What does being a successful Agile Leader in Asia culture mean?

Welcome to the second edition of our Agile Ngopi (Leadership) newsletter!

This month, we will explore how leaders can foster an Agile mindset, tackle cultural challenges, and leverage actionable tips to drive outcome-focused deliveries.

Bringing this topic early of the year as we often see this as major challenge organizations in the Agile Transformations in Southeast Asia, including Malaysia.

What a better time to look into tough cookies? The earlier the better!

"Agile leadership isn’t just about sticky notes and stand-ups—it’s about creating a culture where teams thrive, customers smile, and leaders don’t lose their hair (well, not too much)."

Before continue, you might want to get a Piccolo latte as a company.

A piccolo latte is a a shot of espresso is combined with a small amount of steamed milk. The ratio of espresso to milk is usually 1:2 or 1:3, resulting in a stronger coffee flavor than a traditional latte.

Balancing Hierarchical Culture with Agile Principles

Many organizations in this region often operate within a high "Power Distance" culture—a term coined by Geert Hofstede to describe societies where hierarchy and authority are deeply respected.

Hard truth.

"With great power comes great responsibility", Marvel Studios.         

While this fosters order and respect, it can sometimes conflict with Agile's core principles of self-organizing teams and decentralized decision-making.

The Challenge

Leaders usually face a unique dilemma:

• How do you empower teams to take ownership while respecting traditional leadership structures?
• How do you balance the need for hierarchy with Agile's collaborative, team-driven approach?

"We love our hierarchies, don't we?—after all, who doesn’t enjoy a good org chart that brings "stability"? When it comes to Agile, it’s time to loosen the tie (just a little, we promise) and let the teams take the wheel. Don’t worry, the org chart will still be there when you need it!"

A Real-World Example

Based on conversations we had on the ground, the main struggle is to delegate decision-making authority to teams.

A Scrum Master might hesitate to challenge a senior manager's directive, fearing it could be seen as disrespectful. This is even more amplified when there's a lot of organizations in this region hiring junior Scrum Master instead of senior person as the role misunderstood to be pure facilitator.

The situation creates a bottleneck in Agile processes, where team autonomy is critical.

Ironically, another common symptoms that are observed is the reluctance of team members to voice their opinions in the presence of senior leaders, which hinders the open communication that Agile encourages.

The Solution

If you are the leader who has been facing the challenges above, how about try on the balancing hierarchical culture with Agile principles.

Think of it as blending tradition with innovation—like pairing nasi lemak with a side of avocado toast.

Here’s how:

1. Team-Based Metrics: Focus on collaboration, not just individual performance. Celebrate team efforts whenever you can.
2. Servant Leadership: Be the leader who clears roadblocks, not the one who builds them.
3. Cultural Adaptation: Customize Agile practices to fit local norms—because Agile isn’t one-size-fits-all, and neither is leadership.

Actionable Agile Tips: Focus on Outcomes, Not Outputs

One of the biggest challenges in Agile is shifting the focus from outputs (e.g., number of features delivered) to outcomes (e.g., customer satisfaction, business value). Here's how leaders can drive outcome-focused deliveries:

1. Define Success Clearly: Align teams around measurable outcomes, such as increased user engagement or reduced time-to-market.
2. Prioritize Value: Use tools like Weighted Shortest Job First (WSJF) to prioritize work that delivers the highest value.
3. Celebrate Small Wins: Regularly review and celebrate progress toward outcomes during retrospectives.

Practical Tools and Templates

To help you on your Agile Leadership journey, here are some tools and templates you can start using today:

Team-Based Metrics Template:

• Miro Template: A customizable template to track team performance and collaboration.
• Outcome Mapping Canvas: Templates by Canva visual tool to align teams around desired outcomes and track progress.

Final Thoughts

Agile leadership is about fostering a mindset of adaptability, collaboration, and continuous improvement.

How are you fostering an Agile mindset in your organization?

Does this edition resonates with you? Share your thoughts in the comments or message us directly— We'd love to hear your experiences!

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Till our next Agile Ngopi session!