Quinton Quartel
@qrq.bsky.social
Complexity wrangler. Out to create a better world through better workplaces (inc. ways of working). Fathter of FAST (Fluid Adaptive Scaling Technology).
If you’re changing the org chart, don’t design it behind closed doors and introduce it in a top-down manner—that’s a terrible way to foster aligned autonomy as it robs people of their sense of autonomy. Instead, the people affected by the redesign exercise should be involved as much as possible.
November 12, 2025 at 2:03 PM
If you’re changing the org chart, don’t design it behind closed doors and introduce it in a top-down manner—that’s a terrible way to foster aligned autonomy as it robs people of their sense of autonomy. Instead, the people affected by the redesign exercise should be involved as much as possible.
It is tempting to do research and management where there are data. It gives the manager a feeling of doing something useful. However, managers need to be careful of falling into a trap of managing the measurable rather than managing the important.
November 11, 2025 at 9:24 PM
It is tempting to do research and management where there are data. It gives the manager a feeling of doing something useful. However, managers need to be careful of falling into a trap of managing the measurable rather than managing the important.
Compassion isn’t just good, it’s good for business, and a 2004 paper argues that compassion at an individual level... can turn into “organisational compassion” when team members collectively notice, feel, and respond to pain experienced by team members.
November 11, 2025 at 9:16 PM
Compassion isn’t just good, it’s good for business, and a 2004 paper argues that compassion at an individual level... can turn into “organisational compassion” when team members collectively notice, feel, and respond to pain experienced by team members.
Unleashing creativity requires that we loosen the controls, accept risk, trust our colleagues, work to clear the path for them, and pay attention to anything that creates fear. ~ Ed Catmul
November 3, 2025 at 5:37 AM
Unleashing creativity requires that we loosen the controls, accept risk, trust our colleagues, work to clear the path for them, and pay attention to anything that creates fear. ~ Ed Catmul
Dictators come and go, and when they go the dictatorship goes with them. When a true leader departs, the company he leaves behind is healthy, self-governing, vibrant, and intact. ~ Ricardo Semler
November 2, 2025 at 2:44 AM
Dictators come and go, and when they go the dictatorship goes with them. When a true leader departs, the company he leaves behind is healthy, self-governing, vibrant, and intact. ~ Ricardo Semler
Create a culture of hospitality. Which means addressing questions I’ve spent my career asking: How do you make the people who work for you and the people you serve feel seen and valued? How do you give them a sense of belonging? How do you make them feel part of something bigger than themselves?
October 31, 2025 at 8:22 AM
Create a culture of hospitality. Which means addressing questions I’ve spent my career asking: How do you make the people who work for you and the people you serve feel seen and valued? How do you give them a sense of belonging? How do you make them feel part of something bigger than themselves?
A fun workplace trumps careful hiring when it comes to performance and personal satisfaction.
October 22, 2025 at 11:26 AM
A fun workplace trumps careful hiring when it comes to performance and personal satisfaction.
"In nonviolent action, you’re trying to win by converting people to your cause" (Srdja Popovic and Matthew Miller, Blueprint for Revolution)
October 21, 2025 at 10:55 AM
"In nonviolent action, you’re trying to win by converting people to your cause" (Srdja Popovic and Matthew Miller, Blueprint for Revolution)
As customers, we can learn how employees are treated by their bosses by noticing how the employees treat us.
October 13, 2025 at 11:40 AM
As customers, we can learn how employees are treated by their bosses by noticing how the employees treat us.
Compassion is the self-discipline to imagine and remember that everyone faces hurdles.
Edmondson, Amy C.. The Fearless Organization (p. 206)
Edmondson, Amy C.. The Fearless Organization (p. 206)
October 12, 2025 at 5:46 PM
Compassion is the self-discipline to imagine and remember that everyone faces hurdles.
Edmondson, Amy C.. The Fearless Organization (p. 206)
Edmondson, Amy C.. The Fearless Organization (p. 206)
People are not resources. Language matters.
Resources, generally speaking, are fungible. They can be bought and sold.
Resources, generally speaking, are fungible. They can be bought and sold.
October 4, 2025 at 12:03 PM
People are not resources. Language matters.
Resources, generally speaking, are fungible. They can be bought and sold.
Resources, generally speaking, are fungible. They can be bought and sold.
Why does Open Space work anyhow? How could something so simple do so much? The short answer is that Open Space works because self-organization works. At least that is the conclusion I have reached after some fifteen years’ wondering how this little marvel manages to do what it does.
#FASTAgile
#FASTAgile
September 5, 2025 at 11:56 AM
Why does Open Space work anyhow? How could something so simple do so much? The short answer is that Open Space works because self-organization works. At least that is the conclusion I have reached after some fifteen years’ wondering how this little marvel manages to do what it does.
#FASTAgile
#FASTAgile
If you hold the expectation that your hard work and good efforts are invariably going to be appreciated, acknowledged, and rewarded by your employer in perpetuity, it’s time to get over yourself.
August 19, 2025 at 12:06 PM
If you hold the expectation that your hard work and good efforts are invariably going to be appreciated, acknowledged, and rewarded by your employer in perpetuity, it’s time to get over yourself.
