Creating an Agile Organisation – three core ingredients!

In our current time if you are not thinking about creating an organisation that is agile, you may have a big problem.  The market and world is now changing at rates we have never experienced before.  The consequences can mean that if you need 12 months to project plan a deliverable … it had better not be too critical to your overall strategy as the whole world may have changed in that time.

Many organisations now use an Agile methodology with project planning which is great but it takes more than that to create an Agile Organisation. 

Agile Decision Making

If you stop and look at how decisions are made in your organisation would you say they are ‘agile’ or hierarchical?  Do decisions need to go through multiple layers prior to getting a yes or no?  Is decision making aligned with accountability?  Is decision making based on data you have today, or is it about waiting until you collect 100% of the data to make a decision?   

One of the best examples of agile decision making organisations can make is in times of crisis!  The organisation needs to make decisions based on what they know at that point in time.  They also ensure they have all the right decision markers around the ‘table’ to make quick decisions.  Information that is missing is quickly gathered.  Time-frames are managed and understood. Decisions are quickly made and enacted and modified as the impact becomes clear. We are not suggesting you need to create a time of crisis but to look at the key ingredients and replicate them in your daily business.

Agile Process

Would you describe your underlying processes as complex or simple?  This is a great place to start to look at the agility of your organisation to be able to change quickly.  All change requires a change in process.  If you have not had the time to stop and look at your processes, now would be a good time to do that.  Agile process also brings about greater efficiencies and reduces cost to your organisation that is often hidden.  As process is simplified this further supports your organisation to bring about change more rapidly.

We can’t emphasise enough, the requirement to focus on simplification of process.   

Agile Culture

Often we get asked … How do you create an Agile culture?  Well one of the ways is to communicate clearly to your people and then just start!   One thing about an agile culture is that you start and you evolve as you build.  If we waited until everything was perfect before we started we would never get anywhere!

The usual factors apply with building any form of culture:-

• Be clear about what you are doing
• Be clear about why you are doing it
• Be clear about everyone’s part in it
• Be clear about all the supporting components and levers you can pull to make it happen

It doesn’t stop there of course but if you can master these three you are off to a very good start!

Remember Albert Einstein said “Everything should be as simple as possible; but no simpler”