{"id":2923,"date":"2019-06-30T19:02:53","date_gmt":"2019-06-30T23:02:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog-alexis.monville.com\/en\/?p=2923"},"modified":"2026-01-25T09:29:04","modified_gmt":"2026-01-25T14:29:04","slug":"do-cultural-differences-influence-the-adoption-of-agile","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog-alexis.monville.com\/en\/2019\/06\/30\/do-cultural-differences-influence-the-adoption-of-agile\/","title":{"rendered":"Do Cultural Differences Really Block Agile Adoption?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

When agile adoption struggles, cultural differences are often the first explanation that comes up.
Different countries. Different mindsets. Different ways of working.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But are cultural differences really the problem?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In this episode of Le Podcast on Emerging Leadership<\/em>, I explore this question with J\u00e9r\u00f4me Bourgeon<\/strong>, an agile coach at Zenika, based in Singapore.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Looking beyond national culture<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

J\u00e9r\u00f4me and I share a similar conviction: national culture is rarely the real blocker<\/strong> when agile practices fail to take root.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What we see far more often is that:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \n
  • trust does not yet exist<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • beliefs remain unchallenged<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • and the local company culture works against the change<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

    Building trust, in particular, can take very different amounts of time depending on context. But that difference is not primarily explained by nationality.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    What really influences agile adoption<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    In our conversation, we discuss several elements that have a much stronger influence on agile adoption than country-level culture:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      \n
    • Company culture matters more than national culture<\/strong>
      J\u00e9r\u00f4me refers to Frederic Laloux\u2019s model from Reinventing Organizations<\/em> to explain how organizational worldviews shape behavior.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    • Beliefs matter more than practices<\/strong>
      What people believe about work, authority, learning, and responsibility has a direct impact on how agile practices are interpreted and adopted.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    • Trust is a prerequisite, not a byproduct<\/strong>
      Without trust, frameworks remain mechanical and fragile.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

      Using Appreciative Inquiry to move forward<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

      We also explore the power of Appreciative Inquiry<\/strong> as a way to approach change differently.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      Rather than focusing on what is broken or missing, Appreciative Inquiry helps teams:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

        \n
      • build on what already works<\/li>\n\n\n\n
      • surface what people care about<\/li>\n\n\n\n
      • and create movement without forcing alignment<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

        This approach is particularly useful when working across perceived differences.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

        Accepting meaningful differences<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

        Not all differences need to be resolved or normalized. Some differences are deeply important to people and deserve to be respected.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

        Agile adoption becomes more sustainable when teams can:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

          \n
        • accept these differences<\/li>\n\n\n\n
        • make them visible<\/li>\n\n\n\n
        • and design ways of working that acknowledge them<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

          A final invitation<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

          If you are working in a multicultural environment or facing resistance to agile adoption, this episode offers a different lens.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

          Instead of asking \u201cWhat culture are we dealing with?\u201d<\/em>, it invites a more useful question:
          \u201cWhat beliefs, relationships, and conditions need attention right now?\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

          If this topic resonates with you, feel free to reach out and share your experience or propose a question for a future episode. We can even record the answer together.<\/p>\n\n\n\n