Keeping Agile from becoming fragile

Agile has been around for several years but was primarily focused on software development and startup companies. Today, more mainstream companies see value in an Agile model. It is seen as the method that radically transforms software development.  However, Agile has a mixed perception with some successes as well as some disappointments.  

Let’s do a quick reality check on IT departments in most organizations today. They are:

• a critical partner in simplifying product/service delivery
• an enabler of future strategy and innovation
• geographically situated in multiple locations and time zones
• often the most racially and ethnically diverse corporate function
• made up of skills sets which are usually the most difficult/acute/in-demand skills for talent acquisition to find
• managing the demand and cost of leading-edge software and talent
• made up of a blend of full-time and contract employees; creating volatility in equity
• utilizing Agile

WHAT IS AGILE?

Although often mistakenly called a methodology, Agile provides an iterative approach that builds software incrementally instead of delivering it all at once. Agile principles have revolutionized software delivery; making it faster, more effective and customer focused. Simply learning how Agile works, understanding its terminology, tools and techniques, is not enough to ensure that your team will be successful in its implementation.  

In fact, there are many cautionary tales from business journals where Agile has failed to deliver on its promise. 

One of the most important distinctions about Agile is that it is a people-centric approach that requires organic, collaborative leadership in a trusting environment.  

Compared with traditional software development, Agile incorporates changes in design and promotes ongoing customer participation.  Agile develops high functioning, self-organizing teams communicating effectively, as a team and with the customers.  Many software developers have embraced the concepts of Agile, while others find that it complicates an already complex process by shifting the emphasis from software development to the people involved in the process.

From our perspective, this is not unlike many of the human capital challenges we face daily.  We see the opportunity to enhance the adoption of Agile by better aligning it to the roles of leaders, teams, and individual contributors.

AGILE LEADERSHIP 

The primary leadership style within Agile is collaborative and customer focused.  While these goals are foundational to making Agile successful, these 'styles' may not be consistent with your personal or organizational definition of great leadership. This is especially true in the software development and IT environments.  There are additional differences in leadership styles and preferences, based on the diversity of experience and background of IT professionals, which raises the importance of alignment to cultural norms.  

Leadership is also not a static function.  It is highly situational and contextual and must be continuously fine-tuned for optimum results.  In other words, we can’t just select the collaborative setting in our leadership style.

Leading a multi-cultural team requires a highly versatile and tenacious leadership ability, which needs continuous assessment and development.

AGILE TEAMS

Agile teams are described as adaptable and “self-organizing,” but it is assumed that these characteristics will naturally emerge. If you do not manage the culture, the culture will manage you. Developing effective team dynamics requires trust, the ability to handle productive conflict and the creation of commitment and accountability.  These are intentional actions, and a team environment like this must be consciously created and sustained. 

Agile teams continuously face obstacles, transitions, endings and new beginnings that are inherent to this approach. As we know, Agile teams operate in a matrix - team members may join and leave one team, or they may belong to multiple teams. Every team is different with its own internal dynamics.  This uniqueness, coupled with the Agile principles, requires exceptionally advanced teamwork.

AGILE INDIVIDUALS

Reflecting on ways to become more effective is a key principle of Agile. Self-improvement and skill enhancement are the primary focus areas for enhancing effectiveness.  Agile stresses behavioral change, converging technical and soft skills development into a single methodology.  

However, the demands of a typical IT workflow rarely allow enough time for behavioral self-reflection. If the needs for individual development are not assessed and addressed, they can hinder the performance of the team. 

AGILE CULTURE

Agile should not be an IT only initiative.  For Agile to be successful, it needs to be embraced by the entire organization. The purpose of Agile is not about a product or process; it is about creating and optimizing a culture. Culture is “the collective programming of the mind” which distinguishes one group of people from another. It is the way things get done.  Interestingly, culture is shaped by leaders, amplified by teams, and lived by individuals. 

If you are committed to incorporating Agile principles into your organization, build it into your culture, by developing the behavioral capabilities of your leaders, teams, and individual contributors.

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Sandhya Johnson, PhD is a leader in HR optimization, leadership development, team performance, and organization effectiveness. She has a proven track record of developing innovative talent management strategies for a diverse group of leading organizations. Sandhya is the founder and Managing Director at Ingenium Global, a Dallas-based consulting firm that is committed to co-creating talent-driven organizations. Connect with her on Twitter @IngeniumGlobal