Many Agile scaling approaches promise alignment—but deliver more control, coordination, and delay. As organizations scale, they often revert to siloed structures that fragment responsibility and slow down response.

This hands-on session introduces a different approach to Agile scaling, inspired by Robotics Subsumption Architecture. Instead of adding centralized control, organizations can be designed as layered systems composed of autonomous parts—each responsible for sensing and responding within its domain.

Through LEGO-based design sessions, participants will design an organization for eAuction Inc., using customer segments to define meaningful parts that contribute to the behavior of the whole. Applying subsumption principles, they will explore how layered autonomy and decentralized decision-making enable organizations to scale cohesively—maintaining alignment and accountability without excessive hierarchy or centralized control.

In doing so, participants will gain a new perspective on scaling—one that enables organizations to remain responsive and adaptable while operating as a unified system.

Sue has presented this topic at Global Scrum Gathering 2024, Agile Tour 2024, the Enterprise Agile Global Community Meetup, and the NYC Scrum Meetup, as well as through multiple webinars.

Learning Outcomes

By the end of this session, participants will be able to:

• Apply a living systems lens to assess and rethink how their organization scales

• Use layered autonomy principles to improve responsiveness and alignment in their organization

• Recognize patterns that enable organizations to adapt without adding complexity

She is an Enterprise Agile Coach who has spent over 18 years helping organizations navigate the challenges of adopting and scaling agility. Her work centers on applying systems thinking to design adaptive organizations—environments where teams can sense, decide, and act autonomously while staying aligned to a shared purpose.

A pivotal moment in her journey came in 2016, when she had the opportunity to work with the late Mike Beedle. Through his mentorship, she was introduced to the application of Robotics Subsumption Architecture in organizational design—an approach that continues to shape how she helps organizations evolve with resilience and adaptability.

Sue has guided Agile transformations across Fortune 500 companies, with experience spanning Accenture, ADP, Bell Labs, Deutsche Bank, and the NYSE. She brings a strong technical foundation from her Master’s degree in Computer Science from New York University.