What Does a Strong Agile Culture Look Like?

A strong culture is critical for Agile organizations to be successful. Agile requires organizations, and therefore its employees, to be ready to welcome changing requirements and inspect and adapt at any given moment. Teams are supposed to be self-managing and self-organizing. Stakeholders need to see working products frequently. 

Breaking that down, expectations are that projects change all the time but still need to be delivered in quick increments to stakeholders, all the while teams are managing themselves.

Imagine doing all that in an organization with a broken culture or one of distrust? It’d be chaos.  

By fostering a strong culture, agile organizations can create a work environment that promotes collaboration, creativity, and adaptability, and is driven by a shared sense of purpose and values. This ultimately leads to better outcomes for the organization, its deliverables, and its stakeholders.

Signs of a strong culture:

Psychologically Safe

Psychological safety in the workplace refers to the extent to which employees feel safe to speak up, share their ideas, and take risks without fear of negative consequences. It is the belief that one will not be punished or humiliated for speaking up with ideas, questions, concerns, or mistakes.

When there is psychological safety in the workplace, employees are more likely to be engaged, motivated, and productive. They are also more likely to collaborate, share their knowledge and expertise, and contribute to innovation.

Conversely, when there is a lack of psychological safety, employees may be hesitant to share their knowledge, fearing that they will be criticized or punished. This can lead to a lack of communication, collaboration, and innovation, and can ultimately harm the performance of the team or organization.

Trusting

Trust is crucial, as it allows team members to take risks without fear of negative consequences. You can;t expect to have a team ready and willing to inspect, adapt, and innovate if they feel their leaders or managers don’t trust them. 

In a team with a strong culture, team members share their thoughts, ideas, and concerns freely, are willing to admit when they don't have all the answers, and they actively listen to one another. There’s mutual respect, along with accountability and consistency.

Empowered

Empowerment in an Agile organization means giving employees the authority, resources, and support they need to take ownership of their projects and make decisions that impact the organization's success. Empowered employees feel a sense of control over their work and believe that they can make a difference. 

Aligned

A strong culture ensures that all team members are aligned around a common set of values, goals, and beliefs. This alignment promotes teamwork and collaboration, which is essential for Agile organizations to be successful. On a more granular level, having proper alignment means that the team all understands and agrees with the product roadmap, which you can read more about in this blog post.

Engaged

Engaged team members feel a sense of belonging and purpose among their organization, leading to higher levels of motivation, productivity, and job satisfaction. When employees understand and truly believe that their actions positively impact the end result of a product and are included in high-level stakeholder decisions, they feel invested and empowered to help the organization’s success.

Innovative

A strong culture fosters a mindset of continuous improvement, where team members are always looking for ways to do things better. This focus on innovation is essential for Agile organizations to stay competitive and adapt to changing market conditions.