Is Agile still Radical Enough? – A Year-End Reflection for the Agile Community
Details
As we close out another year of Agile transformations, ceremonies, frameworks, and scaling models, it’s time to pause and ask a difficult question:
👉 Is Agile still radical — or has it become comfortable?
Has it become a system that manages dysfunction instead of challenging it?
After 20 years in software and nearly 14 years working as a Scrum Master and Agile Coach, I’ve seen a growing pattern across teams and organizations:
- Agile is practiced, but real improvement stagnates
- Teams are “doing Scrum,” yet delivery slows down
- Scrum Masters become administrators instead of catalysts
- Agile coaches maintain systems instead of transforming them
- Decision-making becomes ritualised
- Change becomes incremental when problems require radical shifts
This talk is a structured year-end reflection on the state of Agility in Europe — a moment to step back and honestly evaluate:
### 🌍 Agile Market Dynamics in 2025
What’s working, what’s stuck, and why organizations plateau.
### 🧩 The Rise of Agile Administration
Why practices often evolve into bureaucracy instead of improvement.
### 💼 The Business Case Behind Agile Roles
How incentives shape behaviour — and why some roles drift from their original intent.
### 🌀 Scrum Master Identity Crisis
Once designed to make themselves unnecessary,
today often caught in creating dependency rather than empowerment.
### ⚡ What “Radical Change” Could Mean
Not another framework — but a return to courage, clarity, and decisive improvement.
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# 🧠 Format
20-minute talk:
A sharp, honest, year-end Agile résumé — insights, stories, and observations from working with real teams across industries.
Think Tank Discussion:
We open the floor to explore together:
- Where should Agile go next?
- What is holding teams back?
- How do we escape the comfort zone?
- How do we bring back a sense of courage, ownership, and improvement?
A collaborative conversation designed to challenge assumptions and shape what Agile in 2026 could look like.
# 🗓️ Event Details
🕖 18:00 CET
📅 Online Session
🔗 Zoom Registration (required):
https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/deG74Hf5RPCHyJ4Q_rSjbA
📺 Sessions may be streamed on Skills for Teams YouTube:
https://youtube.com/skillsforteams
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# 👤 Speaker
John Behrens – European Agile & Product Development Coach
🔗 https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-behrens-sft/
Supporting teams across Europe — available for discussions, coaching, and product development support.
