How to start, or boost, an agile transformation

#NimbleVlog Season 03 Episode 03 — When the pandemic hit, businesses had no choice but to move at a faster pace. Now that companies are returning to the office in a hybrid fashion, they are asking the following questions: How do we ensure we don’t revert to our old ways? And how do we bring to the next level the agility that COVID forced onto us? ORCHANGO’s president & co-founder Edmond Mellina addresses these questions in this new episode of the #NimbleVlog…

Transcript

Reading time: 3-4 minutes

“How should we start our agile transformation?”

Before COVID, that used to be a typical question from companies that needed help in becoming nimbler. Then the pandemic hit, and every business had no choice but to move at a faster pace.

So, these days, as organizations return to the office in a hybrid fashion, they are asking different questions: “How do we ensure we don’t revert back to our old ways? And how do we bring to the next level the agility that COVID forced onto us?”

Different questions, but the answer is the same: “You start by asking influential leaders and employees for their input”.

That is always the first step that we take when guiding clients through their agile transformation.

We start by interviewing each member of the top leadership team, as well as the most influential of their direct reports. These are confidential, one-on-one discussions.

In addition, we run a series of focus-groups with representative leaders and employees from across the business. The key here is to ensure the folks involved are true “influencers” within the organization.

There are four top benefits from this approach.

Benefit #1 – Vivid picture of the true reality

Within a couple of weeks, you get a vivid picture of the true reality: where the company is at when it comes to nimbleness; how the leadership contributes to either promoting or hindering agility; and what else is helping or in the way.

Benefit #2 – Co-creation partnership with influencers

By involving leaders and employees in such a fashion, you start fostering the partners-in-change & co-creation mindsets that are so critical for successful transformations.

In addition, because you are focusing on influential players, you set the stage for a positive domino effect down the road: assuming of course that you manage to create a true partnership with them, they will use their influence to bring others on board the agility journey.

Benefit #3 – Broader strategic culture shift

Bigger picture, these discussions help decide how the corporate culture needs to evolve not only to drive agility, but also given the evolving competitive landscape and the strategic options for the company.

Benefit #4 – Agile Manifesto for the C-Suite

Finally, the stage is set for the executive team to develop an Agile Manifesto for itself – and bring it to life – which is often a pragmatic next step to boost agility and become nimbler as an organization.

Culture shift was the focus of Season 2 of the #NimbleVlog. So, I refer you to these specific episodes for tips on how to evolve your corporate culture successfully.

As for the C-Suite’s Agile Manifesto, well, that will be the focus of the next episode of the #NimbleVlog. Stay tuned!

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