Want to crank up your adaptive / #agile capability? My advice is to ditch #scrum for something else flow-based like kanban or #FASTAgile.
August 15, 2025 at 6:25 PM
Want to crank up your adaptive / #agile capability? My advice is to ditch #scrum for something else flow-based like kanban or #FASTAgile.
I really dislike being asked "tell me about a time when..." questions in interviews.
I think Will Guidara's approach is much more sensible.
I think Will Guidara's approach is much more sensible.
August 14, 2025 at 11:24 AM
I really dislike being asked "tell me about a time when..." questions in interviews.
I think Will Guidara's approach is much more sensible.
I think Will Guidara's approach is much more sensible.
We will attempt to undo the damage of the manager-as-strategist view, and replace it with an approach that encourages you to court success with this formula:
• Get the right people.
• Make them happy so they don’t want to leave.
• Turn them loose.
#BetterWaysOfWorking
• Get the right people.
• Make them happy so they don’t want to leave.
• Turn them loose.
#BetterWaysOfWorking
August 5, 2025 at 12:17 PM
We will attempt to undo the damage of the manager-as-strategist view, and replace it with an approach that encourages you to court success with this formula:
• Get the right people.
• Make them happy so they don’t want to leave.
• Turn them loose.
#BetterWaysOfWorking
• Get the right people.
• Make them happy so they don’t want to leave.
• Turn them loose.
#BetterWaysOfWorking
History repeats and the same happens again with OKRs (a very similar concept to management by objectives) being done in a way so poorly it defeats its original purpose.
August 5, 2025 at 12:04 PM
History repeats and the same happens again with OKRs (a very similar concept to management by objectives) being done in a way so poorly it defeats its original purpose.
Healthy organizations are a mental concept of relationship to which people are drawn by hope, vision, values, and meaning, along with liberty to cooperatively pursue them. Healthy organizations educe behavior. Educed behavior is inherently constructive.
#BetterWaysOfWorking
#BetterWaysOfWorking
August 3, 2025 at 12:14 PM
Healthy organizations are a mental concept of relationship to which people are drawn by hope, vision, values, and meaning, along with liberty to cooperatively pursue them. Healthy organizations educe behavior. Educed behavior is inherently constructive.
#BetterWaysOfWorking
#BetterWaysOfWorking
Many firms try to use OKRs as a form of top-down control, ensuring that each subordinate’s OKRs fit with the OKRs of their superior. While this feels like alignment, it all but eliminates any chance of divergence or serendipity.
July 27, 2025 at 10:34 AM
Many firms try to use OKRs as a form of top-down control, ensuring that each subordinate’s OKRs fit with the OKRs of their superior. While this feels like alignment, it all but eliminates any chance of divergence or serendipity.
Even in early #Scrum, the founders are recommending one of the same practices #FASTAgile does - team members should be T-shaped i.e. multi skilled.
#Agile #BetterWaysOfWorking
#Agile #BetterWaysOfWorking
July 19, 2025 at 11:04 AM
Even in early #Scrum, the founders are recommending one of the same practices #FASTAgile does - team members should be T-shaped i.e. multi skilled.
#Agile #BetterWaysOfWorking
#Agile #BetterWaysOfWorking
Most new ideas will never pan out. That’s why failure is a fact of life. But it’s a law of #innovation that successes can’t go up unless failures go up, too. And because we can’t have successes without the failures, we need to create organizational cultures that cherish failure.
July 19, 2025 at 10:51 AM
Most new ideas will never pan out. That’s why failure is a fact of life. But it’s a law of #innovation that successes can’t go up unless failures go up, too. And because we can’t have successes without the failures, we need to create organizational cultures that cherish failure.
You may remember when the Scientific Method was trusted to provide information that helped us. You may remember when there were facts. And how factual evidence was used to make decisions. That way of life vanished with high-speed delivery, universal access, social media, Googling, and algorithms.
July 19, 2025 at 10:45 AM
You may remember when the Scientific Method was trusted to provide information that helped us. You may remember when there were facts. And how factual evidence was used to make decisions. That way of life vanished with high-speed delivery, universal access, social media, Googling, and algorithms.
“It Might Not Work” Is a Terrible Reason Not to Try...
July 16, 2025 at 10:32 AM
“It Might Not Work” Is a Terrible Reason Not to Try...
Carter trying to deal with illegal immigrants suggested nothing could be done as long as there was a gap in opportunity & living standards between the USA and Mexico. Rather than spending on barriers, he said, we should spend money helping to build the Mexican economy until the immigration stopped.
July 16, 2025 at 10:25 AM
Carter trying to deal with illegal immigrants suggested nothing could be done as long as there was a gap in opportunity & living standards between the USA and Mexico. Rather than spending on barriers, he said, we should spend money helping to build the Mexican economy until the immigration stopped.
For the most part, leaders just take care of themselves, regardless of what they should do either to adhere to moral strictures or to make their organizations perform better. (Jeffrey Pfeffer, Leadership BS)
July 3, 2025 at 11:02 AM
For the most part, leaders just take care of themselves, regardless of what they should do either to adhere to moral strictures or to make their organizations perform better. (Jeffrey Pfeffer, Leadership BS)