Starring: Bettina Horvath. 

Abstract: IT development is fast moving away from being in a facilitator role that simply supports an organisation to achieve their goals. 

Today IT has to drive change and growth in companies. IT-leaders are more and more asked to sit at the strategic table and help move the company forward. 

Thus they need to move out of a managerial role and into a leadership role. 

They are tasked with finding high-quality people and keeping them and help develop the company’s vision. Bettina discusses how to go about developing their own leadership skills. 

Read more/watch the video: https://www.xuviate.com/expander/episodes/developing-the-leader-in-it-leader/

Starring: Mike Burrows. 

Abstract: Nearly two decades into the 21st century and with nearly as much time passed since the Agile Manifesto was written, what have we learned about change?

Which is better: “top-down”, with the challenge of overcoming resistance to change, or “bottom up”, perhaps never gathering momentum?

Is it indeed a dichotomy, or can we find a third way for organizational transformation that is simultaneously respectful, ambitious, and sustainable? We’ll explore a synthesis of ideas and techniques old and new, identifying along the way some widely-held beliefs that are now well past their sell-by date.

Read more/watch the video: https://www.xuviate.com/expander/episodes/managing-change-in-the-21st-century/

Starring: Matt Philip. 

Abstract: In today’s digital-service economy, IT organizations need not only the ability to change but to change in the right direction. 

That is, they need to be able to sense and respond to feedback in order to continuously recognize and measure gaps in their understanding of the customer’s view of their fitness for purpose. 

Though the standard agile feedback loops -- product demo, team retrospective, and automated tests — provide valuable awareness of health and fitness, many teams and their stakeholders struggle to find a reliable way to understand an important area of feedback, including their level of agility: the fitness of their service delivery. 

Matt introduces the service-delivery review as the forum for this feedback. The context will be for software-delivery teams but the lessons will be applicable for any team, group or department that provides a service. 

Read more/watch the video: https://www.xuviate.com/expander/episodes/the-service-delivery-review-the-missing-agile-feedback/

Starring: Panel of IT Leaders.

Abstract: It is relatively easy to map out a career progression for a technical resource. It is a different kettle of fish to do the same for an IT Leader in a mid-sized organisation. The panel will discuss the following points:

• Is an MBA the only option to make the jump into the management suite?

Read more/watch the video: https://www.xuviate.com/expander/episodes/how-do-i-get-to-the-next-level-in-my-career/

Starring: Armin Wieland. 

Abstract: Digital Transformation has been a trending topic over the last few years. 

Many organizations have jumped to take advantage of the opportunity, but many have failed to make a real impact and have subsequently de-tuned or even totally abandoned their Digital Transformations efforts. 

But quite a few have shown tremendous success that makes news headlines, make great case studies and will make shareholders smile. 

Armin has lead the Digital Transformation Program at a mid-sized Group of Companies and will share insights on what went well, roadblocks on the way and will give advice to Digital change Leaders in organizations if he could start all over again. 

Read more/watch the video: https://www.xuviate.com/expander/episodes/my-dx-journey/

Starring: Karl Scotland. 

Abstract: Strategy deployment is a style of organisational improvement that engages the entire workforce in figuring out how the business can survive and thrive. 

Karl will introduce strategy deployment using a framework called the X-Matrix - an A3 format that concisely visualises the alignment of aspirations, strategies, tactics, and evidence on a single sheet of paper. 

With this approach, a transformation can be viewed as a form of catchball, a lean process where ideas are passed around an organisation as teams collaborate to experiment and discover solutions. 

In this way, solutions emerge from the people closest to the problem, rather than being defined and imposed by management. 

Read more/watch the video: https://www.xuviate.com/expander/episodes/strategy-deployment-with-the-x-matrix/

Starring: Rika Myburg. 

Abstract: Rika started her IT career in 1995 at one of South Africa's major banks. 

There she spent 15+ years in various IT leadership positions and in 2014 took up her current position as Head of IT at GWK, a mid-market Agricultural business. 

Rika shares with us her experience of the difference between enterprise and mid-market and what unique challenges await IT Leaders in the latter sector.

Read more/watch the video: https://www.xuviate.com/expander/episodes/it-leadership-in-a-mid-market-organisation/

Starring: Emile van den Berg, Jason Sichkaryk and Richard Doucet

Abstract: A panel of IT Leaders addresses the issue of underperforming stuff with the following guiding questions:

• How do we handle a team member who does not pull their weight?

Read more/watch the video: https://www.xuviate.com/expander/episodes/how-to-deal-with-underperforming-it-staff/

Starring: Branden Patience, Ingo Hallbauer & Ralph Hendricks. 

Abstract: Sometimes a key member of the team leaves, sometimes they are "just" off sick for an extended period. A panel of IT Leaders discusses coping strategies around the loss of a critical staff member: 

How do you deal with this situation? 

The short and long-term strategies will usually be different. How? 

And what if the business decides not to replace this member of staff? What does this mean for you and the team? 

Read more/watch the video

Starring: A panel of performant IT Leaders. 

Abstract: A subset of the IT Leaders representing one of the Xuviate IT Leader Mastermind Groups, who meet every 2 weeks for 2h in a Mastermind session, weigh in with their experiences. 

All members of this group are IT Leaders in mid-market companies. They are here t0 share their top tips, tricks and tools that made a difference for them and their teams. 

For this recording, we deviated a bit from our usual session program and picked their brain to get some tips and tricks on the topic. 

This is a topic that every IT Leader would know and we have regularly got hotseats that discuss it or a derivative. 

Read more/watch the video: https://www.xuviate.com/expander/episodes/increasing-it-team-performance/