The Power of Agile to Transform the World of Work

by Jean Dahl

Agile has come of age in the hearts and minds of a new, emerging workforce. A workforce that strives to create a balanced life between home and work, resulting in a shift in what they value and what is important to them. Today, workers seek all the values and principles that are embodied in an Agile mindset… autonomy, creativity, openness, trust, and collaboration… much more than the generations that have gone before them. They want to be respected and rewarded for being courageous… for coloring outside of the lines… for displaying their uniqueness! And, as this new workforce comes into its own, they are embracing its mindset, principles, values, and methods in record numbers. We are in the midst of a workforce revolution; the likes we haven’t seen since the 1800’s during the industrial revolution.

Because of this changing mindset and values, a mass exodus is underway from command and control bureaucracies that view employees as solely a means to an end, towards companies that embrace self-organizing teams and flat, open operating models that encourage decision making by the people closest to the work. Inclusion, diversity, and equality are the mantras of this new workforce. They want to play an active role and be valued for their contributions, producing innovative new products by working together to disrupt and displace the status quo in focused, committed efforts that lead to a balanced life, producing value to the individual, customer, and organization.

To attract and retain this talented workforce, companies are rapidly moving to adopt Agile. In the 2016 Version One State of Agile survey, its findings concluded that more than 95 percent of the almost 4,000 respondents said their organizations are now practicing Agile methods[1]. However, because Agile is more than practices and methods, to succeed with Agile adoption, companies much also embrace its mindset and values and infuse them into its culture. Otherwise, a culture clash ensues and adoption because half-hearted, or worse yet, fails totally. To succeed, the organizational structure must match the culture, and leaders must lead by example to embrace and emulate the shift in mindset and behaviors that result in successful and lasting adoption. And, successful adoption brings with it the benefits of accelerated product delivery, improved management of changing priorities, and increased productivity for those companies willing to lead the charge and transform their organizations.

Also, our world is changing at an astonishing pace. Change is happening at a rate like nothing we’ve ever experienced before. Uncertainty abounds. Risk is everywhere. Complexity thrives! Agile practices and methods are perfect for this type of environment, because they gracefully handle all of these factors. By employing iterative and incremental methods that exploit rapid development cycles that focus on what is known upfront, products can be developed and released, then honed as more and more information becomes available. By focusing on what we know, instead of dwelling on all of the unknowns, products reach the marketplace much faster, resulting in shorter payback periods and increased customer value. There is no better way of working than Agile practices and methods in this type of environment. Agile is nimble and responsive to changing market conditions and priorities, allowing organizations to pivot when necessary to capture competitive advantage.

With the ushering in of the Age of Digitalization over the last five years, Agile has had a profound impact in not only the world of software development, but overall in the business world as well. Because in today’s era of digital innovation, companies must learn to compete and survive in both the physical, as well as the virtual world. Innovation and disruption is the name of the game, and as John Chambers, executive chairman and former CEO of Cisco, said during his conversation with CNBC, “Disrupt, or get disrupted![2]” Which role will your company play in the coming years? Will you be a Netflix or a Blockbuster? Agile has the power to transform both the companies and the talent within them to achieve disruption, instead of being disrupted.

However, to innovate, failure must be seen as an opportunity to learn and grow. Agile encourages risk taking and sees failure as a learning opportunity, instead of a weakness. Its methods exploit fast feedback loops and opportunities to inspect and adapt to make our products better. Case in point, Edison made 1,000 unsuccessful attempts at inventing the light bulb. When a reporter asked, "How did it feel to fail 1,000 times?" Edison replied, "I didn't fail 1,000 times. The light bulb was an invention with 1,000 steps.[3]" And yes, we are fortunate that he didn’t give up! Like Edison, Agile methods are based on scientific thinking that encourage experimentation and learning from what doesn’t work. As Agilests, our focus is on identifying value-based hypotheses, then experimenting and testing them with an engaged customer to prove whether they hit or miss the mark. If the latter happens, we start over, because failing fast, learning, adjusting, and then trying again is encouraged, respected, and finally rewarded with customer-focused products.

In conclusion, Agile has come of age and is establishing its authentic power to transform a new generation on both sides of the desk. The Agile workforce is thriving as it builds and fosters trust, communication, collaboration, and transparency; embraces innovation, transforms people into leaders, and values those who perform the work and who take pride in a job well done. It offers companies that embrace it the rewards of accelerated product delivery, improved management of changing priorities, and increased productivity. It is truly a WIN/WIN situation on both sides of the desk. With its veritable plethora of advantages and benefits, Agile’s future does look bright indeed! And, in fact it does make people’s lives better, because it provides the autonomy necessary to empower people to take responsibility for producing quality products that are customer-focused and value based. In the end, the power of Agile is having a profound effect on transforming the world for the better!

Footnotes

[1] Please see 2016 Version One State of Agile survey for more information.

[2] Please reference Disrupt or be Disrupted, Forbes, March 7, 2017.

[3] Please see “But they didn’t give up,” for more information on this topic.