Agility has been a much-discussed topic for a number of years: Mostly it is sung in praise, sometimes it is dismissed as overrated hype. But in the meantime, many companies report that they are economically more successful with an agile approach to work than with the traditional rigid structures. The IT industry in particular seems to be benefiting from the agile way of working. But how do you make the transition to the agile world of work?
Being agile means rethinking familiar ways of working. To enable agile working, it is not enough to apply agile methods within individual departments. Rather, it requires a consistent corporate culture that allows for agile action. In contrast to classic project management in a top-down organization, agile teams work dynamically toward a defined project goal. The prerequisites for this are personal responsibility, error culture, openness and transparency. If these are in place, the team becomes faster, more flexible, often of better quality, and has a good chance of being more successful than classic project teams. If the entire company lives agility, it is able to react flexibly and promptly to complex problems. The digitalization of the world, rapid change in the market, and not least the Corona pandemic have clearly shown how existential fast adaptability can be. It is important to understand that even in a company that is committed to agility, there are tasks that are not suitable for the use of agile methods. Orientation for selecting a suitable approach is provided by the Stacey Matrix, for example:
Change in a company can be initiated from above (top-down), but also from below (bottom-up). John P. Kotter, professor of leadership management at Harvard Business School, stated that at least 75 percent of the company's management must support change processes. If the direction comes from the top, employees have to be convinced. It can be a long and rocky road until then.
Employees are the driving force behind the agile approach. The switch to agility can therefore only succeed if employees at all levels want it. The key here is to convince them that the change is also in their interest and that it will not only bring economic benefits for the company. The following tips should help you succeed:
- Training: Not only a case study at LEGO has shown that the teaching of agile work methods and methodologies should be regarded as fundamental. Particular care should be taken here to ensure that employees are not overloaded and are given sufficient time to process the change.
- Positive error culture: introducing the agile way of working means restructuring the employee's work. The tasks are to be done differently than in the last 20 years that he may have been with the company. It is only logical that the employee is afraid of change. With a positive error culture, the employee's doubts are taken away. This means fixing the cause of the error instead of looking for someone to blame. The focus is on "Why did this happen?" instead of "Who screwed up?". Managers must ensure a positive error culture by admitting mistakes themselves, asking for advice more often and actively asking the employee what tools are needed to avoid the mistake in the future.
- Measurable success: At the latest when the employee notices that he or his team is more successful with the agile methods, he should be convinced of this approach. Consider here how you can measure productivity with suitable key figures. Flat hierarchies ensure fast and pragmatic implementation. In this context, the next aspect - communication - is also very important.
- Strong communication: Even in the agile world, certain steps must be approved by defined responsible parties. Stay in close contact with your employees, don't make them wait for the weekly jour fixe so they can voice their concerns. This also includes meeting each other at eye level, both among colleagues and with the boss.
- Create transparency: Know what your colleague is doing to get valuable information and food for thought, not to mention uncover redundant tasks in a timely manner and avoid duplicating work.
- Ownership: not immediately obvious, yet one of the important aspects that motivate employees. When the employee is given responsibility, the company signals trust. If personal responsibility is lived in harmony with the positive error culture, the employee identifies more with the company and is more motivated to successfully complete his or her task. In the flat hierarchies, all employees are equal.
As the study by Koblenz University of Applied Sciences shows, the success rate of agile approaches is still considered higher than that of classic project management methods.
Articles around the topic of agility:
To enable agile working, it is not enough to apply agile methods within individual departments. Rather, it requires a consistent corporate culture that permits agile action.