What does agile working mean? What are the benefits? Can tools help?

Agility has been an increasingly common term for quite some time and is mentioned primarily in connection with various work practices.

The first efforts toward agile working already existed in the early 2000s in software development. In the meantime, this trend spread to other industries.

Originally, “agile” meant nimble or able to move quickly. One often hears of “agile management,” “agile companies,” or “agile working methods” when talking about agility. In these contexts, digitization plays a role as a driver that should not be underestimated, because it forces considerable rapid change in the form of technical development and innovations. And, all of this happens at a speed for which companies are often not prepared.

Rigid structures or slow lengthy processes, as are often established in larger corporations, prevent them from keeping up this pace. Agile teams can, therefore, also be seen as a reaction to digital transformation.

Agile working comes into play at different levels in companies — starting with agile teams, through agile leadership to a fully agile organization.

But when is a company agile?

In terms of a company, agility describes its ability to perceive changes or signs of them at an early stage and, above all, to react or adapt to them accordingly and quickly. In other words, it means more flexibility, a significantly faster ability to act, and innovative, creative thinking instead of outdated processes.

In today’s world, companies gain a competitive advantage through agility. “Classic” organizations often operate in a process-oriented, project-oriented, or a hybrid way. These organizational structures may not be able to keep up with changes in today’s turbulent, volatile environment. For a company, agility, therefore, means operating profitably in a competitive environment that is characterized by constantly changing customer needs.

Traditional organizations focus primarily on themselves and think in so-called silos. In agile companies, on the other hand, everything is oriented around the customer and maximizing the customer’s benefits. Agile companies are characterized by transparency and an open dialog; they require trust as opposed to tight rules, strict specifications, and only very limited personal responsibility by employees, as typically found in “conventionally” organized structures.

Knowledge transfer, culture of mistakes and motivation

Another elementary component of agile companies is the desired knowledge sharing and a culture in which mistakes are addressed openly and honestly so that they can be discussed in a goal-oriented manner. This is not about reprimanding or criticizing, but primarily about taking the opportunity to learn from mistakes, identify weaknesses, and initiate improvements.

In agile companies, managers are not supervisors who put employees under pressure, but they instead motivate, encourage and increasingly delegate responsibility to individuals and teams.
Employees are involved in personnel planning as far as possible and are also more intensively involved in applicant selection processes, for example, than in traditionally operating companies.

• • Tasks should be planned in shorter steps, and larger projects should be divided into several phases.

• • Open and constant exchanges about weaknesses, optimization possibilities and questioning of the approach should be encouraged.

• • Teams and employees must be able to act and decide responsibilities on their own in order to avoid long, obstructive decision-making processes.

• • Opportunities for customers to communicate ideas and wishes must be created, and these should always be the basis of your own actions.

Starting with communication and corporate culture

These preconditions that need to be created make it clear that the introduction of an agile way of working has a great deal to do with the corporate culture and efficient communication. As already mentioned, an open culture of mistakes plays a decisive role here.

Only if employees are given the feeling that they are “allowed to make mistakes” and that “mistakes are normal and are part of it,” will they dare to go new ways, make decisions more confidently and open themselves up to new ways of seeing and thinking. It is then important that mistakes are communicated and talked about in the team.

This requires trust, which is another important component when we talk about corporate culture. Trust is the basis of one of the important prerequisites for agile working – personal responsibility and the freedom to make decisions.

To establish a culture of trust in the company, it must be lived and exemplified — above all from management.

Managers play an important role in the introduction of agile work anyway. They must be 100% and clearly behind the project, be approachable and communicate with employees. A lot of new things are coming to the workforce; there is uncertainty and roles may be changing. That’s why employees now particularly need support and understanding from the management level.

Agile working through successful change – with the help of tools.

Where there is light, there is also shadow

Agile working is based on independence and a willingness to take responsibility. Above all, it requires the right attitude toward change and openness. Therefore: Act agilely when introducing agile working. Regularly check whether adjustments are necessary, exchange ideas and elicit input as to where difficulties lie.

Above all – react, because