Struggling to swim in fast-moving waters, many organizations adapt by trying to “manage” or “lead” change. These efforts can create short-term value, but they miss a central truth—that change is coming faster and faster from all directions and can’t be fully anticipated or controlled.
Organizations that try often expend enormous energy and resources trying to stop change. Or, they’re submerged by a rushing current when their strategy fails to anticipate new developments.
Fortunately, agile offers a better way.
Living in the River of Change
The term agile was first coined to describe a new approach to software development. Today, agile also encompasses a mindset and beliefs, as well as business management frameworks, techniques and processes. Yes, agile organizations disperse decision-making authority and allow cross-functional teams to work more autonomously. They also embed feedback loops into their processes and continuously improve their products.
But agile organizations are characterized by a different way of thinking as well. These organizations live within the river of change. They’ve learned to co-create the future with their customers and employees through ongoing listening, learning and adaptation. They are less focused on absolute judgements of right and wrong and are more open to different ideas that can lead to the next product evolution. They also demonstrate a high degree of trust, believing their employees know what to do, when to do it and how to communicate about their decisions.
Understanding What It Takes to Swim
By adopting this flexible, adaptive approach, organizations hope to become faster and more innovative and resilient. But is agile the right approach for all organizations, and what does it take to transform into a truly agile enterprise?
Based on SageRiver’s experience, there are five keys to success:
Visualize and Commit: Before you jump into the river of change, understand where you want to go and whether you’re committed to the journey. Begin by asking whether an agile approach will help you deliver on your most important goals. If the answer is yes, consider whether you’re really prepared to make the required strategic, cultural and operational shifts. To succeed, you must be clear about your most pressing challenges and your willingness to lead and work differently.
Share Stories with Fellow Swimmers: To empower and engage your team around a common purpose, employ storytelling and story listening throughout the organization. Treat storytelling as a valuable part of team discussions and invite others to respond with their own stories. As Steve Denning writes, this practice helps employees move in the same direction without a command-and-control management structure.
Find the Right Form: As any swimmer knows, finding the right form matters. Similarly, agile organizations need an organizational design that promotes both shared direction and flexibility, thereby unlocking the talents of teams and individuals.
Balance Consistency and Flexibility: Successful swimmers use repetition to build muscle memory, which allows them to execute flawlessly on even their worst days. Yet, swimmers must also adapt to changing circumstances. Agile organizations meet these twin goals by identifying the processes that deliver the most critical value across the enterprise. They then streamline those processes to deliver both standardization and flexibility, thereby increasing speed, innovation and consistency.
Improve Every Day: Strong swimmers evolve through constant practice, coaching and skill-building. Agile organizations operate in the same way. They build a continuous loop of measurement, evaluation, learning and improvement into their culture. They aim to improve in small or large ways every day. This approach creates a bias toward adaptation and change, which in turn produces organizational resilience.
Transforming into an agile enterprise takes time, self-awareness and commitment. The reward comes when you stop struggling against the current of change and start using its energy to propel you forward, knowing you will adapt and thrive no matter what the future holds.
To learn more, contact SageRiver Consulting at (720) 443-2551.