Peeling away complexity – a visionary look at agility, simplicity, and more.

Hi, I’m Neil Walker — welcome.
This is my space to explore the real work of transformation: leading with agility, thinking in systems, and building better ways of working.
For over 30 years, I’ve helped organizations—from financial services to frontline social care—navigate complexity, adopt agile and product mindsets, and drive meaningful change that lasts. I’ve worked across the board: from coaching teams to advising execs, from recovering failing programmes to shaping new operating models.
Since the early 2000s, I’ve been writing and speaking about agile, business agility, and transformation—long before they were hashtags. I’ve shared ideas, sparked conversations, and built communities (even before Twitter became “X”).
What ties it all together? A deep belief in the power of simplicity, adaptability, and human-centered change.
Whether you’re here to learn, rethink, or just get unstuck—you’re in good company.
Latest insights
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Sustainability in Logistics: How a Powerful Match Engine Can Drive a Greener Future
Last week, I wrote a post From Logistics to Ecosystems: How Early Innovations in Freight Technology Helped Deliver Today’s Ecosystem Economy inspired by the book, The Ecosystem Economy. In that post, I further discussed the shift toward an ecosystem economy,…
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From Logistics to Ecosystems: How Early Innovations in Freight Technology Helped Deliver Today’s Ecosystem Economy
At the beginning of the year, I wrote a post The Ecosystem Economy: How Business Agility Will Shape—and Be Shaped by—Our $100 Trillion Future after reading the book, The Ecosystem Economy. In that post, I discussed the shift toward an…
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Can Ethnographic Methods Enhance the Effectiveness of Agile Coaching?
In my previous posts, I argued that agile coaching doesn’t just venture into ethnographic territory. I think it depends on it. Let’s dig deeper into why this is true, and what it means for anyone serious about leading change in complex organizations. Ethnographic methods…
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Agile Coaching: Why It Depends on Ethnographic Practice
In my last post, I argued that agile coaching doesn’t just venture into ethnographic territory. I think it depends on it. Let’s dig deeper into why this is true, and what it means for anyone serious about leading change in complex organizations. Agile and…
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Leading Innovation: How to Turn Ideas Into Action With a Simple Workshop
You know your organization needs to innovate—but how do you get there? Innovation isn’t just a buzzword; it’s the difference between staying relevant and being left behind. Whether you’re trying to keep pace with customer demands, get ahead of competitors,…
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Business Agility Conference 2023, New York City
Is anyone else heading to Business Agility Institute 2023 conference in New York today? No worries if you aren’t. I’m attending, virtually. I’m expecting an awesome online experience. Evan Leybourn, Laura Powers, and the Business Agility Institute (BAI) team have…
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Does Agile Coaching Venture Into Ethnographic Territory?
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…
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