Why Teams Ignore Agile and Scrum Signals
Explores why teams ignore clear signals from Agile and Scrum, highlighting how culture and fear hinder continuous improvement and effective …
TL;DR; Giving teams tools like Scrum events or defect reporting only works if you also create a culture where people feel safe to speak up and address problems. Without psychological safety and genuine empowerment, process changes alone will not lead to real improvement. Development managers should focus on building trust and openness so teams feel comfortable raising issues.

In manufacturing, Toyota introduced the “andon” cord, a simple chain any worker could pull to stop the entire line if they saw a defect.
When American car companies copied the idea, they installed the cord… but workers were too afraid to pull it.
The tool was there. The empowerment was not.
The same failure happens in Agile and Scrum adoptions every day.
Installing Scrum Events without building a culture of transparency and continuous improvement is cargo cult thinking. You’re copying the tool without the ethos.
Scrum is not your safety net. Your culture is.
If you punish people for raising issues, don’t be surprised when they stop speaking up.
How safe is it in your organisation to pull the metaphorical andon cord?
Each classification [Concepts, Categories, & Tags] was assigned using AI-powered semantic analysis and scored across relevance, depth, and alignment. Final decisions? Still human. Always traceable. Hover to see how it applies.
If you've made it this far, it's worth connecting with our principal consultant and coach, Martin Hinshelwood, for a 30-minute 'ask me anything' call.
We partner with businesses across diverse industries, including finance, insurance, healthcare, pharmaceuticals, technology, engineering, transportation, hospitality, entertainment, legal, government, and military sectors.
NIT A/S

Alignment Healthcare

Cognizant Microsoft Business Group (MBG)

Qualco

Slaughter and May

ALS Life Sciences

Sage

Brandes Investment Partners L.P.

Big Data for Humans

Akaditi

Capita Secure Information Solutions Ltd

Graham & Brown

DFDS

ProgramUtvikling

Emerson Process Management

Lockheed Martin

SuperControl

Ericson

Washington Department of Transport

Royal Air Force

New Hampshire Supreme Court

Department of Work and Pensions (UK)

Washington Department of Enterprise Services

Nottingham County Council

Epic Games

Trayport

Alignment Healthcare

Akaditi

Xceptor - Process and Data Automation

SuperControl