Agile frameworks like SAFe have had a large impact on practice. If this is a good thing or not is a matter of fierce debate. However, one unfortunate thing about the popularity of SAFe and other similar methodologies is that the first principle in The Agile Manifesto seem to have been abandoned:
We value individuals and interactions over processes and tools
We could not agree more with this principle, but we fear that just like in Lean Management the tools and methods are taking precedence over people and culture in the agile movement; both agility and Lean Management have taken a turn in a less agile and more mechanistic direction.
Our conviction is that people in general want to be agile, even if they may sometimes need some persuasion. However, they can never be agile if we bury them in methods, tools, budgets, monitoring and performance-based pay. We must remove bureaucratic obstacles if managers and their staff are to make decisions based on their own good judgement of what is best for the customers, and thereby for the firm. Every measure we take to limit their freedom to do this makes them less agile, not more. This does not mean that we should abandon all methods, rules and monitoring. What we are saying is that in an overwhelming majority of organizations we overdo these things, thus suppressing agility.