Читать книгу Agile 2 - Adrian Lander - Страница 38

A Socratic leader casts themself as a fellow learner and asks questions and engages in discussion. The outcome of the Socratic process is getting the team to buy into the ideas they agree to as if they thought of them—and indeed they did, even if the leader felt certain about where the consensus would end up (or not).

A Socratic leader needs to understand the subject matter that is being discussed; otherwise, they are not able to ask deep questions, especially follow-up questions.

A particular challenge with the Socratic method is that some people are not good at thinking “on their feet,” and so they might not be able to articulate their thoughts in real time. Thus, this method must not be used alone for discussing complex issues; those who need to think “offline” must be allowed to do so and then share their thoughts in a follow-up meeting.

Also, some people will not speak up in a group, and so a Socratic leader must watch for those who stay silent and proactively ask them for their opinion.

The Socratic method is time-consuming but leads to a deep understanding of the issue by all team members and a strong feeling of investment in the final consensus if everyone feels their contributions were fairly considered. Those who do not agree with the consensus will usually be willing to go along with it because the resolution was reached through a fair and logical process.

Sometimes a team is unable to reach a consensus. When that happens, if a resolution is needed, a leader might be required to arbitrate and make the final decision.

Voting is not recommended for important issues, because a vote indicates popularity of an idea, rather than determining whether the idea is best. If an arbitration is needed, the leader will need to decide and bear accountability for the outcome.