Fostering Agile in Organization level is a must. Adding Scrum or Lean would not make them Agile.
Today, every single Organization claim “We are Agile”. We have to know one thing that “Agile is not a noun . It’s adjective”. It’s all about Agility. We can use words like being, thinking, feeling Agile etc., but we have to foster Agility and keep the spirit going. Agile is a journey, just because all our teams follow Scrum’s three roles, five events three artefacts, we have achieved agility.
[blockquote align=”none” author=”Daniel H. Pink”]People can have two different mindsets, she says. Those with a “fixed mindset” believe that their talents and abilities are carved in stone. Those with a “growth mindset” believe that their talents and abilities can be developed. Fixed mindsets see every encounter as a test of their worthiness. Growth mindsets see the same encounters as opportunities to improve.[/blockquote]
To bring Agility or to claim it, the organisation have to have the values and principles in their culture. Considering the Organization pyramid; Leadership, Strategy, Structure, Process and People. You can’t implement Agility only to Process and. When you modify one part of the pyramid the other parts will shake and the Culture around this pyramid also disturbed. Agile is 10% theory and 90% practice; mindset change. Providing training with Agile practice like Scrum takes an hour. To follow Agile four values, 12 principles + 5 values of Scrum Values take ages because of its not a process change but culture change. Everyone in the org has to have the mindset.
To make an Organization Agility, they have to have Agility in their Vision and Mission. Then they strive to learn from their own failures and build an Agile Culture.
Following are some of the points I suggest how an organisation can foster Agile
Agile must be news in the Organization
“We made Agile practices must in all project, and we hired Scrum Masters for each team. We also invested in hiring Agile Coach(s), So we are sustainable”. This is just one fist of water from the sea but its not only solution. Agile and its value and principle have to be in every meeting of the Leadership. I am not saying, show reports on how many teams agile today, the metrics, etc. The agile mindset has to be visible in every meeting. This attitude creates a good vibe with People to consider thinking that Leadership team serious in Agility. This also reflects in Strategy and Structure of the Organization.
[blockquote align=”none” author=”Andrew Grove”]A corporation is a living organism; it has to continue to shed its skin. Methods have to change. The focus has to change. Values have to change. The total of those changes is transformation [/blockquote]
Agile have to the in Peoples yearly priority
Being agile is not only Scrum Masters priority. PO, Developers, Managers and overall Leaders also show Agility like Collaboration, Collective ownership, Servant Leadership, Respect, Trust etc. Every year goal of the organization has to reflect Agility. Peoples annual priority must have agile values and principles as their measure. Leaders also have the same.
[blockquote align=”none” author=”Alistair Cockburn”]Agile is an attitude, not a technique with boundaries. An attitude has no boundaries. So we wouldn’t ask ‘can I use agile here’, but rather ‘how would I act in the agile way here?’ or ‘how agile can we be, here?’[/blockquote]
Give priority to Intrinsic than Extrinsic Motivation
Today’s motivation model is the traditional way of focusing on money, praise, role or power etc. So many books written on how organizations have to motivate their People. The has to create a model built mostly focusing on Intrinsic. I am not against of Extensic motivation; I do not want a culture of the organization, where first few months of the year, people show their frustration appraisal, have not got a good number, hike or promotion, and last some months of the year start pleasing their reporting managers. Ultimately Appraisal result, money or power rules the organization than to try to cultivate better people by collectively takes ownership of welfare fo the project/team.
[blockquote align=”none” author=”Daniel H. Pink”]Human beings have an innate inner drive to be autonomous, self-determined, and connected to one another. And when that drive is liberated, people achieve more and live richer lives.[/blockquote]
Invest in Scrum Master than Agile Coach
I am not talking about Enterprise Agile Coach. If you invest in hiring better Scrum Masters, you do not need to invest on (Team) Agile Coach. Do not forget the Scrum Guide (Quote taken from 2020)!
The Scrum Master is accountable for establishing Scrum as defined in the Scrum Guide. They do this by helping everyone understand Scrum theory and practice, both within the Scrum Team and the organisation. The Scrum Master is accountable for the Scrum Team’s effectiveness. They do this by enabling the Scrum Team to improve its practices within the Scrum framework. Scrum Masters are true leaders who serve the Scrum Team and the larger organisation.
Apart from this, anything more a (Team) Agile Coach going to help you?
Business Agility
I have seen a pattern that PO follow all practices, but his reporting and business community still stays in traditional. Because I want an animal to have to run faster and lift heavyweight, I can’t create a new specie with Elephant and Horse!. In this way, I may suggest going with SAFe to make the whole org follow one mode. I am not much into SAFe. If companies can understand Agile/Lean values and principles, they can develop their own culture than to do Copy-Paste external models.
[blockquote align=”none” author=”Daniel H. Pink”]The monkeys solved the puzzle simply because they found it gratifying to solve puzzles. They enjoyed it. The joy of the task was its own reward.[/blockquote]
Adopt differently Agile Practices
Since the dawn of Agile, so many Practices been created to support the Agility. From Scrum, XP, Lean, TDD, BDD to Agile HR, Agile UX, Lean Startup even Agile Home!. Agile or Lean you have so many practices for different things, and the count grows on. Try to experiment with them. Agile is all about Fail fast and imperialism.
[blockquote align=”none” author=”Scrum Guide – 2020″]Empiricism asserts that knowledge comes from experience and making decisions based on what is observed. Lean thinking reduces waste and focuses on the essentials.[/blockquote]
Please share your views on how can companies/Organizations can foster Agility. I love to hear from you.
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