Positioning Agile Leadership in a Fast-paced World
Introduction
The challenges posed by the Covid-19 pandemic have forced us to realise that our approach to work needs a complete overhaul.
The traditional concept of an organisation as a machine, with a strict hierarchical system, chain of command and top-driven strategy planning is no longer relevant to the dynamic and global world we live in. Organisations are increasingly becoming agile, i.e., embracing the uncertain and dynamic nature of our world to develop a flexible and accelerated approach to work.
Being agile means implementing fundamental changes in the structure of an organisation, its culture, methods of management, and governance. And the critical part of this equation is agile leadership. While leaders are expected to be strategic and knowledgeable, they don’t have to have all the answers as we live in a continuously changing world.
This blog discusses some of the many ways in which agile leadership channels the strengths of its team in today’s multiregional and multigenerational workplace to maximise customer satisfaction and team engagement.
Prioritization
Agile organisations foster a working discipline that maximises responsiveness, adaptability, and flexibility.
It’s about collaborating and communicating at each step to keep up with the dynamic needs of different stakeholders and the external challenges of the market. When the pandemic happened in early 2020, Unilever was not making sanitisers in the U.S., but they were able to leverage their brand and resources to go from idea to market in 6 weeks in 7 formats!
In order to respond to market trends and growth opportunities, organisations need to capture insights faster and prioritise customer satisfaction. Numerous other organisations like Fitbit, Cisco, John Deere, Playstation Network, and LEGO Digital Solutions have adopted agile working methods to aid cross-team alignment and client collaboration.
Agile methods streamline work to answer two simple questions: What is the need of the hour? And how do we deliver it as quickly as possible? The philosophy is very straightforward: Teams need to be unified in working on what is of topmost priority and of the highest value project. Agile methods embrace that technology is seamlessly integrated into all aspects of work and uses it to improve cycle times. Flat organisational structures with clearly defined roles, and frequent communication through team calls, online tools, daily standups, and kanbans, ensures that teams are empowered, engaged, and accountable.
Empowerment
Agile leaders understand that the global economy and technology are driven by fast-paced changes. They incorporate this into their everyday thinking, marking a shift from the traditionally risk-averse mindset.
Becoming agile is about being curious and willing to try new things. Leaders are thus not only able to drive innovation but integrate constant learning and experimenting as organisational culture. They understand that people do not need to be directed and managed all the time, instead, teams need to be empowered and supported. This is similar to the “tight-loose-tight” style of leadership which sets expectations, and provides directions, but leaves the execution up to individuals.
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When people are assigned responsibility and authority, they take initiative, come up with ingenious solutions, and deliver exceptional results. They break out of their mould of simply following orders. Active partnerships are a fundamental building block of agile working. Teammates grow in their roles and gain capabilities by working out solutions on their own. In an ecosystem of partnership, everyone learns and aids each other’s growth, constantly improving business performance.
Resourceful and Coordinated
Becoming agile is to shift from certainty to discovery, authority to partnership, and scarcity to abundance. As depicted in the illustration above, it imagines organisations are living organisms, a network of diverse and well-connected units that continuously work to adapt to changing environments. It is a shift from the traditionally hierarchical, pyramid-shaped organisational structure where different teams work as silos and essentially follow instructions from the top. However, in agile organisations, teams function as empowered units all working towards a common goal. They design flexible and distributed approaches to creating value in order to meet the continually evolving needs of all their stakeholders. By constantly looking out for changes in customer preference and the external environment, they can rapidly sense and seize opportunities.
They use a diverse set of ways to gauge feedback from stakeholders, like design thinking, crowdsourcing, customer journey maps, product reviews, online forums, and in-person events among many others. Using a standardised process of fast resource allocation, organisations constantly evaluate whether to scale up an initiative or move on to the next project. This is fuelled by a growth mindset and problem-solving attitude. It recognises the abundance of opportunities and resources available and encourages teams to work in rapid cycles and create value for all of their stakeholders.
Concluding Remarks
We are prone to treating the constantly changing and uncertain environment of global markets as a challenge. Agile working turns this over its head by embracing it as part of the process. Since one cannot predict future market trends but only anticipate them, the best strategy for minimizing risk is to keep experimenting with new ideas and figuring out quick and productive ways of delivering value.
Rapid learning cycles and continuous decision-making keeps the team unified by prioritising growth. Eliminating unnecessary clutter ensures that the team is able to focus on delivering a single primary deliverable. This is commonly achieved through “sprints”, or short bursts of activity where the team holds frequent check-ins and meetings to set clear priorities using tools like a prioritisation matrix. Team members are accountable for the end-to-end outcome of their individual work, and are encouraged to seek inputs directly from stakeholders to ensure alignment. This significantly saves time, lowers chances of rework, fosters creativity, and instils work with a sense of accomplishment and ownership.
Leadership is the key connection between employees and the outer world. It guides the rhythm of organisations, imbuing the process of work with a sense of purpose. Agile leadership is urgent and swift in its execution and collaborative in its method; the best-suited strategy for navigating a world which is constantly in flux!
References:
International Marketer for Building Purpose led Brand with Commercial Success | B2B & B2C | Transformation | Ex Marketing Head of Unicorn Tech Start-ups | People Leader
2yCannot agree more! It’s an abused word because it’s fashion! Look foreward to more trainings to give it back the true meaning and value!