What does it really take to create a cultural shift with LeSS, and what happens when an organization tries to get there too gradually?
In this talk, Robert Brisa shares a candid case study from a real LeSS adoption in a large eCommerce environment moving away from a fragmented, waterfall-style setup. He reflects on what was put in place, what was missing, what worked despite the odds, and what he would do differently with the benefit of hindsight. The story shows how difficult it is to introduce meaningful organizational change when old structures, fake roles, unclear ownership, and management expectations remain intact.
Robert walks through the practical realities of the adoption: moving from component teams to feature teams, struggling to establish one Product Owner and one Product Backlog, dealing with dispersed teams, improving technical practices, and gradually removing structural barriers that kept the old system alive. He also highlights the role of technical excellence, shared events, communities, and continuous reflection in enabling teams to become more self-managing and product-focused.
The talk goes beyond mechanics and makes a stronger point about organizational design. Real change does not come from adopting new terminology or adding Scrum ceremonies on top of an unchanged system. It requires education, informed consent, management alignment, and the courage to put the right structure in place from the start. Robert also compares his experience in LeSS and LeSS Huge environments, sharing lessons about coaching, decision-making, organizational politics, and the importance of helping teams and leaders understand the principles behind the design.
This is a valuable session for anyone involved in organizational change, product development, or a LeSS adoption, especially if you want to avoid repeating the common pattern of preserving the status quo under new labels.
