwritten rules @nimbinatus | #AllDayDevOps
The forest and the trees Bolten, J. (2014). The dune model – or: How to describe cultures. AFS Intercultural Link, 5(2), 4-5. https://issuu.com/afsinterculturalprograms/docs/afs_intercultural_link_news_magazin/4 @nimbinatus | #AllDayDevOps
Boundaries and Scale @nimbinatus | #AllDayDevOps
Define where you are @nimbinatus | #AllDayDevOps
Make a map @nimbinatus | #AllDayDevOps
Explore confusion @nimbinatus | #AllDayDevOps
Know the history… @nimbinatus | #AllDayDevOps
… and ensure everyone listens @nimbinatus | #AllDayDevOps
Break it down @nimbinatus | #AllDayDevOps
Barriers and Oil Slicks @nimbinatus | #AllDayDevOps
Communication, empathy, and trust @nimbinatus | #AllDayDevOps
Fixes @nimbinatus | #AllDayDevOps
Remember @nimbinatus | #AllDayDevOps
Thank you! https://nimbinatus.com https://pulumi.com @nimbinatus | #AllDayDevOps
People problems @nimbinatus | #AllDayDevOps
When talking about a “DevOps transformation,” we talk a lot about changing the company culture. However, what do we mean when we say “culture”? The term itself may seem clear from a high level, but it gets fuzzier and fuzzier the more we attempt to drill down and focus. What might be clear to someone in a leadership position when they talk about changing company culture gets unfocused and confusing as implementation begins further down the chain. As a result of this fuzziness, these transformations can fail to materialize or fail to persist after the initial focus by leadership. Handling that fuzziness throughout the organization is crucial to building a DevOps mindset that sticks. Let’s explore how to find a path forward together.
