When Consensus Becomes Paralysis—The Nemawashi Challenge For Agile Software Development | Terry Haayema

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2d ago 17:31

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Terry Haayema: When Consensus Becomes Paralysis—The Nemawashi Challenge For Agile Software Development

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"The problem I'm facing is 'too much consensus'... we talk, bounce ideas, but we don't get going."

Terry shares his current coaching challenge in a Japanese company where their cultural practice of Nemawashi (consensus building) has become a barrier to progress. While working across the entire organization, he's discovered that quality is suffering because teams aren't clear about desired outcomes before starting work. The excessive focus on building consensus means initiatives bounce between stakeholders without ever gaining momentum. Terry explains how he's experimenting with delaying detailed refinement to build shared understanding as teams progress, rather than trying to achieve perfect consensus upfront. He uses the metaphor of flying a plane - pilots don't stick rigidly to flight plans but constantly make small course corrections based on real-time feedback.

Self-reflection Question: In your organization, what well-intentioned practices have become obstacles to the very outcomes they were designed to achieve?

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About Terry Haayema

Terry is an international Author, Speaker, Conference Host, Trainer, Facilitator, Mentor and Transformative Coach whose personal purpose is to help people see differently, so they find joy.

You can link with Terry Haayema on LinkedIn, or visit his website to learn more about his book.

204 episodes

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