Agile is not only known for having processes that enable building solutions iteratively, incrementing the product in small steps that allow for short feedback loops and fast learning; it is often also associated with advocating stable cross-functional teams that take responsibility not only for these processes but also for collectively creating “the best architectures, requirements, and designs” as stated in the agile manifesto.

We can probably agree that agile has become rather good at the process part, but in this talk, I will argue that there is still a lot to be desired on the second, especially the social structuring. There is no guidance on how to design these “self-organising teams,” how they should operate as a coherent unit, and how they should interact. This glaring omission makes it hard to create a structure where the values and principles of the manifesto actually work and play out well.

Using open systems theory, I will show that rather than getting self-managing democratic teams, what we often end up with is just as bureaucratic and individualistic as the project model that agile tries to replace. There are some fundamental aspects not covered in the agile way of working that need our attention, the most glaring issues being rampant individualism and the lack of coordination of work.

This is a new talk loosely based on a small analysis of the IT industry and this blog post: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/me-myself-i-life-many-agile-teams-trond-hjorteland/