I´ve been working on agile for over a decade and in multiple companies of multiple sizes and multiple cultures. From this experience, some patterns emerged.
These patterns have been consolidated here in a book called “AO”.
I am Pierre E. Neis, Organizational Transformation Consultant & Executive Coach | Creator of AO Method.
Pfaffikon ZH, February 18th, 2026
pierre.neis@menschgeist.com
An Agile Organization with the AO Model is based on people-centric organic growth.
Organic growth emphasizes development through assimilation rather than colonization. This model is built upon five foundational pillars: coherence, cohesion, simple rules, avoidance, and separation.
Agile organization pizza metaphor. An organization holds different sizes of pizzas, different forms of pizzas, and slices of pizzas.
All these pizzas are on the same table.
Pizzas symbolize ventures. The table stands for the platform, allowing those endeavors.
The AO model helps you to situate your level of Agile on a maturity map.
The polarities are between “Unknown.” In this space, people are using agile tools and techniques without changing their working paradigm. They do not change their operating model. This is the place of agility.
On the extreme opposite site, you find AO. It shows an extremely Agile operating model. In this model, the organization works like a platform.
The AO model helps transformations to define how far you want to go in Agile.
AO – Adaptive Organizations 