5 ways to #Fail at Agile Transformation
Agile and other organisational transformations are all around us. Incumbent businesses are seeing upstarts eat their breakfast in all industries and they realise that they need to adapt to survive.
Recent technology shifts have meant that new businesses unencumbered by legacy systems and historical data and customers can move much more quickly and deliver the best solutions in a more meaningful timeframe.
The impact of new tech and the need to respond to evolving customer demands is only going to increase. As we see newer, faster devices, more savvy customers, better use of AI across the board, digital security concerns and automation increasing in all spheres, the businesses able to make use of the best tools to navigate these opportunities and challenges will be the ones left standing.
With movements like Lean Startup mobilising and motivating the next generation of entrepreneurs, the barrier to entry has never been lower.
According to the Harvard Business Review, 70% of transformations fail. So, will yours?
Here are 5 ways to make your transformation live or die.
#1 - Lack of Experience
If you want to fall at the first hurdle - just wing it. Hand out a few leaflets, email some youtube links to the team, stick up some inspirational cat posters and expect people to align on a destination with no guidance. How hard can it be, right? Yay - We’re Agile, we’re all standing up!
…or not.
If you are on a journey, you need to have a decent idea of where you want to get to. This has to be across the board. Training is great but you either need to seed a coaching team or coach-minded interim team, to collaborate with your existing people as agents of change or to recruit new agile leaders to take you on the journey (please note that I did not say managers).
This MUST to be from Exec to Business Teams to Developers etc. If this is missing on any level then when the pressure builds, as it always will: people revert to what they know. Execs will ask the wrong questions, teams will protect themselves and revert to previous behaviours and your transformation will be sunk.
- Agile initiatives, like life, are messy. Experience helps people know when things have an acceptable wobble and how to navigate through them.
- Experienced people will coach teams and know how it feels to be part of a good agile organisation. This will help to keep the good and remove the bad on the journey of continual improvement.
- Agile leaders or leadership coaches in a range of roles will encourage teams in the right direction and be the transformational example that the teams need them to be.
New leaders, need not replace the existing ones, creating the direction and model under a separate initiative is a great way to experiment, refine and guide the rest of the organisation.
Modelling success is a great start to win over hearts and minds to help grow your transformation organically and to create a demand-driven transformation.
Find the full article on Agile Principles site.
#Fail 2 - Misalign Incentives and Motivation
#Fail 3 - Take Culture For Granted
#Fail 4 - Use the Wrong Approach
#Fail 5 - Underestimate the Necessary Desire