A revolution that grips the whole world
About two decades ago, 17 people came together in the mountains of Utah to revolutionize the world of software development and project management. From this meeting left You give an agile manifest emerged, a collection of four core values and twelve simple principles – and these values and principles with the mindsets behind them have dramatically changed the processes of how we develop and deliver products. Today, Agile has deeply permeated the world of product development and collaboration, well beyond software and IT.
Why are companies striving to become agile? The motivation for this change is no secret: Agile organizations are able to react quickly to changing customer needs and market conditions. They deliver customer-centric services and products in small iterations. They are more competitive and robust, they innovate faster, they reduce the time from idea to market and increase product quality without stretching their budgets.
Agile at the team level and scaling
When it comes to agility, many smaller companies have a clear advantage over large organizations. They can make quick decisions and organize themselves in an agile manner without being subject to the limitations of long-term planning, which sometimes extends years into the future. The larger a company becomes, the more difficult it becomes to maintain and scale a lean-agile way of working.
In individual teams, start-ups and small companies, it is not too difficult to get the agile plant to thrive and reap its rewards. But in larger and larger organizations, this journey is longer, more arduous and full of impasses.
While a team is largely self-organizing, scaling Agile working methods beyond the team level requires people to be accountable for making the cultural shift happen. Because this is the prerequisite for agile working methods to bring the desired advantages at all. A suitable approach for this can be Agile Leadership – agile leadership by managers.
Old methods are becoming useless in a new era
An autonomous team or a start-up can be flexible and spontaneous in its decisions. The situation in a large, traditionally organized company is completely different: Here the company management plans in the long term, develops strategies and sets goals, delivers products and services according to fixed, often rigid organizational structures.
These companies have been successful with their approach for decades. And many experienced leaders in traditional organizations fall back on management methods that have proven to be effective for them over a long period of time. But today the hurdles are higher: Disruptive products are appearing on the market faster and with greater frequency than ever before; they are developed by more agile, dynamically robust companies – and ways are needed to keep up with the competition.
The methods that have made an organization great and successful in the past are not the right recipes for a successful future in a market environment of unprecedented complexity.
How can a large organization become agile?
It is very likely that there are already small teams in the company that have started their own agile journey according to the grassroots principle. Many coaches and Scaled Agile practitioners believe that it is now up to business leaders in particular to drive scaling and embrace new roles.
Which are they? How can management use this momentum? How to synchronize these teams making their own independent decisions? How can managers avoid unintentionally setting up blockages themselves?
Some organizations start with one or two groups and an agile coach. In other cases, there are sponsors at the highest level trying to make the overall organization more agile and aligning business and technical teams. Whatever approach is taken, it always needs the support and approval of senior management. The journey towards Business Agility requires Agile Leadership, and that means being prepared for changes in leadership styles, teams and ways of working.
Easy said. But Agile Leadership is not about implementing practical processes such as shortened development cycles or adapting one of the numerous Agile frameworks. Above all, it requires a change in mindset. Without this shift in thinking and the accompanying shift in management practices, Scaled Agile will remain an unfulfilled promise. But what exactly does that mean?
At the beginning there is always an evaluation and, as a result, there is also a change in managers, one that includes both the leadership qualities and the beliefs behind them.
Imagine you have a new colleague who previously worked for a competitor. She has a lot of experience in software development and project management. In addition, she is not someone who beats around the bush for long, has already been part of agile teams and supports the decision to set up the company agilely. Which characteristics, values and ways of acting make them, as the prototype of an agile leader, stand out?
Agile Leadership – Trait #1: Authenticity
Authenticity is high on the Agile Leader Checklist. To be truly authentic, a person needs the ability for self-reflection, open-mindedness, commitment, and determination. In an environment that is serious about Agile transformation, leaders need to be “real”, mean what they say and say what they mean. In doing so, they must not or should not allow themselves to be influenced by internal trends and politics in such a way that they only represent certain interests. Agile leaders care about team members as much as they care about customers—because they’re the ones who pay the employees’ salaries.
Being authentic does not mean
- ostensibly committing to one course while actually intending to pursue another.
- Expecting teams to implement agile ways of working when you don’t.
Instead, authenticity means
- being and living your true self every day at work and
- to face the team openly and mindfully.
Agile Leadership – Trait #2: Transparency
The teams in the company want and need to know in which direction they should go. Can a manager explain management’s plans to them? The more openly senior management communicates to teams what is happening and why, the more loyal they will be. And if managers do not know how something works and can be realized at one point, they should openly admit it: Then the teams and the management team work together from this point and find a solution. Such an approach in particular also offers advantages: on the one hand, it is highly transparent, and on the other hand, those involved will fully support the approach developed, since everyone was able to contribute.
What transparency is not:
- Not being able to admit that you don’t know how to get into business agility.
- Stamp yourself and your teams “agile” without promoting the necessary mindsets in the company.
- Refusing to seek help.
What transparency is:
- Be honest even when unsure.
- Be level-headed when facing challenges.
- Admit mistakes and seek help when needed.
Agile Leadership – Trait #3: Confidence
Everyone knows the prototype of the classic, traditionally oriented manager (or female manager) – that manager who thinks that she is always right and to whom ideas and suggestions can hardly get through. But confidence begins with realizing that you, like everyone around you, don’t know everything. Along with self-regulation, self-awareness shapes our emotional intelligence at work.
What self-confidence is not:
- Talk like you’re right and argue like you’re right.
- Refusing to consider teams’ ideas or feedback.
This is how real self-confidence is expressed:
- Argue like you’re right and listen like you’re wrong.
- Continuous reflection and re-evaluation of own strengths and weaknesses.
In the upcoming part two, we will look at beliefs, behaviors and practices related to agile leadership. Stay tuned!
Agility at scale with Atlassian tools
Is your company also in the middle of the agile transformation and would you like to use agile methods company-wide? Do you finally want to tackle the topic of “Agile at Scale” more systematically? Without that or the right tools, even the best method won’t do much.
Jira Align and Agile Hive are mature solutions that can provide valuable services when it comes to the structured introduction and implementation of a framework such as SAFe. Would you like to find out more about the possibilities? Then just arrange one Appointment with our Agile-at-Scale experts!
Further information
Agile Transformation: When the ego eats the agile manifesto for breakfast
Agile Leadership: Useful Approach for Modern Leadership or Dangerous Thought Trap?
Agile leadership is transformational leadership – but how does that work in practice?
Which leadership roles will there still be in a real agile organization in the future?