The ability for quick action and effective on the spot decision making is a critical skill for leaders to possess in this fast-changing business world.
With this, agility is the oft overlooked trait that can assist businesses stay on top of customer demands and challenges. However, perhaps now more than ever, employees and organisations need to be agile to effectively accommodate changes on the fly. But building an agile environment takes time.
So, what does a company need to know about being agile to stay ahead of the competition? Here are three ways businesses can establish an agile culture:
Harness a change culture: To maximise business impact in an ultra-competitive environment, leaders need to be comfortable with a change culture. This fundamental operational excellence capability is a powerful component of agility that businesses can embed to get the most out of the team. At the end of the day, culture trumps strategy every time, so building proactive habits and behaviours of individuals that foster a commitment to a culture of learning, change and flexibility will be successful.
Commit to continuous improvement: Agility comes naturally for organisations that demonstrate a continuous improvement ethos. In times of disruption, agility and continuous improvement (CI) go hand in hand and are fundamental to organisational excellence. A continuous improvement methodology can be implemented as part of a broader commitment to embracing ability. This helps employees work together more effectively to come up with smarter solutions to problems that may arise unexpectedly.
Visibility is king: Organisations that embrace agility are more likely to succeed at operational improvement initiatives. This can be achieved through visibility. Having visibility on all areas of the business, including back office operations, provides managers with insights and data to make informed decisions on the fly. Having the right information at the right time enables leaders to make the necessary decisions that will help to confidently steer the business in the right direction during times of uncertainty.
To move with the times and be ahead of your competitors, companies need to embrace a culture of agility. By having the right metrics, habits, culture and CI ethos in place, agility and flexibility become natural by-products, no matter the size of the business.
Brent Churchill, Co-CEO & Founder, Enlighten.
