We are uncovering
better ways of ...

We are uncovering better ways of ...  

by Dirk Depré - May 22, 2025

The Age of Understanding

Ways of working are about to change — radically. There’s no doubt about it. Old paradigms will fade, replaced by something we haven’t fully discovered yet. An intellectual revolution is brewing, one that might just propel us into a new age — and hopefully an age of understanding and reasonability. So let’s not waste time and let’s get started uncovering better ways of doing things, based on what we do know now.

The Agile Manifesto begins with a powerful line: “We are uncovering better ways of developing software by doing it and helping others do it.” The Agile way has spread across entire organisations but not every department is feeling the real value of their ways of working. Rolling out a lightweight framework doesn’t guarantee anything; the adoption is the hard part because uncovering better ways is tough, messy and real human work.

Too often, we toss a group of people together, label them as a “high-performing team,” and expect top-notch results. But the real question is: Have we actually set them up for success while their leaders are cheering from the sidelines, hoping for the best?

A story about how to breed a Culture of Low Performance

Let me paint a picture:

Oi Oi Oi over Ai Ai Ai

“We are uncovering better ways…”, because it mattered. Because it sparked a movement that changed how people delivered value. The Agile movement felt somewhat rebellious in its early days. It gave the establishment a well-deserved kick in the groin. But as with most movements that go mainstream, the edge fades. Those who’ve glimpsed what Nirvana could look like — they’re the ones who are now questioning the current state. That Nirvana feels further away than ever when mediocrity is applauded. Or worse, when low performance is celebrated. It’s a betrayal of the original intent.

“Uncovering better ways” is an art. It takes deep system awareness to figure out what “better” actually means in your context. I keep pleading for real Organisational Improvement (Oi) experts: people with the courage, and by default the mandate, to swim against the tide. People capable to uncover something meaningful in their system, within the larger system of the organisation. But those experts? They must believe in it themselves and they need to rediscover their rebellious and anarchistic side: the part that keeps them from being sucked into the world of performance theatre and corporate mediocrity.

So what about the doing part of Agile? Soon, Ai will do it better than we ever could anyway. Ai tools are lurking around the corner, ready to take over the facilitation of scratching the surface, ceremony orchestration, even decision support. And frankly, that’s fine. It frees the Oi expert to focus on what really matters: Helping teams become agile, not just act it out. But in order to do that, the experts must sense and adapt and not blindly follow Ai prompts. This is human work. And it’s damn hard.

So yes — let’s embrace the rebellious side of Oi. Not chaos. Not violence. But philosophical anarchy: Autonomy & Cooperation & Self-governance. Anarchy, in its true form, rejects unjust authority and hierarchy for the sake of hierarchy. It demands mutual aid, individual responsibility, and courageous questioning. And maybe, just maybe, we need a bit of that. Because the next wave of unjust authority may not come from a person, It may come from the algorithm.

We still need critical human thinking to elevate collaboration. We still need evolutionary leadership to help teams uncover better ways of working.

So yes. Let’s shout some Oi Oi Oi before it’s drowned out by an endless stream of Ai Ai Ai.

From “But” to “What If”

When change is imposed on us, we typically resist. Anything that disrupts stability or breaks the balance,  tends to spark defensiveness. That’s human. But we’re heading into an era where stability is no longer the baseline. Turbulence will be constant and AI will be the great disruptor.

So how do we move from a culture of “Yes, but…”, to one of “What if…?” Technology is moving at breakneck speed and catching up won’t be optional, it’ll be essential to survive in the corporate jungle. That technology relies on us to first do the right thing and then, always do it consistently right.

To help an individual make the shift in mindset from “but” to “what if”, is already a tall order. Helping an entire team shift is even harder. Which is why organisations must start investing, not in frameworks, not in tools, but in people. People with the mindset of astronauts — ready to explore the unknown. People who can hold space for evolution, not just facilitate meetings.

And the reason?

Because uncovering better ways of working was never about ticking boxes. It was all about believing something better is always possible.