Linda Rising

In the early days of Scrum, back in the mid-’90s, the Daily Scrum was the hardest piece to sell. “What, another meeting?” “Every day?” Our preference to do it standing up presented an even more significant hurdle for adoption. Over time, as I began to be aware of the challenges Development Team members were facing due to their work environment, I began to look at the event differently. Not only did it ensure that people were actually talking to each other at least once a day, but it became a way to encourage people to stop sitting. I began to see more companies experimenting with other standing meetings. In one study, researchers found that sit-down meetings are, on average, 34% longer than stand-up ones, and yet they don’t produce more or better results. In an amazing presentation, Micah Martin shared how to pair-program when using a treadmill desk. The presentation referenced an article showing how earlier demise was correlated with more hours of sitting. Today, most workplaces have some kind of standing desk—definitely an improvement. The problem, however, still exists. Even with the introduction of Scrum and other Agile process improvements and innovative office furniture, most of us sit too much during the day.

It seems we need reminders or triggers to help us not sit all day. I recently visited a brand-new office in Europe. Everyone has standing desks, yet no one stands. It’s not that they don’t want to stand, but the default is sitting, and people forget to stand up. We came up with a couple of experiments that they will try. Perhaps you can, too. The first is to apply the Pomodoro technique and set a timer for the amount of time that feels right to sit or stand. Another experiment is to recommend that everyone move their desks to the “up” position when they leave to take a break, eat lunch, or head home, even if they are sitting at that time. When they return, they feel encouraged to stand, at least for a while. I’m curious to hear how such experiments work for you.

I believe we need to build on the heart rather than on a literal interpretation of any Scrum practice. Beyond following a set of rules to get through a mandatory daily meeting, we should add the power of standing and moving to improve communication and collaboration. We love moving together—hence, the history of dance, of running, of swaying at a concert. We have been doing this for tens of thousands of years. Of course, you should never impose standing. Someone might not be able to stand or not feel like standing on a particular day.

We need encouragement. It should be OK to stand during any meeting. It should be OK to move around and maybe even have a walking meeting. I say it at the start of my all-day workshops: feel free to stand and walk around. Don’t disturb others, but stand, move your chair to sit at an angle, lean against the wall, stretch. Don’t just sit and stare and believe that somehow remaining a fixture is the best way to get the most from the experience. This advice will work in your daily workplace as much as it works in my workshops.

Agile is about being responsive. Agile is about experimenting. Agile is about learning. This is how culture change happens. Let’s stand up more!