Change Management In Agile Environments

I keep returning to Damon Centola’s research on how #change spreads. Not because it’s clever. Because it’s true. Centola found that change doesn’t move like information. You can’t push it through announcements or clever messaging. It spreads through behavior, #trust, and networks. He calls it complex contagion, and it tracks with what I see inside organizations every day. People don’t change because someone at the top says so. They change when they see people they trust doing something new. Then they see it again. Then maybe one more time. That’s when it starts to feel real. That’s when it moves. Here’s what Centola’s research shows actually makes change stick: - Multiple exposures. Once isn’t enough. People need to encounter the new behavior several times from different people. - Trusted messengers. It’s not about role or rank. It’s about credibility in the day-to-day. - Strong ties. Close, high-trust relationships are where change actually moves. - Visible behavior. People need to see it being done, not just hear about it. - Reinforcement over time. Real change takes repetition. One wave won’t do it. This flips most #ChangeManagement upside down. It’s not about the rollout or coms plan. It’s about reinforcing new behaviors inside the real social structure of the organization. So, if you are a part of change, ask your team and self: 1. Who are the people others watch? 2. Where are the trusted connections? 3. Is the behavior visible and repeated? 4. Are you designing for reinforcement or just awareness? Change isn’t a #communication problem. It’s a network pattern. That’s the shift. That’s the work. And that’s what I help teams build.

Replacing "Agile" with engineering to achieve true agility - Walmart case study. https://lnkd.in/e_7nbXMv From the article: "After years of "Agile Transformation" followed by rolling out the Scaled Agile Framework, we were not delivering any better. In fact, we delivered less frequently with bigger failures than when we had no defined processes." "having the teams focus on Contract Driven Development (CDD) and evolutionary coding was critical. CDD is the process where teams with dependencies collaborate on API contract changes and then validate they can communicate with that new contract before they begin implementing the behaviors." "we needed to make sure that all of the tests required to validate a change were part of the commit for that change." "we are not simply creating unit tests. We are looking at every step, starting with product discovery, to find ways to validate the outcomes of that step. We are designing fast and efficient test suites. We are using techniques like BDD to validate that the requirements are clear. Testing becomes the job." There's much more, but I am near the char limit. (This was posted in reddit here: https://lnkd.in/efbwSN6i) #agility #leadership #agile

There are a few approaches to introducing agility into a skeptical organization that seem generally applicable. First, do not use the word "Agile." It's come to mean one of several dysfunctional approaches that can be actively destructive. You want agility, flexibility, creating systems that delight your customers and a workplace that people are excited to work in. Agile™ is irrelevant. People hate Agile™ (which includes Scrum, SAFe, &c.) for good reasons. I'd also avoid the phrase "Agile transformation." Sure, the intent is to change the way the company works (and it's culture), but you don't do that by bringing in an army of zealots who force things down people's throats. That's just bullying. Instead, sit down with upper management and make a list of problems that keep them up at night. Working collaborative, identify the single worst problem. Formulate an experiment that will move you towards (not arrive at) a solution. Try it. Get feedback. Observe effects. If the experiment didn't work as expected, try a different experiment. Repeat until the problem is solved, then start over again from the beginning. The key here is incremental change surrounding specific problems and pain points. Most of the "Agile Transformation" crows (and the people who hire them) have no idea what problems they're solving. Next, focus on fears. For example, people want estimates because they see the development as opaque, and hope that estimates, milestones, &c., will give them a way to monitor progress. They fear that they'll spend millions on a project and get no (or bad) results. The solution is transparency. Management can Gemba Walk to the teams and work with them. When you deliver every couple days, progress is visible. Also, there's a real risk of spending millions creating something that nobody wants. The solution is frequent feedback on frequent small releases (and changing the plan based on that feedback). Work collaboratively with users/customers and talk to them frequently during development. Focus on true *user* stories, that describe problems and concerns that *users* have, not invented solutions. If you have any other advice, feel free to put it in the comments. What's worked for you?

