3 Reasons Why Agile Change Fails


Hey Reader,

Have you ever noticed how some (a-hem, maybe few) agile change seems to take off like a rocket, while others (mostly) struggle to get off the ground?

As someone who's passionate about helping teams thrive in an ever-changing world, I've spent a lot of time thinking about what makes agile change tick. And I've come to a realization: the success of agile change depends on understanding the hidden patterns that drive human behavior.

One of these patterns is the need for meaningful involvement. When people are invited to contribute their ideas and perspectives, they're more likely to feel invested in the change and to make it a success. But here's the thing: you can't just jump straight into collaboration. Before people can contribute their perspectives, they need to understand why the change is happening and how it will benefit them personally. This is what I call the need for personal relevance.

Think about it: if people don't understand what's in it for them, they're not going to be motivated to participate in the change. And if they're not participating, you're not going to get their best ideas and perspectives. It's a Catch-22!

So, personal relevance comes first. But once you've got that awareness, perspective alone is not enough. You need to create an environment where people can actually live the new behaviors and values. This is where consistent reinforcement comes in. Without it, people will quickly fall back into their old habits, and the change will stall.

In other words, each of these patterns builds on the previous one. Awareness (personal relevance) comes first, followed by perspective (meaningful involvement), and finally enforcement (consistent reinforcement). If you skip one of these steps, the whole process falls apart.

So, how can you make sure you're setting yourself and your teams up for success?

In my latest video/blog post, I explore these three patterns in depth and share practical tips on how to apply them in your own organization if you are a coach or a leader in any capacity. Whether you're just starting out with agile or looking to revitalize a stalled transformation, I’m sure you can apply what I’m saying there.

Go check it out now and start unlocking the secrets of successful agile change!


More Resources

Coaching is not an obvious skill, but some models and practices are easier than others, especially if you are just starting out.

A while back I gave a mini-class and produced a resource to help you get started with the GROW coaching model.

GROW is an impeccable tool from the world of serious professional coaches, and as such, immediately translated to the reality of your work.

What are you waiting for? Go grab my lightweight guide and start coaching your teams!


If you think someone in your network could benefit from this email, please don't hesitate to forward it or invite them to join our little community of agile enthusiasts. I'd love to have them on board!


Stay curious, stay agile!

P


Are you on socials? Let's Connect!

Never miss a read: allthingsagile.co blog

unsubscribe here or manage your profile

All Things Agile Canada | 360 21E Avenue, Deux-Montagnes, QC J7R 4H1

Agile Circle

Specialized in Agile coaching and training. Visit us at http://allthingsagile.co

Read more from Agile Circle

Hey Reader, In the past months I’ve been running a lot of workshops live and in person and I had forgotten how exciting and fun they can be. They can also be tiring, both for the facilitators and the participants. I will not geek out today on the chemical and neurological reasons why, but everybody gets performance anxiety, people seem more afraid to talk, the engine starts slower than online. So today I’m going to share some 7 tips to facilitating better workshops plus a bonus one because...

Hey Reader, What if all the excessive communication at the office were to be eliminated? Imagine you could get away from the tyranny of collaboration as if doing stuff together worked all the time, especially now in the era of AI, distributed teams and systems? There ACTUALLY is a way for that and it’s simple. If you deal with teams that are remote or distributed, the “hybrid” mode must actually be “remote-first”. Basically, it means that: 1️⃣ we focus on asynchronous communication most of...

Hey Reader, I hope June is treating you well, now that the summer is in full mode (at least here in Quebec, Canada). We're moving into a bonanza of agile retrospectives. Several posts are out and more on their way. This is such a controversial side of agility and I think it lacks a lot of serious coverage. That's what I've been doing and will continue to do in July. The first topic is auditing your retrospective to see if you are making one of the 3 most common categories of mistakes and what...