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In this podcast, we invite you to follow the fictional story of Marie as she maneuvers the organizational culture and dysfunctions in the company Zebra Apps. Once a week, we invite guest experts to discuss what happens in the episode, and provide tools and insights into what Marie could do. Let's maneuver Mondays together!
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Send us a text In this final episode of Maneuvering Monday the podcast, AK and Ivanna wrap up everything and share the next steps for our book project. There is a bit of heavy breathing (sorry!) as we discuss Natalie and her trajectory, and how she ends up finally connecting with her purpose and passion after having suffered from 'The Peter Principle' throughout the story in her role as CEO at Zebra Apps. We talk about Anne and how she started off a bit arrogant, but ended up with goo...
Send us a text The fate of Zebra Apps is finally decided, and all the characters' stories are wrapped up. What will be next for Marie? Tune in and listen to this final episode of the entire story to find out! What do you think Marie should do? Join the conversation on our LinkedIn page Reach out to us: Anne Katrine & Ivanna
Send us a text Our very last guest on the podcast, Cecil 'Gary' Rupp, is an expert in leadership, business transformation, and Lean-Agile frameworks. With both executive management and management consulting experience, Gary brings a unique perspective to what our friends in Zebra Apps need to be doing to save their own future. Value stream mapping is the name of the game in this episode. Gary takes us through the concept, which is covered in his newest book, The Lean-Agile Way, co-authored ...
Send us a text Richard himself makes an appearance in the meeting, where a group of Zebra employees investigate scenarios for the company's survival. The tension builds as it becomes clear that Zebra Apps will not make it for much longer with its current setup. But then what? What do you think Marie should do? Join the conversation on our LinkedIn page Reach out to us: Anne Katrine & Ivanna
Send us a text To kick off the final chapter of Marie's story, we are lucky to be accompanied by Sofie Henriksen, who is a leader within strategy in a digital innovation agency. Sofie brings her insightful perspectives to the table as we intersect how personalities, actions, and behaviors are understood and worked with in the context of Zebra Apps. As the end of the story is approaching, all things are escalating and new challenges are coming up. Marie is scrambling to fix the issues, both ...
Send us a text Marie and the engineers talk to an advisory board of parents and teachers to get feedback on ASLO, and share the concerning results with Natalie and the leadership team, who finally seem to listen. Natalie, who used to be a teacher herself, decides to take things into her own hands. The engineers start setting shared objectives for each sprint based on a company value. Marie meets her HR contact Todd from competitor ConvoSystems, who shares a surprising truth about life with Ri...
Send us a text In the final commentary episode of chapter 5, we are happy to welcome Katja Schipperheijn, internationally awarded author, learning influencer, futurist and keynote speaker on learning, innovation and being human in a digital world. With years of experience from the EdTech company, Katja is the perfect match to guide Zebra Apps at this chaotic point in the story. Katja sums up this story episode as "a mess". Zebra Apps is struggling to survive as a company, and Marie is managi...
Send us a text In the final part of chapter 5, things start to get real when Marie learns from Willie that Natalie purchased spare parts from Russia for Zebra Apps' physical data center, and that she likely traveled there together with Frank and Andrea. She also learns that every time the engineers create new features for ASLO, they increase their physical footprint in the data center. Jenni and Marie explains to Jaque why Zebra Apps is bleeding money, and suggest him to create a better...
Send us a text In this commentary episode, we are pleased to talk to Paul Hargreaves, CEO of Cotswold Fayre & Flourish and renowned author of the books Forces For Good and The Fourth Bottom Line about purpose-driven and compassionate leadership. We wish Zebra Apps had a CEO like Paul. And not just as Chief Executive Officer, but Chief Empowerment Officer, who makes sure that everyone in the organization is working to their full potential. We discuss how Zebra Apps' customer-led strategy...
Send us a text Marie interviews the engineers to map out who work on the different aspects of ASLO. She learns that they belong to two teams, and uses an animal metaphor to convince Jenni to reorganize the engineering department to fix the quality issues, and to start funding the teams in a way that ensures continuous improvement. Marie meets up with Anne, and learns that she is secretly conspiring with Jason and Jaque to save Zebra Apps. Jaque shares that Zebra App’s financial situation is ...