Most change initiatives don't fail because of the change that's happening, they fail because of how the change is communicated. I've watched brilliant restructurings collapse and transformative acquisitions unravel… Not because the plan was flawed, but because leaders were more focused on explaining the "what" and "why" than on how they were addressing the fears and concerns of the people on their team. People don't resist change because they don't understand it. They resist because they haven't been given a compelling story about their role in it. This is where the Venture Scape framework becomes invaluable. The framework maps your team's journey through five distinct stages of change: The Dream - When you envision something better and need to spark belief The Leap - When you commit to action and need to build confidence The Fight - When you face resistance and need to inspire bravery The Climb - When progress feels slow and you need to fuel endurance The Arrival - When you achieve success and need to honor the journey The key is knowing exactly where your team is in this journey and tailoring your communication accordingly. If you're announcing a merger during the Leap stage, don't deliver a message about endurance. Your team needs a moment of commitment–stories and symbols that anchor them in the decision and clarify the values that remain unchanged. You can’t know where your team is on this spectrum without talking to them. Don’t just guess. Have real conversations. Listen to their specific concerns. Then craft messages that speak directly to those fears while calling on their courage. Your job isn't just to announce change, but to walk beside your team and help your team understand what role they play in the story at each stage. #LeadershipCommunication #Illuminate

The people who run Agile CoE's and Lean Agile Centers of Excellence have a difficult job balancing what is best for the organization. It may be tempting to scale up as much training as possible to educate everyone en masse. "if everyone just knew all the things... it'd be easier for the company to make progress being agile" ... It's also tempting to focus on leadership first. Senior leaders need to set the example. Say the right things. Reinforce the right behaviors. Put an end to older unhealthy behaviors. Teach middle managers how to support agile ways of working. And yet... this can take time. Because "we also need to build the value streams and figure out how we'll become a product-led organization and define the strategy" ... And it's more than tempting, but very popular to first work on "making teams awesome". Let's build up the scrum masters and product owners and get the teams to start working in an agile way before we "scale". By defining our agile point of view as a company, we can help those on teams feel more connected to our strategy and focus on value delivery not just the squeakiest wheels asking them to "build stuff" ... And yet ... if you've been on enough agile transformations you know there's something wrong with every single one of those three approaches. So what do you do? Every organization is different, so there's no clear answer. But what I can tell you is that you have to feel that out and find a way to create tight feedback loops so you can even think about possibly working on more than one of the three at a time. Just like learning to coach a single team we have to "meet them where they are"... Maybe the strategy should be to build a few model agile teams first. Educate *their* leaders so they're well supported. Build the training just in time as it's needed so this one corner of the organization has most of what it needs for your new model for success. Then evolve organically. Ask yourself frequently, "what would be the right best next thing to do NOW?" ... because it will inevitably change. And maybe very quickly. Consider the pushback in our industry on SAFe. Most coaches dislike it because it's misunderstood by executives, as if it's a defined roadmap to success... a way to "install agile at scale". (Nevermind the capital A capitalism) But even SAFe is not meant to be implemented all at once. Some of their success stories are "partial installs" at best. Companies need to decide what suits them. No single framework should be ever be absorbed and adopted wholesale, IMO. You have to think and know what you really need and why you need it. Maybe the right approach is something like the sentiments in the "Manifesto for Scaling Agility". A value based approach to adapting as you scale. Focus on building a shared understanding of the vision, organic growth over predefined structures, favor a high performing organization over any one team or part, and team empowerment up the chain over old policies. 🤷♂️ YMMV

Scrum as a Service: When Agile Teams Become Ticket Processors Scrum as a Service is when Agile teams are execution units, taking orders instead of owning value delivery. They don’t solve problems; or shaping the product, they just code and close Jira issues. It’s what happens when companies adopt Scrum mechanically but keep traditional thinking and control structures intact. Symptoms of Scrum as a Service 1) No Product Ownership The PO is a backlog manager, not a decision-maker. Teams can’t challenge priorities. The backlog is a job assignment queue. Sprint Planning is a scheduling exercise, not a conversation about functional or technical trade-offs. 2) No Cross-Discipline Collaboration UX, DevOps, and Security exist outside the team, creating slow handoffs. Developers get fully fleshed-out requirements, not problems to solve. Agile teams are ticket processors, not value creators. 3) Nothing Changes Daily Scrums become status meetings for managers. Retros don’t lead to improvements, just performance reviews. Teams are judged by team outputs like velocity, not business outcomes. How This Happens 1) No Organizational Change Leadership keeps command and control, just renaming old roles. 2) Waterfall Thinking Teams have fixed scope and deadlines, no room for continuous discovery or progressive elaboration. 3) POs as Middlemen, Not Leaders POs relay stakeholder demands instead of shaping product strategy. 4) SMs are Managers. Not Coaches SMs push teams to move faster rather than helping them achieve a sustainable pace. How to Fix It 1) Give Teams Ownership Let teams define and prioritize their backlog. Facilitate direct feedback loops with users, not just stakeholder requests. Make POs strategic leaders, not order-takers. 2) Tear Down Silos Embed UX, DevOps, QA, and Security into the Scrum team. Stop treating devs as coders for hire. Make them coequal partners in product thinking. 3) Shift to Outcome Metrics Stop measuring success by velocity, throughput, or tickets. Track customer impact, retention, usability, and product adoption. Ask: Are we solving problems or just releasing code? 4) Decentralize Decision-Making Replace top-down roadmaps with team-driven prioritization. Let teams influence scope, trade-offs, and release planning. Encourage teams to experiment and innovate. 5) Foster Continuous Improvement Make retros actionable. Give teams time for technical excellence, like refactoring, automation, and innovation. Shift from feature delivery to sustainable, high-quality product development. From Execution Teams to Product Teams Scrum teams should be value creators, not feature factories. Agile is meant to empower teams, not turn them into Jira clerks. If teams can’t challenge priorities, shape solutions, adjust processes, or innovate, then you don’t have Agile. You have Scrum as a Service. Does your organization trust teams to own the product? If not, Scrum isn’t the problem. Your structure is.

