When people think of agile coaching, they often picture frameworks, ceremonies, and sticky notes. But beneath the surface, the most effective agile coaches are doing something deeper-something that looks a lot like ethnography.

Agile Coaches as Organizational Ethnographers

Ethnography is the study of people in their natural environments. Traditionally used by anthropologists, it’s about observing, listening, and understanding the lived experiences, rituals, and cultural norms of a group.

In the context of agile transformation, coaches are often “embedded” in teams and organizations. They don’t just teach Scrum or Kanban-they observe how teams interact, where tensions arise, and how culture shapes behavior. They notice the subtle signals:

• How teams really make decisions (not just what the RACI chart says)
• Where anxiety and resistance show up in retrospectives
• The gap between stated values (“we value collaboration”) and actual practices (siloed delivery)

Agile coaches, in effect, become organizational ethnographers, mapping the unwritten rules and emotional undercurrents that drive (or block) change.

Why Ethnographic Sensibilities Matter in Agile

Agile transformations rarely fail because people misunderstand the mechanics of a framework. They stall when human and systemic dynamics-like fear, contradiction, or cultural inertia-get in the way.

Here’s where ethnographic thinking is invaluable:

• Contradictions: Coaches help teams navigate competing priorities (e.g., “deliver faster” vs. “maintain quality”).
• Anxiety: They surface and address fears about change, failure, or loss of control.
• Insecurity: They foster psychological safety to help teams experiment and learn in ambiguous environments.

These are the very dynamics that ethnographic observation is designed to uncover.

Beyond Frameworks: Coaching as Cultural Catalyst

Modern agile coaching is much more than process enforcement. The best coaches act as cultural catalysts-helping teams:

• Narrate their own stories: Making sense of their journey, struggles, and successes.
• Reframe mindsets: Challenging legacy beliefs that no longer serve the organization.
• Design context-sensitive interventions: Adapting practices to fit local realities, not just best practices.

This shift mirrors the move in ethnography from passive observation to active participation and co-creation.

The Balance: Observation and Intervention

Of course, there are differences. Ethnographers traditionally strive for neutrality and long-term immersion, while agile coaches are often tasked with driving change within tight timeframes. Coaches must balance observation with action-diagnosing root causes while also prescribing solutions.

But the overlap is clear. As agile coaching evolves, it increasingly draws on ethnographic skills: deep listening, contextual analysis, and the ability to “read the room” beyond what’s visible on a Kanban board.

The Takeaway

Agile coaching doesn’t just venture into ethnographic territory – it depends on it.

To truly shift mindsets and cultures, coaches must go beyond frameworks and metrics. They must become students of the human system-attuned to the stories, emotions, and relationships that shape how work gets done.

So, the next time you’re coaching a team, ask yourself:

• What’s really happening beneath the surface?
• What are the unspoken rules, the anxieties, the contradictions?
• And how can I help this team make sense of their own experience, together?

That’s where the real transformation begins.