As per the Agile methodology, people, purpose, and growth are the three pillars on which any organisation’s agile transformation is based. Let us take a deeper look at these pillars before discussing the process of building an agile work-culture.

People are the biggest asset for any modern organisation and are at the core of the Agile transformation framework. It is absolutely essential to focus on teamwork and ideas from an employee-centric standpoint. An Agile organisation would always value collaboration, teamwork, and empowerment of individuals. People over processes and tools is an approach where the leadership encourages everyone to fearlessly share their ideas, opinions, and apprehensions. The aim of this approach is to build an environment wherein hierarchies are not seen as an impediment, and different departments don’t work in silos. Cross-functional teamwork spearheaded by empathetic, supportive, and open-minded business leaders are the hallmark of an Agile enterprise. Essentially, Agile transformation can be achieved only when the company has built a culture of trust, respect and transparency.

By purpose, the reference is to the core mission of the organisation. Every company is set up with a clear mission and vision to get there. To achieve Agile transformation, every initiative must be in complete harmony with the vision and the goals of the company. There must be a clearly defined purpose, and it is important to undertake transparent as well as effective communication to make everyone in the company understand this purpose. Agile methodologies recommend a customer-centric approach aimed at delivering value to the customers. There is constant focus on customer satisfaction, superior product quality and improvements in processes such as delivery speeds etc. The impact and success of Agile transformation on any organisation’s purpose is measured through metrics like customer satisfaction, employee engagement, and business outcomes.

Agile transformation is defined by the growth achieved by an organisation. The organisation must be adaptive, flexible, and capable of continuous improvements through willingness to make changes and course corrections. Growth requires a new operating cadence that is transparent and encourages learning from failures. Growth implies the culture of experimentation, trying out new approaches and ideas, and cultivating a sense of continuous learning and improvement. Leaders of such enterprises should focus on building a culture wherein individuals can acquire new skills, knowledge, and expertise. People are encouraged to review their practices and performance and seek feedback from leaders. Agile transformation should focus on building capabilities such as Agile coaching, Lean principles, DevOps, and automation. In the modern context, growth also needs to be cross-functional and Agile practices should be deployed beyond IT and into verticals like marketing, HR, and finance.

Agile transformation requires focus on people, purpose, and growth, and the methodologies are to be seen as more than just the operational guidelines and practices. They must be seen as a mindset that focuses on collaboration, experimentation, and continuous learning. For an organisation to successfully achieve Agile transformation, it must create a people-centric work culture in alignment with the organisation’s purpose, and one that is supportive of growth. Once the three focus areas of people, purpose and growth are prioritised, the company would also be able to deliver superior value to customers, achieve product improvements, and faster operational speeds. All this would then translate into sustainable evolution of the business and all stakeholders!

This article is authored by Rajiv Bhalla, managing director India & vice president, Large Video Wall Experience (APAC), Barco.