OK Boomer, Gen Z Doesn't Want Your 2000s Change Management Playbook! A leader was puzzled over why their meticulously planned technology rollout was meeting unexpected resistance from newer employees. The communication plan was comprehensive, training well-documented, and leadership aligned. The problem? Their entire change approach was designed for a workforce that no longer exists. 💼 Generation Z Has Entered the Workforce Born between 1997-2012, Gen Z now constitutes over 20% of the workforce. They're not just younger millennials – they're the first true digital natives with fundamentally different expectations for organizational change. The generational shift demands we rethink core OCM practices: ⚡ Communication: From Documents to Micro-Content Traditional Approach: Multi-page email announcements, detailed PDF attachments, formal town halls  Gen Z Expectation: 60-second explainer videos, visual infographics, authentic peer messaging When one bank shifted from traditional change communications to micro-content delivered through multiple channels, engagement rates increased by 64% among Gen Z employees. 🤝 Engagement: From Involvement to Co-Creation Traditional Approach: Change champions appointed to represent teams Gen Z Expectation: Direct participation in design, transparent feedback loops, social proof Gen Z employees are 3x more likely to disengage from changes without visible impact within 30 days. They expect their input to be implemented rapidly and visibly. 🌱 Motivators: From Compliance to Purpose Traditional Approach: Focus on organizational benefits and necessity Gen Z Expectation: Focus on personal impact, societal value, and authentic rationale A financial tech transformation that reframed messaging around customer benefit and social impact saw higher adoption rates among Gen Z than when using traditional business case messages. 🦋 Timeline: From Projects to Continuous Evolution Traditional Approach: Defined projects with clear start/end dates Gen Z Expectation: Agile, iterative changes with regular improvements Gen Z has grown up with software that updates weekly or daily. The concept of a "frozen" system post-implementation makes little sense to them. 📖 Your OCM 2.0 Playbook To evolve your change approach for the next generation: - Replace monolithic communications with multi-format micro-content - Build social proof through peer advocacy, not just leadership messaging - Connect changes to meaningful impact, not just business metrics - Implement feedback visibly and rapidly - Embrace continuous improvement over "project completion" Gen Z isn't resistant to change—they're resistant to change management that feels outdated, inauthentic, or disconnected from their digital reality. Has your organization updated its change approach for Gen Z employees? What generational differences have you observed in change receptivity? #ChangeManagement #GenZ #DigitalTransformation #FutureOfWork #OrganizationalChange

Organizational change isn’t just about new systems— It’s about people navigating uncertainty. And here’s the truth: Most disengagement doesn’t stem from resistance. It stems from confusion, fear, and feeling left out of the process. If you want your change effort to succeed, you must lead with engagement—right from the start. Here’s how high-trust leaders keep people connected during the turbulence: 🔹 1. Start with Empathy & Psychological Safety → Let people know their concerns aren’t a threat—they’re a resource. 🔹 2. Explain the “Why Now” Behind the Change → Share the business case, competitive landscape, and future vision. 🔹 3. Break Change Into Clear, Achievable Milestones → Visible progress sustains energy and reduces overwhelm. 🔹 4. Keep a Regular Communication Rhythm → Weekly touchpoints and transparent dashboards help reduce rumors. 🔹 5. Support Teams With Training and Tools → Equip them—workshops, coaching, and toolkits build capability. 🔹 6. Spotlight Early Adopters and Change Champions → Inspiration beats instruction when it comes from peers. 💡 Change doesn’t just need a rollout plan. It needs an engagement strategy. 📩 DM me “TRANSFORM” if your transformation journey needs a blueprint that puts people first—and keeps them engaged from day one.

