Agile transformation is one of the most important areas of activity for many companies nowadays which concerns the whole organisation. Today we move in complex markets which are changing permanently and in ever-decreasing cycles. To be able to keep pace with this change, business models must be continually questioned, structures adapted, products and services further developed. The faster and the more flexibly companies can react here, the better they can survive in the VUCA world (VUCA = volatile, uncertain, complex, ambiguous). We call development from the status quo to an organisation which are up to the external and internal challenges “agile transformation”.
“Design thinking” or “scrum” are probably the best-known agile methods or frameworks within the agility. Companies which want to survive in the changed macro-economic context regularly ask themselves: “Are we still doing the right thing?” They question their “what?” It is conceived by the “user” before the product is fully developed, as its prospects are the decisive factor. The customer also sees intermediate results instead of just the finished product. In order to be able to react quickly here too, the following questions must be asked. Are our methods still suitable? How do we further develop products and services? How do we develop completely new ones in a volatile context? We therefore question the “how?”
Classic project management frequently comes up against its limits here. If we want to react more quickly, more flexibly and in a more customer-oriented way to changes in the VUCA world, other methods are also required!
“Agile methods” or “frameworks” help not only companies involved in software development. Regardless of which sector you come from, agile methods can help you to operate faster, more flexibly and closer to the customer. Based on fundamental values and principles, which frequently stand in opposition to those traditionally used, the introduction of agile methods may represent a quantum leap for your company.
Describing a (corporate) culture is not an easy undertaking. Stereotypes are easily formed and the core of that which people experience as “culture” becomes blurred and loses its attraction. We at berliner team like to approach such a description via “shared values” which people in companies describe as “formative” and “perceptible” and “principles”, i.e. rules which influence actions. Values such as “trust”, “courage” and “appreciation” are certainly not new and innovative. In companies whose culture is described by employees as “agile”, feedback, a constructive approach to errors and co-operation characterised by a high level of personal responsibility are part of the natural day-to-day business. A hierarchy is seldom perceived or not at all because it is simply regarded as obstructive. In this respect, the values mentioned are perceived differently and credible for all, because agile methods only work if the values cultivated in an organisation also suit them. What use is it to a company with zero error tolerance to proclaim the agile principle of “good enough solutions”? Nobody will find the courage here to try out something new with an open mind. Can managers in companies with a pronounced hierarchy take themselves back so far that they allow iterative teams to work? Companies which wish to use agile methods should therefore critically question their corporate culture. We accompany cultural change at all levels.
In order to be able to deal with the rapid changes and enable agile work at all, a different management style than the classic one is required. Agile managers have embraced agile values and principles and use them specifically to promote the agility of their organisation. They are so familiar with the most important agile methods that they can help their employees to select and implement the appropriate ones. In an agile transformation, it is above all the managers who make the difference. We help you to recognise the agile talents of your managers and develop them into agile coaches.
If employees are to make decisions alone, they need more room for manoeuvre and access to all relevant information. Letting go is the motto here. To abide by it requires trust. At the same time it is a question of breaking down hierarchical structures in favour of a lean, project-oriented organisation of operations and processes. Like various organs in a body, the teams act autonomously, are connected in a network-like architecture and pursue the same objective: to maintain the organism – i.e. the company. We help you to establish agile structures and decentralised responsibilities so that your employees can make quick and flexible decisions in future in an independently organised manner.
