# Individuals and Interactions = Relationship (the Blah-Blah-Blah Manifesto)

**Author:** Alexey Krivitsky
**Date:** 2024-10-16
**Reading time:** 1 min
**Category:** Org Design
**Tags:** agile-manifesto, change-management, relationships, org-design, leadership
**Canonical:** https://krivitsky.com/post/individuals-and-interactions-relationship-the-blah-blah-blah-manifesto

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**TL;DR:** Individuals and interactions is really just one word: relationships. Relationships are the root of any process improvement and any change. Before you induce change in a team or organization, build the relationship first. Don't do change on someone — do it with someone. Obvious, yet constantly forgotten.

## The image

The other day, I got reminded of this image I made somewhere in 2011:

![The Blah-Blah-Blah Manifesto — Individuals and interactions over processes and tools, surrounded by "blah blah" noise](/images/post/individuals-and-interactions-relationship-the-blah-blah-blah-manifesto/blah-blah-manifesto.jpg)

What did I mean by this? Let's see:

![Slide showing "Individuals and interactions over processes and tools" — the first value of the Agile Manifesto](/images/post/individuals-and-interactions-relationship-the-blah-blah-blah-manifesto/individuals-and-interactions.jpg)

![The same slide with "Individuals and interactions" crossed out and replaced by "Relationships"](/images/post/individuals-and-interactions-relationship-the-blah-blah-blah-manifesto/relationships.jpg)

Aha! Relationships!

> Relationships are the roots of any process improvement and any change.

Let's remember that. Before you decide to induce a change in a team, department, or organization — build relationships and bring the people along on the journey. This is also why [reactive-to-creative leadership](/post/reactive-to-creative-leadership) matters so much: you can't build real relationships from a place of fear.

> Don't do change on someone, do it with someone.

It's so obvious and so often forgotten. And when it is forgotten, [frameworks become the substitute for real agility](/post/agile-frameworks-not-what-makes-you-agile) — process replaces trust.

## The talk

The entire historical video from Agile Tour Vilnius, 2011:

<div style="position:relative;padding-bottom:56.25%;height:0;overflow:hidden;margin:1.5rem 0;">
  <iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/OPup-kMzYEg" title="Agile Tour Vilnius 2011 — Individuals and Interactions" style="position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;border:0;" allow="accelerometer; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen></iframe>
</div>

Sources:

- [youtube.com/watch?v=OPup-kMzYEg](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OPup-kMzYEg)
- [slideshare.net/slideshow/offshore-agile-agiletour/9574708](https://www.slideshare.net/slideshow/offshore-agile-agiletour/9574708)

References that helped to preserve the idea:

- [slideshare.net/michael.sahota/5-practices-for-an-agile-mindset](https://www.slideshare.net/michael.sahota/5-practices-for-an-agile-mindset)
- [blog.vincent-tietz.de/2015/08/24/alles-super-die-agile-2015-in-washington-dc/](https://blog.vincent-tietz.de/2015/08/24/alles-super-die-agile-2015-in-washington-dc/)