The businessagility.works framework is here to help
Sustaining and enhancing business agility post-pandemic
The worldwide pandemic that hit during 2020 proved to be a difficult period for all. The VUCA (Volatile, Uncertain, Complex, and Ambiguous) phenomenon often referenced in the business (particular business agility) field, was brought into sharp focus for most organizations. The ability to pivot, ‘throw out the rule book’ and come together around a shared purpose have been key elements for survival during this period.
In a recent BearingPoint survey1, 82% of organizations polled say fast reactions to new conditions was a key contributor to success.
Has Covid-19 been the catalyst needed to break down entrenched working patterns and bureaucratic processes? For many organizations, the past 20 months or so has highlighted the resourcefulness, creativity, resilience, and commitment of their people in adapting to adverse circumstances. There are many examples, such as breweries producing hand sanitiser rather than beer, where engineering firms have produced ventilators rather than tractors; pivoting output within a matter of days or weeks. Perhaps, without knowing it, many of these organizations have been showing agile leadership and using agile techniques and practices.
However, this type of adaptation is not easy to sustain unsupported for long periods and is often precarious. How can organizations harness the agility of recent times to build more permanent agile business systems, without reverting to their old ways? Having experienced agility and innovation in times of crisis, organizations now need a straightforward and pragmatic framework to help embed learning and good practice.
Many agile frameworks have their origins in software development and IT systems; their adaptions maintain a variety of unusual terminology and rituals that may seem alien to those outside of IT and software. In contrast, frameworks are emerging that consider wider organizational challenges and focus on delivering value to customers, whether there is an IT focus or not.
businessagility.works2 has a simple set of rules, three key enablers, and pragmatic value streams for each enabler.
The enablers (or people) – Customers, Teams and Leaders – are the fundamental building blocks to achieving business agility. The value stream equips users with the actions necessary to deliver consistently, with the rules providing the objectives and governance.
Whilst the benefits and value of business agility are well evidenced3, challenges remain with many organizations and leaders still set in their ways. The experiences of surviving a pandemic may be the necessary catalyst organizations need to embed a framework for better business agility as agile leadership, culture and mindset are all recognized as vital to successful transformations.
Adopting, training, and supporting an organizational wide framework such as businessagility.works ensures all stakeholders are equipped with the skills and knowledge to use agile practices to deliver effective and sustained agile working.
The businessagility.works framework is supported by Agile Business Consortium, leaders in promoting and enabling business agility worldwide.
REFERENCES
- The state of Agile transformation amid a global pandemic (https://www.consultancy.uk/news/26661/the-state-of-agile-transformation-amid-a-global-pandemic)
- businessagility.works framework (https://businessagility.works/)
- Develop agility that outlasts the pandemic, The Business Times (https://www.businesstimes.com.sg/leadership-management/develop-agility-that-outlasts-the-pandemic)
