[Case Study] From merger chaos to Agile greatness

From Chaos to Greatness

This Agile case study is drawn from the experience report “How Reinventing to Stay Relevant Lead to Being an Agile Great Place to Work written by Tze Chin Tang.


When SEEK Asia was formed through the merger of Jobstreet.com and JobsDB, it was like trying to fuse two mighty rivers into one. Both companies dominated the online job market in East Asia, with decades of success behind them. Together, they had a presence in six countries and a workforce of over 200 in their Product & Technology division.

But the merger wasn’t smooth. The organization faced overlapping systems, slow delivery cycles, and a fragmented culture. The stakes were high: competitors were gaining ground, employees were disengaged, and the once-mighty giants risked irrelevance. Something had to change—and it did, dramatically.

Challenges

Post-merger, SEEK Asia faced a cascade of problems, each compounding the other:

  • Structural complexity: Two sets of platforms, teams, and processes created inefficiencies and redundancies.
  • Slow delivery cycles: Deployment rates limped along at 1 per month, leaving customers waiting.
  • Employee disengagement: With only 20% engagement and a turnover rate of 30%, key staff felt stretched and undervalued.
  • Leadership gaps: High management turnover led to unresolved issues and inconsistent direction.
  • Customer disconnect: Development teams were often four degrees removed from the end-user, diluting their understanding of customer needs.

These challenges painted a stark picture: a fragmented organization struggling to move as one cohesive unit.

Approach

1. Redesigning the organization

To untangle the web of duplication, SEEK Asia introduced a domain structure.

This model aligned teams around specific customer journeys, ensuring each team knew exactly which users they were serving. They shifted from project-based financing to value-stream financing, empowering domain leaders to prioritize investments flexibly.

2. Rebooting the culture

SEEK Asia embraced an unconventional approach called Mission Recruitment, allowing employees to self-organize into teams.

Guided by the principles of autonomy, mastery, and purpose, this process turned traditional top-down assignments on its head. Employees chose their teams, and teams chose their missions.

3. Establishing feedback loops

The company introduced real-time engagement tracking via OfficeVibe.

Continuous feedback allowed leadership to address concerns before they escalated. Transparent forums, like town halls and AMAs, ensured employees felt heard and included in the transformation journey.

4. Agile leadership practices

Leaders adopted Agile principles themselves, functioning as the organization’s Scrum Masters. They created a change backlog to limit the number of simultaneous initiatives and prevent change fatigue. This disciplined approach kept transformation efforts focused and sustainable.

Results

The results of SEEK Asia’s Agile transformation were nothing short of remarkable:

  • Deployment frequency: Soared from 1/month to over 1,000/month, removing delivery bottlenecks.
  • SLA adherence: Improved from 75% to 95%, enhancing customer satisfaction.
  • Employee engagement: Climbed from 20% to over 70%, energizing the workforce.
  • Turnover rate: Halved, bringing it in line with industry norms.

These metrics reflect not just operational efficiency but a cultural transformation that reignited the organization’s spirit. The icing on the cake? SEEK Asia was awarded the Agile Great Place to Work by the World Agility Forum in 2020.

Lessons Learned

1. Treat the organization like a product

Transformation requires the same iterative mindset as product development. Experiment, learn, and scale what works.

2. Anchor change in Agile values

Focusing on principles like collaboration, customer-centricity, and adaptability creates a foundation for lasting change.

3. Build feedback mechanisms

Real-time insights are invaluable for steering transformation efforts and maintaining alignment with employee needs.

4. Support leadership resilience

Transformation is emotionally taxing. Leadership teams must create support structures to sustain themselves through prolonged periods of change.

Conclusion

SEEK Asia’s story demonstrates that Agile is more than a methodology—it’s a mindset. By embracing its principles, the organization turned post-merger chaos into an opportunity for growth and innovation.

For companies facing similar crossroads, the lesson is clear: agility is not just about moving fast; it’s about moving together, with purpose and alignment.

Read the original experience report “How Reinventing to Stay Relevant Lead to Being an Agile Great Place to Work written by Tze Chin Tang.

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Joe Foley

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