Range of Influence
Failure #3: “There’s nothing I can do”
Starting Your Adventure
Welcome to
The Library
of Agile
We fail when:
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we try to solve a challenge that is outside our sphere of influence
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we assume that a challenge is outside our range of influence when it’s not
Step #3: Identify which areas are within your Range of Influence for the Point(s) of Collaboration where your chosen challenge appears
If you’d talk to consult with an experienced Agilist, talk to a live person, and ask your questions…
If you’d talk to consult with an experienced Agilist, talk to a live person, and ask your questions…
One of the patterns that we’ve noticed in adopting Agile is that there are four main nested “scopes”. Sometimes they are called spheres of influence, or spheres of awareness, or “levels of hierarchy”. The easiest way to think of it is to ask how many people are affected by the problem you want to tackle?
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Team – If the challenge affects only the people you interact with on a regular basis, usually daily, we call those Team challenges.
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Product – If the challenge is between multiple teams who are working together on the same projects, we call those Team-of-Teams or Product challenges.
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Organization – If the challenge is a common one between multiple Product lines and separate teams, we call those Organizational challenges.
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Impact – If the challenge is experienced in the world around your organization, we call those Impact challenges.
Step #3: Know Your “Range of Influence”
Range of Influence vs Range of Control
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Range of Control – I participate in the decision making
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Range of Influence – I participate and have a voice, though I may not make the final decision
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Outside My Influence – While I might be affected by the decisions made, I do not have a voice, nor direct influence over anyone who does
Special Note: These ranges are not about hierarchy. For instance, you may operate in the Organization scope and manage many teams, but if you don't interact with those teams on a daily basis, they are not considered within your "Range of Control". Instead consider them within your "Range of Influence". If you are someone who operates within the Organization scope, your "team" instead would be the management team you work with on a daily or weekly basis.