Even though agility seems to be the answer to every question these days, it is no cure-all for an organization’s aches and pains. It must be utilized appropriately in order to be effective.
AGILITY IS NO SILVER BULLET IF …
- the context does not require agile work.
- internal framework conditions hinder cooperation within the system.
- agility is seen as hype and companies only “want to become more agile” because it sounds good.
- working methods only focus on agile methods / frameworks / practices.
- changes in the scope of services are justified with agile and flexible working, instead of admitting to managing requirements in an unprofessional manner.
- methods from the software environment are blindly copied into the hardware environment.
- top management is looking to rename old procedures.
Result: Any efforts will not achieve the desired effect!
THE CONTEXT DETERMINES THE NEED FOR AGILITY – NOTHING AND NOBODY ELSE!
Factors outside the organization and their level of complexity determine whether agility is appropriate and necessary. However, a conscious decision must be made within the company as to where adaptability and agility are required.
For example, agility in the context of accounting can have a decelerating and hindering effect, since processes here are typically predictable, routine and often very repetitive. For this context, Lean Management would be a suitable answer. On the other hand, agility in the context of innovation / development can have an accelerating and beneficial effect, since working methods are strongly characterized by volatility, uncertainty, complexity and ambiguity (VUCA world).
THEREFORE: AGILITY WORKS IF …
- adaptability is considered to be an essential factor of success for survivability.
- agility is understood as a basic attitude that can be seen in the patterns of thought, action and behavior of each individual.
- an agile mindset plays an important role, agile methods / frameworks / practices support collaboration in the system and are specifically adapted to processes and the company.
- there are adequate framework conditions for agile methods of working.
- people are supported on their path towards self-organization and personal responsibility.
- agility is accepted by the entire company and exemplified by decision-makers
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