18
BARRIERS TO AGILITY TRANSFORMATION
Respondents were also asked about the potential barriers to a successful transformation to agility. The results indicate that there are several equally strong potential sources of resistance and barriers. However, the most agreed reasons point towards management being a crucial factor hindering successful agility transformation. 70% of participants named poor people managing skills as the number one barrier, followed by different management styles (68%) and middle management resistance (65%).
The employees’ role was deemed as one of the lower barriers to agility advancements in organizations. The fact that the respondents make middle-management responsible for hampering agility corresponds to the findings regarding the perception of agility levels between management levels. It also underlines that a decision taken to be more agile at C-level will not, in itself, establish agility at the operational level.
The data on barriers suggests that organizations looking to become agile or engage in an agility transformation need to adopt a broad and systematic approach. Transformation processes must communicate broadly and transparently, provide training and other support, involve middle managers in meaningful ways, and ensure consistent support from the top. The complexity of the transformation is apparent.