Driving Transformative Change via the Adoption of an Agile Culture and Mindset

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Marc Andreessen’s seminal work titled “Why Software is Eating the World,” written in 2011, was prophetic in nature. In summary, it forecast the extent to which computer technology and software would “take over the world,” especially as a consequence of the COVID-19 pandemic. We are almost two years into the coronavirus pandemic. In many instances, if it were not for technology, the world’s netizens, and by inference, the global economy would not have fared as well as they did.??

While diving into a discussion of the impact of COVID-19 on the world that we live in is not part of this article’s scope, it serves as an introduction to the need for software companies (and all other organizations) to constantly drive transformative change across all levels of the organization, from junior employees to executive managers.?For, as forecast by Marc Andreessen, “software companies are poises to take over large swathes of the [global] economy.” Ergo, online has become the new normal.??

?Note: It might be stating the obvious, but there is a fundamental difference between a software development company and a software company or a company that utilizes software applications to drive their core business.??

?Consequently, the continual and ever-increasing requirement for software companies to shorten the time-to-value will not go away. In fact, this need will only become more prominent as we move further and further into the post-COVID-19 world.??

?In his article titled “Why Agile is Eating the World,” Steve Denning notes that “every company needs to become a software company.” As a result, executive management must be mindful that a software-driven company mandates the imperative of running the organization in a “nimble, adaptable, able to adjust on the fly to meet the shifting whims of a marketplace driven by the customer.”??

?This management style is directly juxtaposed to the top-heavy, bureaucratic, slow-moving management style of the twentieth century and before. In other words, executives must decide to implement the Agile framework across the organization for only genuinely agile companies are conquering the post-modern global economy. Everyone else is being left behind.??

?Therefore, let’s dive into the nuts and bolts of driving transformative change, especially via the adoption of an Agile culture and mindset across the organization by answering a set of questions.??

?What is the substance of Agile???

?Even though this is a widely and commonly discussed topic, it is still worth providing a quick summary of the term for the sake of completeness.??

??The Agile movement started as far back as 2001 with the launch of the Agile Manifesto. As an aside, the modern interpretation of Agile, while having evolved from the early definition, is still based on the Agile Manifesto. Some of the prominent commonalities between then and now are as follows:??

?●??The continued abhorrence of bureaucracy and its impact on creative thinking and the ability to solve problems?

● Work involves substantially more than just performing routine tasks??

● The work environment must be a place that creates meaning and joy, draws on creative talent and out-of-the-box thinking displayed by employees and managers alike, allows individuals to find purpose in life through work?

?In practice, the modern interpretation of the Agile framework relies on four elements:??

● Ensuring customer satisfaction?

● Reducing problems and work required into small, manageable chunks?

●?????Nurturing organizational culture?

● Implementing enterprise-wide Agility?

?How can enduring, transformative change be implemented using the Agile framework???

?How can organizations implement sustainable, transformative change???

The book titled “Doing Agile Right: Transformation Without Chaos” describes the systematic process of successfully adopting an Agile mindset. Succinctly stated, it illustrates the broader topic of becoming an Agile enterprise. It demonstrates how organizations must apply Agile thinking to every part (or aspect) of the business. In other words, an Agile mindset must be adopted for the Agile framework implementation to be successful.??

??At this juncture, it is vital to note that, according to this book’s authors, Bain consultants Darrell Rigby, Sarah Elk, and Steve Berez, “leading an Agile enterprise isn’t the same as leading a conventional company.” The following mindset and culture changes amongst leaders are imperative:??

??● Leaders spend less time reviewing their subordinates’ work.??

● They add value to the organization by modifying corporate strategies to fit the Agile thinking.??

● They also spend time with customers, mentoring individuals, and coaching teams.??

● Lastly, they lead by example by changing their behaviors to match those required by Agile. The adage, “the best leaders lead by example,” rings true in this regard.??

?The authors of this book describe the challenges facing companies who are starting out on their Agile journey as follows:??

?“Agile enterprises often find themselves redesigning every element of their operating model—roles and decision rights, hiring and talent- management systems, and so on. Org charts may need to change as well.… Planning, budgeting, and reviewing systems are at the heart of command-and-control environments… agile companies don’t abolish these processes; they build agility into them.”?

?Note: Amazon, as one of the world’s most valuable companies, with the highest market capitalization, is a perfect use case of a successful Agile implementation. Suffice to say that this is one of the reasons why Amazon, as a brand and global enterprise, is so successful.?

?As highlighted above and seen in the Amazon use case, customer-centricity is mandatory. Organizations cannot hope to drive sustainable, innovative growth over time without emphasizing customer service. And, in a world where the Internet, especially social media, plays a significant role in determining customer success (or failure) metrics, everyone in the organization must focus on creating and leveraging positive customer relationships. And, again, this can only happen if all employees adopt the Agile mindset and culture.??

?Final thoughts??

?The thread throughout and most critical point of this article is that implementing Agile cannot and will not be successful without adopting an Agile culture and mindset together with the Agile framework. Also, leaders must lead from the front, as it were. They cannot expect employees to adopt an Agile culture and mindset when they have excluded themselves from this requirement. Additionally, organizations that do not implement Agile will find themselves in a position where their employees will not have the freedom to think of creative, innovative solutions to problems. Lastly, implementing Agile is not a once-off set of initiatives nor a costly distraction. It must be a perpetual improvement process and the only way to run the business.?

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