LEARNING
reluctant or ill-informed executives
to better understand the power of
agile and how it can transform
business beyond the world of
project management. They cite
useful case examples for how agile
can be embraced to best effect.
But even these evangelists are
clear that agile is not a panacea, and
should only be deployed under the
right conditions, when “the problem
to be solved is complex; solutions
are initially unknown, and product
requirements will most likely
c h a n g e ; t he wo r k c a n b e
modularized; close collaboration
with end users (and rapid feedback
from them) is feasible; and creative
teams will typically outperform
command-and-control groups.”
They suggest that fertile ground for
agile approaches include product
development, marketing projects,
strategic-planning activities, supply-
chain challenges and resource-
allocation decisions. Less productive
might be routine operations such
as maintenance, purchasing, sales
calls and accounting.
Few, if any,
companies
are purely
agile or
waterfall
L
waterfall. These umbrella terms
represent different mindsets that
encompass a variety of practices
and approaches to organisational
development. While agile is often
associated with large-scale
software development, its roots lie
in lean manu facturing and
organisational learning. Agile
techniques such as stand-up
meetings, weekly iterations and
visual management can apply to
any industry. The trick is to balance
these approaches, developing the
judgement needed to know when
to be more agile and when to focus
on that more stable core.
Simon Hayward’s work on agile
leadership builds on his previous
work on what he calls “connected
leadership”; for Hayward, agile
leaders are connected leaders.
They need to balance the seemingly
paradoxical roles of enablers and
disruptors. And while leaders may
be predisposed towards one or
other behaviour, agile leaders need
H
ybrid approaches to
project management,
based on waterfall and
agile techniques
working alongside one another, are
another way to extend the reach of
agile. Management consultants,
McKinsey, believe that truly agile
organisations need to reconcile the
seeming paradox of both “stability
and speed”.
Mastering this paradox means
creating a stable core, while
championing looser, more dynamic
elements that can adapt more
qu i c k l y to c h a l l e n g e s a nd
opportunities. A 2018 report from
the McKinsey Agile Tribe charts the
move away from what it calls
org anis ations as machi ne s
(hierarchical and specialised) to
organisations as organisms that
combine “stable backbone
elements that evolve slowly and
support dynamic capabilities that
can adapt quickly to new challenges
and opportunities”.
What does all this mean for
leaders? In essence, few, if any,
companies are purely agile or
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