In today’s ever-evolving work environment, agility isn’t really something businesses can afford to do without. When a workplace maintains a culture dedicated to agility, there tends to more efficient and effective project management, and everyone in the organization is often ready to embrace changes and maintain a sense of adaptability.
The idea of agility is one that began with software development and the tech world, but it’s increasingly becoming something that’s growing and being embraced across all industries.
The benefit of agility in the workplace is that changes and alterations won’t derail a project. Agile workplaces tend to embrace concepts of change, which allows them to be better prepared and more competitive in the current marketplace.
So how can you cultivate a culture of agility?
Rely on Technology
Technology companies weren’t just the birthplace of the agile movement—they’re also a key to successful agile project management. Rely on the use of cloud-based communication and project management tools to keep things running smoothly, even in the face of change. The more in-tune employees can be with one another, the more they’re going to be able to stay up to date on all the components of a project, which is essential in an agile environment.
Training
To actually create a cultural transformation, intensive employee training is often a requirement. If you’re a software or tech company, you’ll likely have employees who have their Scrum Master Certification, and as well as this official training, other good training focuses on problem-solving and critical thinking. Soft skills, such as collaborative thinking, can also be beneficial in the building of an agile workplace. It can be valuable to ask employees to question their own ways of doing things during training, and to showcase training materials that ask for open-ended solutions to certain problems.
Encourage Autonomy
Encouraging employees to embrace an idea of agility in the workplace is highly dependent on their autonomy and independence to be decision-makers and to choose their own paths when considering how a project will be completed. A defining characteristic of an agile culture is one that doesn’t consider how a goal was achieved or a milestone, so long as it was completed successfully. Letting employees come up with their unique paths to success is not just valuable in creating a culture of agility, but also promoting innovation and new ideas.
Welcome Socializing Among Employees
As mentioned above, delivering training where there are elements of collaboration is essential to an agile workplace. Similarly, socializing among employees can be a good way to promote a thriving agile culture. When there are more opportunities for employees to get to know each other at an informal level, they’ll likely feel more comfortable working together on projects in the future.
Whether you’re a software developer or a company outside of the tech industry, borrowing concepts from the agile framework, it can be valuable in any number of ways, from promoting collaboration to inspiring innovation.
