Agile frameworks such as SAFe assume employees naturally align with values of collaboration, self-organization, and adaptability. However, psychological and developmental misalignments can undermine agile transformations. This exploratory, mixed-methods study at a large Swiss organization examined person-job fit across four SAFe-organized teams, combining data on personality (Big Five), motivation (Self-Determination Theory), and values (Spiral Dynamics). The findings reveal thre types of potential misalignment – structural, cultural, and developmental – associated with autonomy and competence satisfaction and perceived team performance. High-performing teams demonstrated stronger alignment across psychological and value dimensions, while mid-performing teams experienced friction due to autonomy constraints and cultural dissonance. The study highlights a diagnostic gap in scaled agile practice: current frameworks often overlook psychological diversity and motivational needs. We propose a holistic extension to the person-job fit model and outline practical implications of this human-centered diagnostic approach.
Leikert-Böhm et al. (2025) studied this question.