Managing change: lessons in agility and improvisation

By Dr Allègre Hadida and Nathan Odiase

Actors famous for physical comedy such as Charlie Chaplin (Modern Times), Rowan Atkinson (Mr Bean) and Laurel & Hardy (Another Fine Mess) combine agility and improvisation, as movie fans marvel at their seemingly effortless genius. In business, agility and improvisation are not identical but instead are distinct and complementary.?

The chapter by Dr. Allègre Hadida and Nathan Odiase, a PhD candidate at Cambridge Judge, draws likenesses and recognises contrasts between organisational agility and organisational improvisation, and how their interaction may help determine which firms survive and thrive and which falter in times of uncertainty and disruption.?

The difference between agility and improvisation and why they matter to organisations?

Organisations that thrive in the most stringent conditions are considered ‘agile’, because organisational agility entails taking a proactive approach to pre-empt disruption, market volatility and fast-changing business environments. Organisational improvisation is defined in the book chapter as the ability to find suitable solutions to emergent challenges as they arise, including mobilising material resources to adapt to unanticipated events that seem set to impact organisational outcomes.?

In a comedy adventure movie, an agile protagonist might head off impending disaster by thinking one step ahead and averting the danger altogether, while a comic steeped in improvisation would effectively navigate out of yet another fine mess through quick thinking on the spot.?

“Practitioners’ interest and scholarly research on both organisational agility (OA) and organisational improvisation (AI) have grown steadily over time, with agility gaining more prominence in the managerial and consulting literature and becoming ‘the new organisational benchmark’ in recent years,” the book chapter says.?

“However, to the best of our knowledge, no systematic comparative review of the 2?concepts has yet emerged. In this chapter, we seek to shed light on the similarities and differences between OA and OI by sequentially addressing 3?questions. First and somewhat provocatively, are these 2?concepts substitutable, making OA little more than old OI wine in a new bottle? Second, when may OI condition an organisation’s agility? Third and alternatively, when may OA be a prerequisite to OI?”?

The chapter entitled “Agility and improvisation” is part of a book entitled ‘The Routledge Companion to Improvisation in Organizations’, which also includes chapters on “Improvisational Decision Making”, “Improvisation and Character”, and “Team Leadership, Momentum, and Improvisation in Extreme Contexts”.?

What the fashion industry can teach businesses about volatile environments?

Allègre Hadida’s research often focuses on strategy in volatile environments, with a particular interest in the creative industries including cinema, music and theater. Nathan Odiase, who previously earned degrees at the University of Lagos, the University of Cape Town and the University of Cambridge, focuses in his research on organisational style in the fashion industry including strategic decisions that affect stylistic choices.?

“We often hear the words ‘agility’ and ‘improvisation’, but we wanted to take a closer look and examine different types of decision-making that requires people to think and act as circumstances change,” says Allègre, a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts. “The pandemic was a situation in which individuals and policymakers had to act based on uncertain information, including changing assessments of risk, so this topic is very timely in business and society more broadly.?

In the dynamic landscape of the fashion industry, where trends shift as swiftly as seasons change, the principles of agility and improvisation hold remarkable significance. Much like organisations navigating volatile landscapes, fashion brands must exhibit agility, pre-empting shifts in style and swiftly adapting. Moreover, they master the art of improvisation, deftly crafting innovative solutions to emergent challenges. This could either be in their design, form or production. As the industry reinvents itself consistently, the survival of most brands is contingent on their master adaptability and innovation – so harmonising agility and improvisation is the key to surviving and thriving in the creative industries.?