Name That Dimension
This dimension is about determining how we create long-term value and empowering bottom-up contributions.
What is Vision
“We follow this process because that’s how we’ve always done sprint planning.”
What is methods-based thinking?
“Only senior devs get to have ideas.”
What is a violation of Dignity / Bottom Up?
When your team adjusts the sprint plan after new production data comes in, you’re practicing this PBM idea.
What is Openness / Knowledge?
A senior engineer keeps solving problems others could solve. What principle might be underapplied?
What is Comparative Advantage?
This dimension focuses on hiring, developing, and placing people based on gifts and contribution motivation.
What is Virtue & Talents?
“We adapt our sprint structure because our current structure isn’t creating value.”
What is principle-based thinking?
“We don’t question leadership decisions.”
What is a violation of Openness / Challenge?
Letting the engineer closest to the bug decide the fix instead of escalating to leadership reflects this principle.
What is Bottom Up?
A team avoids experimenting because failed experiments hurt performance reviews. What dimension is broken?
What is Motivation?
This dimension is about seeking, sharing, and applying knowledge while embracing challenge and experimentation.
What is Knowledge?
“Only managers can approve architectural changes.”
What is methods-based / control-based thinking?
“You can’t experiment because failure hurts your review.”
What is a Motivation problem?
If we keep building features users don’t use because “it’s on the roadmap,” we’re ignoring this reality.
What is Creative Destruction?
A roadmap is rigid and doesn’t adjust despite new information. What principle is being ignored?
What is Creative Destruction / Openness?
This dimension ensures responsibilities and decision rights flow based on opportunity cost — not hierarchy.
What is Comparative Advantage?
“Decision rights should flow to whoever has the lowest opportunity cost and best knowledge.”
What is principle-based thinking (Comparative Advantage)?
“We assign tasks based on title, not who can create the most value.”
What is a failure of Comparative Advantage?
When we run A/B tests to see what actually improves user engagement, we’re applying this learning principle.
What is Experimental Discovery?
A team member wants to explore AI tooling to improve deployment speed but feels discouraged. What dimension should the supervisor lean into?
What is Vision (bottom-up entrepreneurship)?
This dimension aligns incentives, meaning, and rewards around mutual benefit and long-term value creation.
What is Motivation?
“We measure experiments to learn, not to punish.”
What is principle-based thinking (Knowledge & Motivation)?
“We shipped it. It’s someone else’s problem now.”
What is a failure of Stewardship / Long-Term Value Creation?
If your architecture review process prevents innovation because “that’s how we’ve always done it,” you may be suffering from this.
What is Bureaucracy / Entropy?
Engineers are evaluated mainly on tenure instead of value created. What PBM concept is misaligned?
What is Total Compensation for Total Contribution / Mutual Benefit?