mindset

Changing the culture in an organization is a challenging process, especially when it involves embedding an agile mindset. The book Expedition Agility offers concrete tools for sustainably shifting mindset, attitude, and behavior. In this blog, I’ll share an inspiring approach based on a successful real-life experience that can help you and your team make progress toward an agile culture.

Theme: DO! What we agreed upon

Cultural transformation often starts with a clear theme and an inspiring slogan. In this case, the theme was “DO! What We Agreed Upon.” This focus helps teams work together on concrete actions and make visible changes.

What we aim to achieve

To become an agile organization, it’s essential that mindset, attitude, and behavior are aligned across the board. The core question becomes: How can we help everyone not only understand what’s needed but actually DO it? The solution started with recognizing the problem and defining the desired change;

Problem: A lack of follow-up on agreements, a tendency to take on too much at once, and an absence of a culture of accountability.

Desired mindset and behavior: A continuous improvement mentality in which team members demonstrate ownership. We wanted to see everyone working together on one priority at a time, fulfilling agreements, and holding each other accountable.

From X to Y: The movement we’re looking for

To make the cultural shift concrete, we clarified the specific transitions we wanted to see. This included:

Moving from “starting many things” to “finishing one task before beginning another.”
Shifting from “not speaking up” to “holding each other accountable when agreements aren’t kept.”
Changing from “focusing on problems” to “seeking solutions and opportunities.”

By naming these concrete differences, it becomes clear to everyone what is expected in the new culture.

How we measure the change

Behavioral change also requires measurable moments, such as structured reflections. In this approach, feedback loops were built in—discussing progress during lunch sessions or reflecting on cultural changes in retrospectives. This makes the change visible and helps the team stay focused.

The intervention: A playful start with behavior cards

To make the desired behavioral change tangible, we used a creative method: behavior cards. These cards serve as a tool to talk about behavior in a playful way within teams.

Workshop idea – behavior cards in action:

Preparation: Use behavior cards (or create them) with examples of both desired and undesired behavior. Allow the team to select or add what they consider typical behaviors of their team, both positive and negative.
Choose and discuss: Ask each team member to pick one desired and one undesired behavior card. Place the undesired behavior cards in the “Do Less” column and the desired behavior cards in the “Do More” column.
Dive into the behavior: Together, choose a behavior to explore (desired or undesired) and answer these questions:
- What are the possible reasons this undesired behavior persists?
- What benefits could a shift to desired behavior bring? What could we achieve?
- What do we need to make this change?
Define actions: Have the team formulate actions to transform undesired behavior into desired behavior. Think about ways team members can keep each other on track.

This method raises awareness, stimulates open conversations, and makes behavioral change accessible and engaging. By involving leaders actively, you foster a culture of role modeling.

Final thought

Expedition Agility is not only a book but also a guide to achieving cultural change together. By fostering ownership and embracing continuous improvement, your organization can think and act agile. Ready to get started with behavior cards or another idea? Every step toward agility begins with action.

Do you want to know more about agility? Then take a look at our book Expedition Agility and visit the website amigos.nu/book for more tools on desired and undesired behavior.