The Watermelon Effect When metrics appear 'green' suggesting that everything is under control, and yet below the surface the metrics are 'red' indicating signs of ill-health, which reveals itself far too late to remediate it. It has dogged delivery organisations for centuries, and it is still very prevalent today. The Watermelon Effect is one of the clearest and simplest indicators that you have a serious culture issue in your organisation. It is indicative of a culture where people do not feel safe to call out problems as soon as they become obvious for fear of shame or retribution. However the most common (and most ineffective) way to deal with this is to introduce more governance, more policing, to catch people out. This is the worst thing you can do, because it will create an environment of lack of trust and people will find more sophisticated ways of hiding or diverting the issue. And we all know how difficult it is to build trust in a team. The best way to deal with the Watermelon Effect? Encourage and celebrate “Amber” and “Red” status as a very positive thing – because it is! It means the team are very comfortable being transparent, and know that they have the support of their leadership and peers. Never react negatively. Stay Calm. Be Supportive. Fix. Learn. Move On. Celebrate failure! #200Ignites #WatermelonEffect AdaptivOrg + Seisma SEISMA GROUP Anthony Kandi, Robert Cass, Jason Wu, Brodie Piper