How to learn the model
The Spine Model is simple but it is not simplistic. With any complex skill, understanding, internalising and applying the model effectively takes time and intentional practice.
For those brand new to the Spine Model, we find that it is easier to explain it conversationally rather than through text. We recommend you listen to one of the podcasts we have recorded to get an introduction to the model.
Why learn the model
In a work context, maintaining a shared perception of the way things currently are, and agreement on the way they should be is a Hard Problem.
The Spine Model is a simple and powerful model for understanding, mapping and working with human work systems.
It’s about: Effective Conversations
Effective conversations make for effective collaboration. Often people get stuck in a dilemma where equally plausible options are available and the conversations becomes an intractable argument.
This is almost always a moment where “going up the Spine” breaks the deadlock. Lets start at the bottom...
Do you have a "Tool" Problem?
Humans are inate Tool users and makers. When we have the best tools available to us, we can better express our thoughts and ideas to turn them into reality efficiently.
Tools resolve the statement: “We use {X} to apply our Practices more efficiently.”.
Making sure you have the right tools for the job is important. Having many productive discussions about whether the tool are available and used correctly is valuable.
But. How do you know it is the best possible tool, and are using it in the best possible way?
PRACTICES go before Tools
To know how to use your Tools effectively, you need to “go up the Spine”. First decide on the Practices that the tools are there to support. Practices are concrete behaviours that can be observed in a human system. They are ways of doing the work.
Practices resolve the statement: “We do {X} to apply the Principles that matter in this context.”.
The “Single List of Best Practices for all Contexts” has not been written yet because in complex, dynamic environments it is rarely obvious which practices will work most effectively. Choose and adapt Practices that benefit the wider system and are optimal for that exact time and place.
But. How do you know that the Practices actively help the system?
PRINCIPLES go before Practices
To apply your Practices effectively, you need to “go up the Spine” some more. First deciding on the Principles to measure those Practices against.
Principles resolve the statement: “We leverage {X} to get more of what we Value.”.
It is important to understand how human work systems behave and Principles are the route to doing so. We believe that, consciously or unconsciously, every Practice comes into existence as an expression of a set of Principles.
These are the rules by which a human work system behaves. They are what we like to refer to as ‘ecological levers’ - the knobs and dials you can use to change the current state of the system. When Principles are applied that hold true in reality, there is congruence. When Principles are applied that do not match reality, it causes problems.
For example: We know that if you increase batch size you delay feedback. If you reduce batch size you increase feedback. This principle remains true regardless of the context of the human work system.
Tip: There are important, reality honouring principles in several different sciences - Queuing Theory, Complexity Science and Theory of Constraints to name just a few.
Applying the Spine Model allows you to to debate the Principles people are basing assumptions on, without attacking the person behind them. If you understand which Principles are important in your context, you make sure you can leverage them effectively.
But. How do you know which Principles you want to apply?
VALUES go before Principles
To know what Principles are important, you need to go up the Spine even more. First make as explicit as possible the Values at play in the system.
Values resolve the statement: “We optimise the system for {X}, so that meeting the Needs is more likely.”.
You need to know what the important Values are in your system. Values help you know what to optimise for, and what people are currently optimising for. The better you can distill them, the better you can find and leverage the Principles worth focusing on.
In the Spine Mode, we try to make a clear distinction between Personal Values and System Values, because they work differently.
Your Personal Values are embodied in you and in the way that you react to the external world. When you're attracted to working with people around you, it is usually because you perceive that they align to your value system. If you decide to “check out” from the people around you, it is usually because your personal values are not being honoured. For other people to know how to honour your values, you would need to spend the time helping them understand which behaviours attracts you and which repels you.
There are also System Values. Extreme Programming, for example, says the five important values are: Respect, Courage, Feedback, Simplicity and Communication. That’s actually where eXtreme Programming (XP) gets its name. Kent Beck chose these five Values and then figured out what an environment might look like if you chose Principles and Practices that pushed these Values to the extreme.
If a collaborative group with a shared goal get to the point where they create a combined attractor field and all their values have a space to be honoured, you will have a well functioning human work system. And ultimately that field will collapse and fail if this is where you stop.
For a system to stay healthy, that system has to have something to aim for.
NEEDS go before Values
It all starts at Needs.
Needs resolve the statement: “From the perspective of {X}, this part of the system exists in order that {Y} can be achieved.”.
In order to be effective, this statement needs to have a clear answer...As a human work system, why do we exist - what are the needs that we are satisfying? As a human in the system, which of my needs to I expect to be satisfied by being a part of this system?
This is the place to start.
Needs are context specific. You have to know them for your specific system and you have to be specific about where the system boundary is.
Tip: You are never going to get it exactly right and they are going to change over time. You can only ever have a near approximation that you revisit regularly. Make sure the right people are in the room when you do this.
It probably wouldn’t be useful for a team to sit on their own and decide why they exist. You need to get the people who are sponsoring that team into the discussion, and you need to have the discussion again regularly.
This connected path, Tools to Practices, Practices to Principles, Principles to Values, Values to Needs is the heart of what we call “The Spine Model”…
Pulling it all together
Once you've started to understand the reasons the system exists in the first place and the reasons you want to be a part of the system (Needs), you can decide start to consider what to optimise for (Values). As you have some idea of what you are optimising for you can begin to know what ecological levers are going to get you there (Principles). Once you have that, then it starts to follow how you are going to do it (Practices). And, once you have done that, decide if any mechanisation would improve efficiency (Tools)...
There are a lot of crooked spines in organisations. Quasimodo-like creations that are doomed to failure. Crooked spines are caused by people only focusing on part of the Spine. Stay with Practices and Tools and implicit and misaligned assumptions are generated about why we are here and where we are going. Stay with Needs and Values and pain is felt when it comes to where, when and how we are going to accomplish anything.
If you want a straight spine, you have to start at the top, at Needs and work down, iteratively. This will keep your spine straight.
Many useless arguments also stay at the lower part of the spine. Arguing about choosing your favourite Tool above another is usually a waste of energy. During these arguments it is best to “go up the spine”. Ask what the Need is that the Tool is trying to satisfy, then work your way down again.
The value of the Spine Model is to enable thinking and communication, not orthodoxy or even heterodoxy.
Where the model came from
The Spine Model is a synthesis of several people’s work. You can see the essence of the Values to Principles to Practices part in XP. The Needs to Values part has roots in NLP. Starting at needs is NVC based.
Next action
If reading this has generated some thoughts, if you would like to know more about this model and how to apply it, read through the rest of the docs. Feel free to reach out to original creators of the model, Kevin Trethewey at kevint@gmail.com and/or Danie Roux at danie@danieroux.com. We would both be very interested to hear your feedback.