Send us a text In the first part of chapter 5, we have invited guest expert Michelle Leedy, who is an organization effectiveness, design and transformation business leader, passionate about creating value and positive impact through authentic leadership. Michelle brings more than 20 years experience in consulting and leadership roles across multiple business industries and functions to the table. As Marie makes a CLM (career limiting move) and decides to join the engineering department to he...
Send us a text In this first section of chapter 5, the UX Designer Jason makes a comeback at Zebra Apps. A mysterious meeting is taking place with attendance by the full leadership team and a white-bearded man. And Marie's colleague and employee Erik once again urges her to use her informal power and influence to help the engineers fix their dysfunctions and save Zebra's star product ASLO. Will she accept and join the hooded man-children in the engineering department? Thank you to Katie Chri...
Send us a text In the last commentary episode of chapter 4, we talk to Mary Lemmer, who is not only the founder of the company Improve, but also a keynote speaker, conference session facilitator, longtime entrepreneur, writer/author, and improv comedian. The story episode is full of attempts to solve the team communication and culture problems that have been identified earlier, and to disclose the key lessons from the commentary episode up front: The way you approach a situation ...
Send us a text Marie and Mark are interviewing for the CFO position, and Marie learns from the employees in the Finance department that they are not wishing for a specialist manager, but a leader to represent them in the management team. Natalie suggests the VP of Sales, Jaque, which disappoints Mark. Jason returns to Zebra Apps, and Paul bakes cinnamon buns for an extended HR breakfast. Joseph makes assumptions about Marie's health, and Erik suggests that Marie takes a break from her job in ...
Send us a text In the second part of chapter 4, we are lucky to get hands-on advice from queer millennial expat leader Laurence Paquette who works as Vice President of Marketing for the large renewable energy company Vestas. The story episode is full of drama, and the conflict avoidance reaches a new high when Zebra Apps' management fails at setting boundaries when it comes to physical aggression. And suddenly, everybody is calling everybody on a Sunday. We talk about how to be a female le...
Send us a text Marie gets closer to Jenni and starts to understand the pressure she is facing from Natalie. Shaine accepts a pay cut to make up for the salary disparity, but it is too late to avoid mass mutiny. After a dramatic incident in the office, Marie is sent home on sick leave. During her time off, Marie is approached by the previous employee, UX Designer Jason, who wants to re-join Zebra Apps because he believes there is hope after Marie has started working on the retention issue.&nbs...
Send us a text Mark, Marie and Paul spend a full day offsite to share and celebrate failures, with the purpose of starting to solve their department’s dysfunctions. Marie and Paul learn that Mark has been fighting Natalie to focus on culture since he started in Zebra Apps. Mark also admits that he has not been doing his job as a leader and investing in the HR department as a team. Paul agrees to join Marie’s arranged HR breakfasts if he gets to bake cinnamon buns. Marie joins the Engine...
Send us a text In the last commentary episode of chapter 3, we talk to global business leader Vivek Menon about the challenges Marie faces as this chapter comes to an end. Based on many years of leadership experience, Vivek shares his thoughts on the topics of the episode, which all revolve around organizational dysfunction. We talk about equal pay for equal work, professionally educated versus self-taught employees, and intelligent jerks. We talk about lack of accountability, and what role ...
Send us a text In this first commentary episode of chapter 3, we are delighted to talk to Rob England and Dr. Cherry Vu, partners in life and in their company Teal Unicorn. Together as a team, they transform organizations to New Ways of Working and Managing by being 'midwifes to the solution' for their customers (listen to the episode to find out what we mean). Hear real-life examples from Teal Unicorn about how other companies have introduced rituals to cope with and learn from failure. Why...
Send us a text In this first episode of chapter 3, all the sugar packets mysteriously disappear from the tables in the canteen. Sheila feels bad about her experience with Frank, and Marie and her team members get together for a structured exercise to cope with failure, each sharing a mistake and celebrating the learnings. Will this exercise help Sheila feel better? And what happens when Marie reluctantly admits to having dropped the bag of cinnamon buns down the stairwell into the heap...
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