In a previous article, I focused on how the key to business transformation is empowering your people, which forms part of the discussion around creating the right culture for business transformation.

Long before the idea of ‘working agile’ became popular in the corporate world, the principle of ‘agile software development’ originated in the San Fran startup culture. In fact, one of Facebook’s original mottos was, famously, to ‘Move Fast and Break Things’.

Since then, agile has spread to organisations of all sizes – from the NHS to BMW. Arguably, it now means many different things to many different people. Some companies use the word to describe flexitime or remote working policies; others to describe working in small teams with flat organisational structures.

A commitment to arrive at solutions quickly

For the purposes of this article, let’s define agile as a commitment to arrive at solutions quickly. And, having arrived at those solutions (whether they are technology or process based), to test, learn and refine them.

Sounds simple enough, doesn’t it?

But a lot of organisations, especially large corporates, struggle to put this into practice. Agile requires a fundamental shift in management. Leaders need to empower their staff to think for themselves, develop new solutions and put them into practice. In order to do this, staff have to want to change. They need to see the value in it.

It also requires trust on the part of leaders to grant teams a degree of autonomy not found in traditional top-down management hierarchies.

Why is this important? In a recent Microsoft study, it was found that slow decision-making and cautiousness was the number one factor standing between large private sector organisations and digital transformation.

Lt. Col. John Dagless from the British Army explains:

“The defence industry talks agile but very few are actually delivering incrementally according to agile principles. Quite often, we find that it’s the same people delivering change projects but with a different sticker.”

For Clare Barclay, Microsoft COO, the first step is all about “considering how you gain the emotional commitment of your people and inspire them to want to change. This starts with setting a clear vision and bringing employees along the change journey.”

So, how can leaders create an agile working culture in their organisations?

1. Think long term and set flexible goals

Consider digital transformation as an ongoing, iterative process of continual improvement. Technologies evolve, so setting out a mission for the journey doesn’t mean having an inflexible end goal.

2. Run projects in parallel

Don’t treat the different elements of digital change as linear projects that must be completed before moving on. The most successful organisations begin the next step while still in the midst of the previous one. The S-curve model shows this process in action:

3. Create feedback loops

Create a feedback loop to identify points of tension and use conflict mapping to identify all the individuals, situations and interactions where conflict is most likely. This allows you to prepare and intervene in advance.

4. Empower your staff to test and learn

Promote a growth mindset for the organisation where innovation and experimentation are encouraged and failure is not punished but seen as an opportunity to learn and improve. This has to start with the leadership teams – lead by example.

5. Be accepting of different responses to change

Accept that employees will have a mix of mindsets – some will carry old habits that will be hard to change, while others will be open to change and may want to move things along much more quickly..

If you are met with resistance during the change process, a) remember it is the mindset talking not the person; and b) be aware that mindsets can change. This will prevent frustration and help maintain a focus on solutions.

Face your fears and embrace new ways of working

Our vision is to empower every person and every organisation to embrace digital transformation and new ways of working. That means facing your own fears, and your employees fears, to enable your business to achieve more.

Want to learn more about Creating a Culture of Digital Transformation? Just fill out the form to the right to download your copy of the full report.

The post How to stop saying ‘agile’ and start working agile appeared first on Insights.

It starts with a mindset shift – a shift away from what has always been done and towards what could be. And when employees feel like they are actively involved in the change process (as opposed to it being done to them), this could even help to embed the changes quicker and bring about lasting change.

Beginning this journey can be daunting

In a recent report by Microsoft, Creating a culture of digital transformation, it was revealed that almost half of UK business leaders find that employees express a fear of change when business transformation begins.

On top of this, more than a quarter (28%) of UK leaders surveyed claimed digital transformation generates resistance from employees while just over a third (34%) think it will lead to older generations of workers getting left behind. That’s more than the number who believe it will be mainly a force for good (31%).

Our vision is to empower every person and every organisation to embrace business transformation. But in order to do this, leaders may have to push themselves and their employees out of their comfort zones.

How best to do this?

Carol Dweck, a world-renowned Stanford University psychologist who developed Mindset Theory*, explains:

“Some people are afraid to use technology, they want to keep their old skills as long as possible. It’s vital to shift the ethos to an idea of shared struggle, where mistakes are inevitable and your team members have got your back.”

Having an open culture – one that encourages people to be open about the challenges they are facing and the concerns they may have – helps teams identify the issues that stand in their way. Once the issues are on the table, you can find solutions.

A culture that is risk free and accepting of failure has to be driven from the top. When employees see leaders inviting experimentation and being tolerant of unexpected setbacks, they will follow suit.

Five steps to embrace what you fear

1. Communicate clearly and authentically
Be clear and transparent about what you are doing and why you’re doing it. Highlight the benefits to employees alongside the benefits to the business. Try to bring the changes you want to see to life through personal stories, rather than buzzwords that might turn people off.

2. Lead by example

Be clear that you welcome experimentation and are accepting of failure on the path to success. Show this through words but also through your actions.

3. Give teams time and space

Be proactive in allowing teams the time and space to try new things. When engaged in finding solutions and new ways of working with digital technologies they are less likely to revert back to old ways of working due to time pressure.

4. Be understanding and flexible

Be empathetic and flexible, rather than rule driven. Empathic leadership promotes a sense of teamwork and increases productivity, morale and loyalty.

5. Foster collaboration

Encourage employees to team up and put processes in place that foster a culture of dialogue, conversation and feedback, as opposed to imposing ways of working on people.

Design solutions to strengthen an open culture

In 2016 we worked with global recruitment firm, Rethink Group, to introduce a new IT infrastructure and managed print services that reduced overall IT costs by 40%. Not only did we design the technical solution, we also designed a reporting framework that highlighted pain points in order to resolve them quickly.

Change isn’t always easy and there are likely to be challenges along the way. An open culture can help to understand these challenges early on and find solutions before they become mission-critical.

When you empower your teams to explore and generate ideas, giving them a sense of ownership too, then change will feel less daunting. But it is critical to get buy in from senior management teams and communicate a shared vision. You can read more about how we empowered our people to drive transformation from the bottom-up.

Want to learn more about Creating a Culture of Digital Transformation? Just fill out the form to the right to download your copy of the full report.

The post The key to business transformation? Empowering your people appeared first on Insights.