Before you roll out Scrum, read this. These 9 lessons could make or break your organization’s agile transformation. At last night’s PMI Chicagoland Annual Business Meeting, David Schwab (William Everett) and Annie Reyes (CASL) shared how Scrum helped shift their organization from siloed planning to collaborative, high-impact delivery. Their nonprofit journey mirrors many of the same challenges and wins I’ve seen in the for-profit world. These lessons are universal—and essential for anyone navigating agile adoption. Here are 9 insights that stood out: ✅ Scrum isn’t just for tech. ↳ It brings speed, alignment, and coordination—even in resource-constrained, people-first environments. ✅ Scrum thrives in ambiguity. ↳ From program launches to cross-functional initiatives, Scrum aligns diverse teams—even when the roadmap is unclear or evolving. ✅ Culture first, then process. ↳ Scrum cannot fix dysfunction, poor leadership, or burnout. It needs trust, psychological safety, and purpose-driven routines. It will shine a light on dysfunction—organizations should be prepared to confront and learn from it. ✅ Start small, scale smart. ↳ Early leader buy-in and time to understand the new ways of working increases the odds of successful adoption across the organization. ✅ Don’t drop the whole playbook on Day 1. ↳ Jumping in with full Scrum terminology and structure can overwhelm teams unfamiliar with agile. Introduce it in plain language and build fluency over time. ✅ Invest in a quality Scrum Master. ↳ One of CASL’s success factors was having an experienced Scrum Master from the start. A trained facilitator is critical to guide, educate, and sustain the team’s momentum. I've seen organizations skip this step—and it significantly derailed adoption. ✅ “Blurry roles lead to blurry results” ↳ When everyone knows their lane, teams move faster, take ownership, and build momentum. Role clarity is critical to a successful rollout—people must not only understand their roles but also be coached to them. ✅ Agility is about people and mindset—not just tools. ↳ Change management and leadership are essential. Expect to spend time coaching your teams, guiding behaviors, and managing resistance. ✅ Retrospectives are the secret sauce. ↳ They create a safe space for feedback and empower voices across titles. These sessions increase engagement, build trust, and generate insights that fuel continuous improvement. The biggest lesson? Agility is about people. It’s not about the framework—it’s about leadership. Reshare to help other leaders navigate their agile transformation. What lessons have you learned when implementing agility in your organization? Drop them in the comments below. 👇 ♻️ Reshare to help other leaders navigate their agile transformation. ➕ Follow Morgan Davis, PMP, PROSCI, MBA Davis for practical insights on leading organizational change and building agile, high-impact teams.

In the last 12 months, Demandbase has increased our product deployments by 50%, while increasing sprint predictability by 30%, and decreasing production bugs by 10%. This required a MASSIVE change management and committing to Full Ownership within the *shift-left* framework. Here are the 5 big lessons we learned in undergoing a company transformation to increase product velocity: 1. Align everything to a “why” Our leaders started by being clear, consistent, and confident on the “why” of the massive change in processes. We need greater velocity. Why? Because we need greater product iteration. Why? Because go to market teams face a lot of challenges and need our product to be more effective. Why? Because our mission is “to transform the way B2B companies go to market.” 2. Develop common vocabulary When you ask people and teams to do new things you need a new common vocabulary to signal and explain the change. This vocabulary needs to be introduced intentionally and modeled consistently by leaders. It’s hard to have massive change without massive change in the way teams communicate. 3. Embrace Detractors & Skeptics early The tendency is to focus on early adopters of change and build momentum from there. The problem is resistance can become entrenched and the longer it persists the more momentum it can take on. This is why it’s important to embrace detractors and skeptics early. Often they have very legitimate concerns or have been burned with something similar before, so they need to be heard and their opinions integrated, but also need to be held accountable to the new standards. 4. Track & Measure participation and desired outcomes It’s critical people involved in the change know what is expected of them and what the desired outcomes are. This requires knowing what the key actions are to track (an example for us was all scrum teams developing a shift-left plan in the Q124) and knowing and measuring the desired outcomes (velocity, predictability, and quality measures were our north stars). 5. Maintain focus We used every opportunity with the team we had to focus on our *shift-left* transformation. Every monthly R&D All Hands, the bi-annual R&D insights, and our annual India R&D keynote. We treated this change as our sole programming in R&D for the year, each event building on the last and making the transformation more tangible. It’s exciting to be a part of a major change management effort that exceeds the goals set out. The immediate business impact is important, but just as important is the confidence built in the team seeing what can be accomplished together. Thank you Umberto Milletti, Jason Muldoon, Luis Teixeira, Ohad Atia, and Sean Malone for being inspirational leaders!