0807
DEFINING AGILITY
As the discussion around organizational agility grows, so do the number of agility definitions, the claims of its benefits, and how to achieve them. In this period of flux and ferment, organizations are being encouraged to increase their speed of decision making, implement flatter, network structures, change to growth mindsets, and adopt agile methodologies across the board. With no clear definition it is difficult to understand what agility is and whether it is increasing, decreasing, or remaining stable.
Agility is today widely understood to be the highest form of organizational adaptability. An organization’s reaction to external developments, followed by timely action to internal processes and product portfolios, is vital to prevail in a continuously changing market environment. In this report, the authors again investigate whether this capability is also reflected in the company’s financial performance. Therefore, the definition for agility remains as follows:
Agility is an organization’s ability to make timely, effective, and sustained changes resulting in performance advantages.