A Culture Built on Control
Many years ago, I joined a well-established global financial services company in Hong Kong as an Agile coach. The mission, as in most of my coaching engagements, was clear: “Help us become more responsive to market, to create more innovative solutions, and be more customer-focused.” Some of the leaders read the books, attended the conferences, and decided Agile was the answer, therefore they needed some help.
This was a company where hierarchy was sacred, process was king, and risk was managed by simply avoiding anything new. Decisions always came from the top, and every step was documented, reviewed, and approved at least twice 😛 .
Agile Meets the Status Quo
I started with the basics, setting up cross-functional teams, daily standups, and shorter feedback cycles. Some of the teams were curious, even excited. But almost immediately, the flags began to show:
Middle managers wanting status reports, on top of standups and reviews.
Team members hesitating to speak up in retrospectives, worried about “sounding too critical.”
Every experiment requiring a sign-off from two to three layers of management.
“Fail fast” was interpreted as “fail and you fast fired”
The Agile cadences were happening, but the mindset wasn’t shifting. Teams followed the motions, but real empowerment and collaboration were clearly missing.
Listening to the Culture
After a particularly awkward retrospective (where the only feedback was “Sprint is finished” as “keep doing”), I realized we needed to stop pushing Agile as a process and start listening to what the culture was telling us.
I spent the next few weeks in more 1-1s, asking team members what worried them most about the new way of working. In these settings, the answers were honest and eye-opening:
“If I speak up, will it be held against me in my performance review?”
“We’re used to having clear instructions, not open-ended goals.”
“What happens if this something we try fails? Who takes the blame?”
Their culture valued safety, predictability, and respect for hierarchy (also could be seen as fear). Agile, as we were trying to enable at this client felt it was more risky and exposed.
Meeting Culture Halfway
We adapted our approach:
1. Reframed Agile Terminology
Swapped “fail fast” for “learn fast.” Talked about “controlled experiments” instead of “rapid change.” This small shift made Agile feel less threatening, specially for middle managers.
2. Aligned with Existing Values
Emphasized how Agile could enhance the company’s strengths: risk management became “risk visibility tracker” and process discipline, we took it from Lean and became “continuous improvement.”
3. Celebrated Small Wins
Instead of waiting for a “big bang” transformation, we highlighted every small improvement: a faster customer response, a smoother release, a team member who spoke up for the first time.
Progress Over Perfection
The journey wasn’t going to be quick or linear. Some teams reverted to old habits as soon as I stepped out from coaching. Some managers felt even strongly attached to control. But over time, visibly, the culture began to shift:
Teams started suggesting their own process improvements.
Some leaders were genuinely curious, saying “What did we learn?” instead of “What went wrong and who is the responsible by it?”
Slowly, retrospectives became more like real conversations, not just rituals.
Agile didn’t “win” over the company , but it found its place, adapted to fit, not forced to break.
What Did I Learn?
Culture eats process for breakfast. If you ignore it, even the best Agile playbooks will stall.
Adaptation beats adoption. Agile works best when it’s tailored to the values and realities of the organization.
Language matters. The words and terminology you use can either trigger resistance or invite participation.
Change is a dialogue, not a mandate. Listen, adapt, and meet people where they are.
Have you seen Agile clash with company culture? Share your stories!
