The dictionary defines “agile” as being able to move quickly and lightly—as nimbly as a cheetah. Today, the word agile can be used to describe not only jungle animals but also businesses and organizations, as well as—capitalized—the Agile philosophy. In the modern working world, Agile can help businesses provide better customer service, teams work smarter, and workers cope with their workload. Organizations need flexibility and agility to make it to the next decade. Next, we will present a few trends in the world of work that could benefit from Agile.
Change calls for adaptation
Change is the only constant. The world is changing as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and the climate crisis, and the world of work is becoming increasingly digital. In business, this means a swifter shift of priorities than ever before. You can't fight change, but you can adapt to it. The need for adaptation concerns individuals, teams, and organizations as well as the products and services they produce. The ability to adapt and withstand change is, and will be, a major success factor in the future.
Information management requires cooperation
No one person, or even a small group of people, can manage all the new information that is available and constantly generated. The practice of separating the work into two elements—planning and implementation—is outdated and makes work slow. In the future, it will be increasingly important to make the most of all ideas produced in an organization, solve problems together and give employees more power over and responsibility for decisions regarding their work.
It's getting harder and harder for workers to control their workload
As knowledge management becomes more difficult and work is transferred to digital channels, assessing workload and managing one’s work will become increasingly difficult. Individuals’ self-management skills and teams’ ability to steer ahead together are crucial both to ensure results and to support individual resilience. If individuals and teams do not receive support for their work management, they will burn out and become unable to innovate.
Competition is tougher and more international
Competition is becoming increasingly intense in every sector. Competition is international, and, in the digital world, even small players can capture a large part of the market quickly. Starting a business is easy, and businesses both start and fail quickly. Many jobs are automated, and new jobs require new skills. Individuals and organizations must constantly develop new abilities. No one can afford to be lulled into a false sense of security for a long time, even if they are doing well at the moment.
Increasing complexity
Minor problems have already been solved, and the problems to be solved are increasingly complex. Needs and requirements are becoming increasingly demanding, and the pace of change is accelerating. At the same time, there is always something new about all possible solutions, and work involves more uncertainty than before. Work is complex; it involves several questions that can't be resolved in advance with full certainty. The more complex the work in question, the more likely it will benefit from Agile.
An iconic cartoon about the construction of a swing depicts the complexity of work and the complexity of related communication. At the beginning of a complex project, we often do not know what information we lack. However, once we start working and ask for feedback, we will learn what information we need to obtain. By the end of the project, we will hopefully have learned enough to produce the best possible solution.
Customers’ and employees’ expectations soar
Customers expect better products, they want them faster, and they want them cheaper. Employees expect better employee experience, meaningful work, and competitive benefits. Millennials and younger generations are not willing to tolerate mistreatment or bad working habits. Organizations need to change with the customers’ and employees’ expectations, or they will fall out of competition.