Is your Transformation a Feudal Fantasy?

Let’s be honest. Many agile transformations in large, established organisations are struggling because we're trying to put a democratic engine into an autocratic chassis. We preach empowerment and self-managing teams (very democratic!), but the corporate structure we're operating within is fundamentally a feudal state. This fundamental disconnect is why your transformation is probably failing to deliver the promised uplift in speed and innovation.

The Feudal State of the Modern Org

In the traditional corporate hierarchy, the operating model is actually a mirror of a feudal state.

• The King/Board: Holds absolute land (capital) ownership and sets the decree (strategy).

• The Lords/Senior Management: Are granted fiefdoms (departments/divisions) and manage the "serfs" (employees) within their domain. Their power is local and their loyalty is upward.

• The Serfs/Employees: Are bound to the land and to the lord, having little say in governance or the distribution of value, other than executing the tasks handed down.

Decisions are top-down and authority is inherited through position, not earned through expertise or popular consensus. This model is great for stability and control, but it's a disaster for agility because it blocks the flow of information and decision-making power to where the work is actually being done—the team.

Agility Demands Democracy

Agile, by its very nature, is a demand for a democratic regime in the workplace.

• Decentralised Power: Small, cross-functional teams have the sovereignty to decide how they deliver value. This isn't anarchy; it's the transfer of authority to those with the best information.

• Transparency and Consensus: Mechanisms like stand-ups, retrospectives, and visible backlogs demand open information exchange and consensus on what to build next.

• Earning Trust (Not Inheriting It): Leaders are coaches who serve the team, removing impediments and fostering growth. Their authority is based on influence and competence, not just their title—a truly elected mandate.

When you try to run 'Agile Sprints' within a feudal structure, the "Lord" manager overrides team decisions, micro-manages the backlog, and punishes 'failure' (or 'learning'). This immediately kills the psychological safety that is a cornerstone of high-performing, collaborative teams, causing the brain's amygdala to trigger a threat response, shutting down the prefrontal cortex necessary for complex decision-making and creative problem-solving.

To genuinely drive improvement and transform your organisation, you must address the power structure, not just the process steps.

Actionable Step:

As a manager, you can immediately begin to devolve decision rights, shifting your identity from a 'Lord' who grants permission to a 'Prime Minister' who enables a mandate. Pick one operational decision this week, like how a particular tool is used or the internal order of delivery tasks, and formally hand the final say over to the team actually doing the work. Don't supervise the decision, just ask: "What did you decide, and how can I help you execute it?" This small, deliberate act of decentralising power will reduce team stress and unlock that vital neurological pathway for focus and problem-solving.

A great read to help you redefine this leadership mandate is Simon Sinek’s Leaders Eat Last, which explores the biology of building trust and cooperation in teams. For a look at how companies are attempting to balance governance and agility in the news, check out the current debate around corporate boards and AI governance platforms.

Is Your Agile Transformation a Feudal Fantasy? 

We can help drive your transformation towards success!