Uncovering Agile Transformation in the Middle East

Over the past decade, I’ve led a Business Agility and Enterprise Agile Transformation Coaching and Consultancy services firm. We picked up the pace when Agile started to become the new wave of change in the Middle East around 2014-2015. And now in this article, I will be sharing many insights from this unique journey, as such companies (with that breadth of experience over the Agile Domain) are not commonly here in the Middle East. If you’ve been down this path, you’ll know that a significant part of success of these transformation journeys rest on culture. And trust me, the culture in the Middle East can be quite different from other geographies.

I’ll try to keep this article brief and to the point, hoping that whether you’re an Agile Practitioner, Business Leader, or even a consultancy firm like ours, you’ll find something useful in dealing with the various trends and types of organizations on the enterprise transformation track.

During the past two years, we were in discussions with more than 153 companies across the Middle East, all seeking different levels of busienss transformation. These companies vary in size; around 65% are large enterprises, 25% are mid-sized, and 10% are small businesses. Surprisingly, only about 10% truly understand what they need from their transformation and the costs involved (those who I name the realists). The rest fall in different categories which we will be delving deeply throughout this article.

The interesting question we shall address at the end of this article would be can an organization switch from one category to another, whether on the good evolving side, or towards a less favorable state? Let’s define first what are the different attitudes you would see when talking to transforming organizations.

So basically, when an organization starts talking about Agile transformation, they usually fall into one of four categories of mine:

1. Trend Chasers
2. Over-doers
3. Conflict Artists
4. Realists

1. The Trend Chasers

These companies are always chasing the latest hype, whether it's a new technology, process, or work methodology. Their objective? To be on the cutting edge of everything (which, to be fair, can sometimes be a good thing). But the downside is they usually lack the ability to evaluate the value they’re trying to achieve or the effort it takes to get there.

They want to brand themselves as adaptable, fast, and modern, but they don’t set up the real internal enablers needed for that change to succeed. Let’s be real, these enablers take time and money (lots of both). You need experienced consultants who know what they’re doing with your business, a team capable of adapting, and, most importantly, a culture shift. And that’s the hardest part.

After some time discussing the Agile Transformation with these companies, they are often shocked when they hear what it really takes to make it happens in terms of time, effort, organizational disruption, and the obviously "financial investment."

What typically happens? You will find them more inclined to handle the implementation in-house with (most of the time) an unqualified team, change a few titles, buy a new “Agile” tool, and surprise! We have become Agile at a fraction of the cost.

So, let’s put things in order. If you’re a business leader, it’s okay to ride the wave, but make sure there’s a real value behind it. If you’re not fully committed to a transformation, take the time to learn about the new model or technology. Map it to your needs, and only implement what will genuinely improve your business. If you decide to move forward, be prepared to give it the full time and effort it deserves.

If you’re a consultant, don’t get caught up in this chaotic setup, as you will be challenged every time you talk about a real change. One way to keep the opportunity since you already made the channel setup is to shift gears, and start hitting a challenging business obstacle. So, instead of talking at large about Agility (which is sometimes intangible and full of claims), you start designing a problem-solution approach which is now turning the engagement into more of a business consultancy. Just be careful, the challenging part here that you need to identify a business issue that serves as a gateway to Agile, rather than just a trend to follow.

2. The Overdoers

These are the companies that want to transform for real business objectives (so there’s a genuine value here). The problem? Their objectives do not necessarily require a full-blown transformation. It’s like buying a heavy-duty truck with a massive engine just to move a few boxes.

Once you start discussing with them more about Agile Transformation, you will see the same shock from the previous type of companies, It’s back again here.

What typically happens here? Some organizations from this type decide to start their transformation journey, but skepticism quickly takes over. After a few steps without the desired “wow” factor, they put the transformation on hold, leaving their team in the middle of nowhere, saying, “I rely on you guys to sort it out.” Unfortunately, this sometimes ends up worse than where they started.

So, if you are a business leader, then calm down buddy. Sometimes for example you just need to optimize some processes and implement a digital tool (like that I swear), and then you will have a brilliant dashboard, and that could solve like 90% of your current business ambiguity and put your business to a faster decision making as an objective. In that case, you don’t need a massive overhaul. If you can’t see the value in the full transformation, then Incremental improvements can go a long way, and small steps over time can lead to big outcomes. Read about kaizen, and that’s also a fundamentals part of Agility.

