Why Do Organizations Want to “Go Agile”?

A Brutally Honest Look at Real and Misguided Motivations—for Coaches and Decision-Makers

That’s how I often begin when talking to executives about starting an agile transformation. And yes, it usually causes a bit of a stir.

Because while everyone’s talking about “becoming agile,” almost no one stops to ask the most important question:

Why, actually?

This question isn’t a soft opener. It’s a seismic probe. If you can’t answer it honestly, don’t touch agility. Because agility changes things. Not just processes. It shifts roles, expectations, power structures—and culture. And if you accidentally open that door, you may end up with a fractured organization and a lot of disappointed talent walking out.

1. Why Do Companies Want to Be Agile?

There are many reasons. Some valid. Some dangerous. And most of them are never spoken out loud.

Here are a few from my own practice:

🎯 “We want to be more attractive in the job market.”

Sure. Agility sounds modern. Better than “20-year-old hierarchies.” But if the culture behind the label doesn’t deliver, those talents leave. And here’s the real danger:

It’s often your best people who truly get agility first—and once they’ve tasted it, they won’t settle for less. They’re the first to leave when they find out the agile branding is just for show.

💸 “We want to increase our valuation for an upcoming sale.”

Sounds cynical? It’s real. I once worked with a management team that drove agile transformation forward—seemingly with conviction. Months later, I found out the primary motivation was prepping the company for an M&A.

It worked. But many employees had by then experienced true self-organization. After the sale, the plug was pulled. Those employees left—rightfully frustrated.

🚀 “We want to be faster and more efficient.”

Let me say it straight:
​Agility doesn’t make you faster. It makes you slower and more expensive.

At first.

If you’re serious about it—if you decentralize decisions, invest in learning, reduce technical debt—then it can eventually make you faster. But if “faster” is your goal, and not the byproduct of a deeper change, you’ll never get there.

2. Coaches Are Part of the Problem—or the Solution

Agility has become a business model. And with it come familiar patterns. I roughly group coaches into four types:

📦 The Framework Sellers

They show up with decks of slides, implement a process (often SAFe), run a few trainings, and vanish before it becomes clear nothing changed.

🔧 The Process Optimizers

They think agility is just project management with sticky notes. Culture? Psychology? Out of scope.

🌈 The Agile Idealists

Post-its, circles, and feelings. Lovely energy, but not exactly effective in the harsh reality of organizational politics.

🧠 The Real Coaches

The rare ones who care about actual outcomes. Who coach, not just train. Who understand human systems. Who’ve studied psychology. Who can work in technical environments without being technical bottlenecks. Who challenge leaders—not flatter them.

3. Agility Changes Expectations

Here’s the part few talk about:

Once people experience real agility—autonomy, trust, real feedback—they want more of it.

If the organization then backpedals—because “now is not the right time” or “this client project is too risky”—you lose them. And you don’t lose “the rebels.” You lose your best people.

4. So What Should You Do?

🔍 Ask the One Question That Matters Most:

If the answer is honest—even if it’s tactical like “we want to attract more applicants”—you can work with that.

What’s dangerous is pretending you want a cultural shift when you actually want a LinkedIn headline.

🧭 Be Clear From the Start

As a coach, I now clarify during contract talks:

“Agility will change how people think and work. Are you willing to go all the way? Even when it gets uncomfortable?”

Because once you light the fire, you can’t blow it out again.

💡 Plant Seeds, Not Forests

Our job isn’t to transform the entire company.

It’s to spark the momentum.

Find the right people. Enable them. Connect them.

Once we see that the transformation carries itself—then we leave.

🤝 Sometimes It’s Just About One Person

Even in toxic environments, there’s often one person who gets it. Help that person. They’ll carry the message forward—maybe in a new company, maybe someday as your future client.

Final Words for Decision-Makers

Final Words for Coaches

PS

If you’re a coach and want to be part of the next wave—where agility means more than frameworks—check out the ACE Program.

It’s where you learn to create real impact.