09 practice . This also holds true in the opposite direction , for example , when scrum teams are introduced at the operational level without also preparing executives for their new role , or without considering geographical constraints that can make it difficult to set up crossfunctional teams . The agility paradigm must be instilled into every part of the company , in terms of both culture and structure . Everyone , whatever their role in the organization – be it in product development , accounting , sales or customer service – should regard themselves as part of a collective process pulling in the same direction and united by the shared values of an inspiring mission .
In the turbulent and increasingly uncharted waters of the world economy , organizations have to find an approach in which change is not a one-off exception , but part of everyday routines . For this to happen , the organization ’ s basic setup has to be amenable to change . Operational activities , processes , products and in-company collaboration become dynamic applications that are able to adapt quickly and flexibly . Resources and budgets are allocated wherever they can deliver competitive advantage to the organization – which means constantly revisiting the strategy and reassessing the direction of the transformation journey . Rather than a one-off adjustment to new circumstances , agility requires continuous , overall transformation . ||
THE AGILE PERFORMER INDEX
The Agile Performer Index demonstrates that agility and performance are clearly related .
goetzpartners and the NEOMA Business School surveyed 285 executives from European companies . Respondents were asked to rate the extent to which their company possessed certain systems and processes . The 40-plus questions were aggregated into 14 equally-weighted agility factors , which were organized , again with equal weighting , into the four agility routines : Strategizing , Perceiving , Testing and Implementing . The authors used these routines to evaluate the agility of the company , and then investigated potential correlations with available data on company performance . 2 ) For the purpose of this survey , “ success ” was equated with financial performance – return on assets for manufacturing companies , and return on equity for financial service providers and insurance companies .
The Agile Performer Index correlates agility and performance using agility routines and its underlying factors . Moreover , the survey provides detailed insights into how widespread agile methods are within the organization , highlighting which industries , types of business and regions are pioneers in terms of agile transformation . It is also possible to identify the sectors in which the advantage of agile approaches are recognized poorly or not at all . Interested users can quickly place their own organization within the index , as well as make comparisons and draw conclusions across various levels .
2 ) Performance data over the ten-year period between 2005 and 2014 was examined . Success , defined as sustained , above-average performance , was measured by the number of years the firm ’ s performance exceeded the industry median .