Summary
Why Organizational Agility is Necessary
The current rate of disruption and the increasing amount of global competition all contribute to what we now call a “VUCA” world:
Volatile – Speed, magnitude, turbulence, and dynamics of change
Uncertain – Unclear about the present and hard to predict the future
Complex – Multiple interdependencies amongst a globally interconnected world
Ambiguous – Lack of clarity of the meaning of events
Organizational agility allows you to respond quickly to this unpredictable world. Without it, you risk being overwhelmed by the rate of change.
What is Organizational Agility?
Organizational agility focuses on leadership teamwork and the alignment of every part of the organization around a shared understanding of major vision, goals, and working principles in order to deliver value quickly and efficiently.
Benefits of Organizational Agility
- Focus and clarity
- Innovation
- An engaged workforce
- Speed to adapt to market
- Happy customers
7 Steps to Implement Organizational Agility & Excel in a VUCA World
1. Leadership Maturity
Management styles are changing from the old methods to a more modern, Agile management.
2. Culture Maturity
Agile emphasizes alignment across the organization, allowing you to let go of old priorities (i.e. strict processes and control) and embrace higher values.
3. Throttle Demand to Match Throughput
Look at throughput in terms of how much work your organization can do at once and then sequence the work to deliver value the fastest.
4. Prioritize Learning Over Execution
Plan and work iteratively, where feedback loops are short and you can release small portions of the project at a time.
5. Breakdown Silos to Form Cross-Functional Teams
Limit cross-team dependencies by creating a permanent team of people who represent different departments.
6. Change in Funding Models
Invest, don’t budget. Give projects enough money to start, utilize your iterative development style to evaluate value, and invest accordingly.
7. Manage the Change
Organizational change management allows you to be methodical in your approach to coaching everyone–from leaders to teams–through the change.
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