Agile Organizations
What makes an organization agile?
A company is agile when it pursues agile approaches and implements them together with its employees.
This is characterized by specific indicators:
- Agile values
- Customer-oriented work
- Iterative process landscapes
- Employee-centric leadership behaviour
- Agile corporate culture
Agile Values
Above all, agile organizations are characterized by specific attitudes and agile values. Simply following the rules of agile methods, such as Scrum, does not lead to the desired goal. First of all, you have to start with the underlying values and principles and then internalize them.
Customer-oriented work
Customer orientation is the ongoing involvement of customers and their wishes, needs and requirements in the organizational considerations and activities.
Iterative process landscapes
In agile companies, the focus on the customer not only determines the organizational structure but also the processes. In order to be able to serve customer needs as quickly as possible, an iterative approach and frequent delivery of results are used.
Employee-centric leadership behaviour
A corporate culture that allows agile thinking and execution provides the space for self-organization. Instead of guidelines and controls from the leadership, it needs flat hierarchies. The teams are supported in their growth. In an agile organization, different perspectives are openly discussed. Self-responsibility makes it possible for employees to think independently and be engaged instead of working to rule.
Agile corporate culture
Transparency, trust, short-term feedback mechanisms, and open dialogue characterize the organization. The exchange of informal knowledge, which is important for agile companies, is also very much determined by the corporate culture. Agile organizations have a culture that welcomes change and deals with mistakes openly and constructively. Employees are encouraged to try something new.
What we can do for you:
If you would like to determine your agile maturity level, develop an agile organizational design, or seek advice and support during an agile transformation, then please do not hesitate to contact us.
Customer Cases
Development of an Agile Framework and support of the agile transformation
In December 2017, our client's portfolio manager submitted
a request to us regarding the transformation of IT into an
agile department. You can read what exactly happened after
this request in our customer case.
Coaching an agile transformation
One of the world's largest industrial companies with more than 100,000 employees was looking for a reliable partner to guide the company in the uncertain and complex VUCA world with agile approaches and methods and to support its agile transformation.
Agile transformation in the tourism industry
Our customer is one of the world's largest providers of tourism services. In 2016, we were asked to provide coaching and consulting for the introduction of agility in a pilot Project.