Now more than ever, we can truly say that we are living in a VUCA (Volatile, Uncertain, Complex, Ambiguous) world. Whether intended or not, most Organizations have become more agile over the past 18 months as they’ve had to inspect and adapt rapidly with the pandemic.
But what does this actually mean, and how does this tie into Business Agility?
What is Business Agility?
In simple terms, Business Agility is the organizational ability to adapt to changing business conditions. It’s about having a clear, common goal with alignment from top to bottom so that everyone knows how to react and adapt if a major event occurs (like a pandemic). It is NOT about flying by the seat of our pants but about having structures in place that enable us to pivot quickly and with high quality.
Who is business agility for?
Business Agility describes Organizations as a whole. One of our favorite sayings is, “You need to BE agile, not just DO Agile.” And it is not just for IT. In order to truly BE agile, everyone in the Organization needs to embrace a new mindset and way of working.
How can business agility help my organization?
An organization-wide focus on Business Agility will help:
- Be prepared for the unexpected
- Create a common strategy and focus
- Empower Teams to clear roadblocks
- Manage flow by working in cross-functional teams on delivering one iteration at a time