Yet, as per the previous advice, you have to learn carefully about what Agile transformation entails, and how this maps to your current business needs and priorities. Sometimes, Agile Transformation could be immensely vital to your current stage, and it could save you a huge crash for your business in the market in front of very light weight new competitors who can react to the market needs 100x faster, and then after 2 years you find yourself losing 50% of your market to a 100x smaller company! And that’s the difficult part of your position. Praying for all business leaders.

Agile Transformation Consultants; hey, this time you have a clear way to help. Yet, try to advise the leadership team to downsize the scale of the implementation, and get the transformation word out of the real context (could be still there for commercial purposes, no harm) and this time you’re more fortunate, you have a problem to solve. Do not try to capitalize on their wide interest to expand the scope of the implementation, If you do, the transformation will likely stall halfway, and that won’t be good for anyone.

3. The Conflict Artists (The most common, beside type 1)

This scenario is all too familiar and, honestly, a bit amusing. You will find a CEO who isn’t particularly invested in the transformation, while the leadership team is divided. One side is pushing for value and progress, and the other is more focused on power and control. This internal tug-of-war turns Agile transformation into a battleground.

Sometimes, it’s a classic “good vs. evil” situation, and other times, both sides are just fighting for territory. One party starts pushing for Agile, whether it’s for the value or to gain more power within the organization. And that’s when the fun really begins.

You’ll have one team telling you to limit the scope to their area of control, avoiding the “dark side” of the organization, is that ok? Not ok, but feasible. Here comes the tough part; they need fast results, so they can present that to the CEO and show off their visionary leadership. Things in the form of: our numbers turned to be 50% better and 70% quicker…etc. Ok? Not ok ! Unfortunately, not feasible this time.

First, we can’t achieve these great results from the first 2 or 3 months. Second, we can’t reveal a real value to the business while we are working in an isolated setup to avoid the “dark side” of the company. Agile delivery is an end-to-end framework that passes mostly over the whole company teams (horizontally) and enabled from all company levels (vertically). And thus, for the business to realize a considerable value, all steps should be orchestrated the same way, and sing on the same wave length. Any body who’s still marching to the beat of his own drum will destruct part of the flow. So, how it comes you have to deliver to the CEO these great results, with that disconnected setup?

So let me say here, Business leaders, you need to get your leadership team on the same page. Their personal interests can’t dominate the transformation agenda. That’s a huge pitfall down the road of many Agile Transformations which started and ended up with a chaotic setup, political fights, and a half-cooked models that led to losing the whole faith in Agile as a word, and Agility as a suitable organizational practice!

Agile thrives in a culture where value is prioritized over personal gains. If you’ve got leaders who can’t work together towards value, you’ll have to make tough choices; either keep them and sacrifice your environment’s health (maybe for the sake of other business benefits) – (still your call as a CEO), or remove them for the sake of progress, so you can move faster towards a collective team performance and value centricity.

Consultants, be realistic about what can be achieved in this fractured environment. Set clear expectations and focus on what’s possible given the conditions. If this went well, then no harm. I truly believe there is always some value to be generated. Just avoid establishing half-cooked models which might serve against the business value when not correctly concluded, and be upfront about the limits you have, and battles running behind your back.

4. The Realists

Ah, the Realists. These are the organizations which truly get it. They understand the value of having their teams run in an Agile setup. They realize the value of continuous improvement cycles, and full feedback loops, where feedback is continuously evaluated, tested, and incorporated back to their products / services. They know that transformation takes time, and they’re willing to design a plan that matches their budgets and capabilities.

Lovely? yeah, and when you find those clients you feel full of energy; yet, they may be shocked a bit by how long the journey might take (and that’s the aspect that 99% of companies are not aware of). But listen, this type once they design a realistic journey plan, their expectations are becoming very practical, and they achieve great outcomes. You will find them often moving faster than expected once they start, as their expectations are in line with reality. They are the true cornerstones of business sustainability and growth.

So, If you’re one of these leaders, you’re on the right track. Stay focused on the value, take it one step at a time, and keep adapting as you go. You’re building a strong foundation for long-term success. And if you liked what I listed in this article wish us to find more of this type of clients !.

Conclusion

Agile Transformation isn’t an objective; it’s a way to achieve your business goals. First, figure out what you really want to achieve. If Agile will serve that purpose, then customize it to fit in your context (nothing called a ready-made Agile model). Also take care, you don’t have to do everything. Just focus on what truly matters to your team and business growth.

And now let me bring that controversial question we posed at the beginning, can an organization shift from one type to another, and when does that mostly happen? Your stories will add a huge value and will complement what I’ve shared in this article. Please share whatever you have in mind in the comments. ?

For contacting with me, please reach out on: [email protected]

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