Agile adoptions in the Enterprise are difficult and complicated, perhaps that is why I often read stories on Top Down vs. Bottom Up techniques. I feel as though we focus too much on these and overlook the Middle, which can lead to disaster.

Middle management is arguably the toughest obstacle in any large scale Agile adoption effort. This is most apparent in situations where they’ve repeatedly fired people below them to make ends meet. An environment like this does not exactly foster job security and yet middle management becomes adept at navigating the murky waters of office politics. Anything new and disruptive in nature such as Agile, is generally not received well.

Top down Agile adoption is the way to go, you must have executive buy-in!

In a top down approach, one would assume that mandates from above would be followed within reason. However those in middle management can seriously hinder an Agile adoption by sheer incompetence or worse, sabotage. Unless your top down approach has eyes from above keeping tabs on things at the day-to-day level, there is a good change middle management will screw it up.

Grass roots Agile is the most rewarding, and you’ll be a beacon of success for the rest of the company!

With grass roots Agile, one would assume that your successes would be recognized by the executives as you deliver value early and often. However more often than not, those success stories are reported up the chain by middle management, not by the worker bees themselves. Middle management can craft the message as they see fit when sitting down to update their superiors. I’ve witnessed people take credit for work they did not even begin to understand and massage the communication to further secure their job. It happens every day.

Middle management can make or break your Agile transformation.

I recommend that anyone stepping into the Enterprise do their homework on middle management. While your Agile efforts may have a three pronged attack on the top, middle and bottom of the organization, I suggest burning significant calories on the middle. Spend one-on-one time with them and try to understand their background by asking them how they achieved their status within the organization. Gather insight into their personality, and their thoughts on new techniques or ideas. When on site during the transformation, make it a point to be involved with their day-to-day activities to address any fears they may have.

In conclusion, don’t get too wrapped up in Top vs Bottom and overlook the Middle. Your Agile transformation may just fail as a result.