Episode Overview

Title: When Teams Stop Testing Reality and Fall Into Decision Hallucinations
Host: Vasco Duarte
Guest: Cristina Cranga
Date: January 19, 2026

This episode explores the concept of "decision hallucinations" within Agile teams—how false assumptions and unchecked beliefs can negatively impact ownership, decision-making, and team agility. Cristina Cranga, an innovation enthusiast with backgrounds in psychology and IT, shares a candid story from her experience, emphasizing the importance of reality testing and fostering better conversations between teams and stakeholders.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. From Psychology to Scrum Mastery

• Cristina’s Career Path (02:24):

  • Started in consultancy within IT services, typically assigned roles like project/product manager.
  • Noted that communication and people interaction were more critical than technical skills.
  • Natural transition to Scrum Master, leveraging her "human skills" (formerly known as soft skills).

  Cristina (B): "Scrum Master experience. It's a facilitated job. So, yeah, it was natural for me because I had a very strong background in what is called soft skills at the time. Now, I think the term, the most preferred term right now, I think it's human skills." (03:20)

• Importance of Human Skills in Agile, Especially with AI (04:07):

  • Discussion about the value of human skills as AI becomes more prevalent.
  • Reflection on the potential impact of AI understanding personal triggers.

2. Story of Failure: “Decision Hallucinations”

2.1. The Nature of Failure & Decision Hallucinations

• Reframing Failure (05:13):

  • Cristina suggests calling failures "lessons learned" for a psychologically safer environment.

• Defining Decision Hallucinations (05:55):

  • Team behaviors shaped by unfounded assumptions or company cultural baggage.
  • Decision hallucinations occur when teams act on perceived, not actual, decisions or constraints.

  Cristina (B): "What is the hallucination? Actually, it's the perception of something not real or not present. Okay. And I call it decision hallucination because it reflects one of my experiences..." (05:44)

2.2. Symptoms & Impact

• Teams Feeling Disempowered (07:43):

  • Common complaints: "We can’t change this, it’s already decided," "Priorities come from the top," "Scope and deadlines are fixed."
  • Impact: Teams lose ownership, options, and the drive to challenge constraints.

• Teams Stop Testing Reality (09:26):

  • Cristina notes teams cease to validate their assumptions with stakeholders, leading to "perceived reality" governing their actions.

  Cristina (B): "They optimize execution around constraints that might no longer exist. And this, when I noticed that the agility silently disappear... teams are reacting to how I called imaged boundaries or decision hallucinations." (10:44)

3. Practical Examples & Solutions

3.1. Encouraging Better Questions (09:33)

• Cristina urges teams to ask:
  • "Is this an assumption-based decision, or is it an explicit and shared choice?"
• The root issue is the lack of active conversation with stakeholders, leading to a drift from reality.

3.2. The Value of Reality Testing (10:29–13:00)

• Continuous dialogue with stakeholders is vital for grounding team perceptions.

• Using psychological perception images (e.g., “old woman vs. young woman”, “duck vs. rabbit”) to illustrate that minds are often limited to a single view of reality at a time.

  Cristina (B): "Our brain is not designed to see two realities at the same time." (12:43)

• When decision hallucinations are exposed, positivity resurges within teams:

  • New options become visible.
  • The level of conversation improves.
  • Teams realize many constraints are self-imposed perceptions—not true barriers.

Quotes & Notable Moments

• On Human Skills in Agile (with AI):

  Cristina: "Especially with AI. Exactly. Right." (04:07)

• On Decision Hallucinations:

  Cristina: "They optimize execution around constraints that might no longer exist. And this, when I noticed that the agility silently disappear... teams are reacting to how I called imaged boundaries or decision hallucinations." (10:44)

• On Perceptions:

  Cristina: "Our brain is not designed to see two realities at the same time." (12:43)

• Host’s Reflection:

  Vasco: "I really love the reality testing mantra. I'm going to use that a lot from now on, so if you don't mind, I'm going to steal that. I'll give you credit for it..." (13:53)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• Cristina’s Introduction & Background: 01:23–04:11
• Defining Failure & Decision Hallucinations: 05:13–07:25
• Symptoms in Teams & Impact on Agility: 07:43–09:26
• Practical Examples / Reality Testing: 09:26–13:20
• Perception Exercise – Old Woman/Young Woman & Duck/Rabbit: 11:50–13:00
• Host’s Takeaway / Reality Testing Mantra: 13:20–14:20

Summary & Takeaways

• "Decision hallucinations" are false beliefs in constraints, decisions, or boundaries that haven’t been validated with stakeholders.
• Teams are vulnerable to these hallucinations when they stop maintaining active, honest conversations.
• Strong human skills, especially in communication, are critical for Scrum Masters and Agile teams to challenge assumptions and test reality.
• Reality testing—checking if constraints and decisions are real or imagined—can unlock more options and revitalize team agility.
• Visual tools and metaphors from psychology can help teams see the limitations of their own perceptions.

Final Thought:
This episode is a vibrant reminder for Agile teams and leaders to regularly “test reality” by reopening conversations, questioning assumptions, and ensuring perceived boundaries are real. Unlocking these “hallucinations” can make space for true agility and ownership.