Part II: People, myths & your decision checklist
Agile isn’t just a process change. It’s a cultural shift, and culture is where agile succeeds or fails. You can have the perfect agile board, the right tools, and a strong rollout plan, but if people don’t embrace it, you’ll see only surface-level change.
In this second part of our series, I’ll address the human side, clear up common misconceptions, and give you a simple decision framework to assess whether switching to agile is truly worthwhile for your company.
Do employees prefer agile working?
The short answer: It depends on the implementation.
When done well, agile creates an environment where employees:
- Have more influence over their work priorities.
- Get faster feedback and recognition.
- See the direct impact of their contributions.
A Scrum Alliance study found that 62% of employees in agile organizations reported higher job satisfaction compared to previous ways of working. But here’s the catch, if agile is introduced only as a set of new meetings without real empowerment, it can lead to frustration.
I coached a marketing team that was initially skeptical. Their past “agile attempt” had just added daily check-ins without reducing bureaucracy. In the new approach, we redefined priorities together, cut low-value tasks, and used automation to free up creative time. Within three months, their engagement scores rose by 18%, and they requested expanding agile to other teams.
Is agile just a trend?
Agile’s roots go back to the Agile Manifesto of 2001, but its principles existed in lean manufacturing and product innovation decades before that. What started in software has expanded to marketing, HR, finance, and operations — evolving with hybrid work and digital transformation.
Far from fading, agile is becoming more relevant as organizations face constant change. The core reason? Agile is a framework for continuous adaptation — and adaptation never goes out of style.
Is agile only for international companies?
Not at all. While global organizations benefit from agile’s ability to coordinate across time zones and cultures, smaller and local companies can see equal or greater impact because:
- Decision-making lines are shorter.
- Cultural change can happen faster in smaller teams.
- Customer feedback can be implemented almost immediately.
A local hospitality group I advised adopted agile for seasonal marketing campaigns. With a four-week sprint cycle, they tested offers with loyal customers before launching them to the public. The result: a 25% increase in booking rates compared to the previous year — without expanding their budget.
Does agile fit my strategy?
If you answer “yes” to most of these, agile is worth exploring:
1. Is market responsiveness critical to your success? Do you need to adapt quickly to competitors, regulations, or trends?
2. Are customer needs changing frequently? Is feedback from customers a key driver for your products or services?
3. Do you face internal silos or slow decision-making? Would better cross-team collaboration improve outcomes?
4. Are you willing to invest in cultural change, not just process change? Agile requires leadership support and a shift in mindset.
5. Can you start small? Piloting agile in one team or project is often more effective than a big-bang rollout.
Making agile your own
Switching to agile is not about copying someone else’s process. It’s about finding the version of agile that aligns with your strategy, culture, and goals, and making it work for your people.
Agile, when done right, can improve speed, collaboration, innovation, and employee engagement. When done wrong, it’s just a buzzword on a presentation slide. The difference lies in leadership commitment, tailored implementation, and continuous learning.
This concludes my two-part series on whether agile fits your company and whether switching is worthwhile.
If you’re at the point of evaluating agile for your organization, I can help you design a transition that works in practice — from initial assessment to team coaching and process setup.
Feel free to contact me for inquiries and further details.
If you haven’t read part 1 yet