#111 - Organising for Impact feat. Eric Bowman // CTO @ King
Nov 7, 2024
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Eric Bowman, CTO at King, brings a wealth of experience from gaming and e-commerce. He delves into the importance of balancing outputs and outcomes for impactful results. The conversation touches on organizing teams effectively to boost productivity and minimize bottlenecks. Eric also discusses the concept of adjacent possibilities in innovation, especially concerning AI. He emphasizes the need for clear problem definitions and strategic goal-setting to foster a culture of continuous improvement. Tune in for practical insights for technical leaders!
Balancing outcomes and outputs within tech organizations fosters collaboration between product and engineering management, enhancing overall productivity.
Understanding adjacent possibilities encourages innovation by leveraging available tools, particularly crucial for navigating advancements in emerging technologies like AI.
Deep dives
The Value of Outcomes Over Outputs
The discussion emphasizes the importance of balancing outcomes and outputs in achieving meaningful results within tech organizations. It posits that both elements are crucial, as outputs drive the outcomes that create value. Relying solely on outcomes without attention to outputs can lead to accountability issues, hindering the effectiveness of engineering management. Therefore, integrating both perspectives can foster collaboration between product and engineering management, enhancing the overall productivity and value delivered by teams.
Organizational Structure and Team Dynamics
The podcast addresses the significance of understanding the relationship between engineering and product management to mitigate friction in organizations. Acknowledging the distinct contributions of both roles can facilitate better communication and coordination among teams. Exploring different organizational models, such as single-threaded leadership versus dual roles, provides insight into how decisions can be made effectively while respecting each team’s focus. Ultimately, aligning the objectives of engineering and product management can lead to improved project outcomes and team engagement.
The Impact of Platform Engineering on Productivity
A critical analysis of platform engineering reveals potential pitfalls that can arise from implementing platform teams within tech organizations. While platforms aim to enhance developer productivity and streamline processes, they can sometimes create inefficiencies or hinder natural workflows. The conversation highlights the necessity of carefully evaluating the purpose and effectiveness of platforms, ensuring they genuinely serve the needs of the teams and the organization. By emphasizing the value creation and understanding the associated costs, organizations can make informed decisions regarding their platform strategies.
Harnessing Innovation Through Adjacent Possibilities
The concept of adjacent possibilities illustrates how innovation in organizations is closely tied to the tools and resources readily available. Each new development expands the range of potential next steps, fostering an environment ripe for discovery and invention. Recognizing this connection is paramount for tech leaders as they navigate rapidly changing landscapes, particularly with emerging technologies like AI. By leveraging new tools effectively, organizations can cultivate a culture of innovation that continuously enhances their capabilities and offerings.
How do we actually organize people to consistently deliver value and enjoy the process? This, Eric Bowman (CTO @ King) says, is the core challenge facing any CTO. In this thought-provoking episode, Eric shares insights from his remarkable career in gaming (The Sims, King), e-commerce (Zalando), and navigation technology (TomTom), offering a unique perspective on building high-performing teams and effective tech organizations.
Listen in to explore:
🔄 Outcome AND Outputs → Impact (ala Kent Beck’s Universal Value Streams)
🤖 Theory of Adjacent Possibility + Why AI isn’t there yet
⚖️ Product + Tech: Single-threaded (Amazon) vs. Dual Role (Marty Cagan or Google)
🎯 Goals: Kanban-Style Stack Ranking that limits Work-in-Progress
📈 ROI of Tech: Does it increase revenue or accelerate delivery?
🧘 Discipline = Action & Commitment
is it time to rethink small teams and platform engineering?
Have a listen. Eric has such a great combination of great combination of experience 🦾, knowledge 📚 and wisdom 🧠.
(00:00) Introduction
(01:05) Eric Bowman's Career Journey
(02:44) The Core CTO Challenge
(05:50) Outcome AND Output → Impact
(07:57) Accountability Over Output
(09:22) Universal Value Streams
(10:57) Product + Tech Leadership Models + Dynamics
(14:16) Single Threaded Leaders vs. Dual Roles
(16:03) CTO Role: Balancing Today and Tomorrow
(17:17) CTO Role: Economics of Decision-Making
(19:20) Team Organization: Autonomy and Rethinking Small Teams
(22:48) Causal Chains, Goals and Feedback Loops
(26:52) Discipline = Action + Commitment
(29:43) Prioritise Goals with Kanban-Style Stack Ranking
(36:37) Platform Engineering: Help or Hindrance? (DORA-inspired)
(39:03) CAUTION: Compensating Measures
(40:57) Tech Investments: ROI and Value Creation
(42:56) AI and The Theory of Adjacent Possibilities
(50:35) Why Eric Dislikes the Word ‘Innovation’
(51:48) Quickfire Round: Tools and Tech
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