In the fast-paced and ever-changing business landscape, organizations worldwide are realizing the importance of embracing business agility practices to thrive and stay ahead of the competition. However, understanding the rationale behind embarking on transformation journeys can be challenging for employees at all levels of their careers.
According to Michael Hugo’s 2009 text, Business Agility : Sustainable Prosperity in a Relentlessly Competitive World, there are five characteristics of a responsive transformation into business agility: an operating model that is easy to understand, effective leaders, employees that are willing to take risks, financial appropriation that can withstand the resources that are needed drive a transformation, and a structured community network within the organization that can support the learning journey for the organization. This article provides support to those concepts as they pertain to engaging, motivating, and supporting employees to buy into a business agility transformation as we explore engagement concepts that can be implemented as an agnostic approach for driving adoption across each layer and role of a large organization embarking on an agile transformation.
(Opensense Labs, 2023)
Awareness and Communication
Creating community awareness and fostering effective communication channels is the first step in driving engagement for business agility transformation. Organizations that prioritize learning and effectively communicate the purpose, benefits, and expected outcomes of transformation tend to experience higher levels of employee engagement. (Hugo, 2009). Clear communication will ultimately assist to minimize resistance to change and drive transformation buy-in from employees and leaders at all levels. Driving awareness from organization leaders by sending regular updates, and sponsoring interactive sessions, and town hall meetings provide a platform to employees for addressing concerns, clarifying doubts, and encouraging participation. This level of communication helps to support the learning journey for the employees, which can lead to positive motivation for the learner. (Reiser & Dempsey, 2018).
To assess the communication needs that run within the constraints and boundaries of an agile transformation, leaders can anticipate the effectiveness of their communications by measuring the responsiveness to change within their organization. This happens by benchmarking and comparing the motivation of an organization and the visibility of information within an organization. (Hugos, 2009). Motivation is realized by the various ways that organizations make use of incentives for employees to drive their interest in specific goals or actions. (Hugos, 2009). Visibility comes into play when an employee has been fully informed about why or how organizations drive their business decisions. (Hugos, 2009). By this form of measurement, agility trainers can more accurately determine the amount and method of training and engagement that will be required by the organization.
Another way to prepare for communication requirements by an organization is by completing an Agile Maturity Assessment, or AMA. The AMA is a survey that everyone in the organization completes prior to making organizational changes. Employees answer a series of questions that help determine the current state of business and how value is delivered to customers. (Scaled Agile, 2023). Results from the AMA can then be used to drive targeted learning engagement approaches within various capacities based on the internal needs of an organization or its teams.
(Scaled Agile, 2023)
Engaging Learning Strategy
To effectively train employees and leaders during business agility transformation, organizations have an obligation to leverage engaging learning formats that cater to various learning preferences and levels of expertise. Leaders, coaches, and instructors consider the data that was discovered from the maturity assessment or other responsiveness exercises that was obtained at the beginning of the transformation so that they are able to curate a targeted, but blended learning approach. Using their own training expertise, the instructor can employ tactics that focus on the specific needs of a team or group of teams within the organization. Instructors can then engage the learners in a way that piques their curiosity, driving the learning experience based on their own goals or needs to close knowledge gaps. (Reiser & Dempsey, 2018). This format fosters cross-functional collaboration and encourages diverse perspectives, ultimately contributing to the success of the transformation. By catering to different learning styles and preferences, organizations ensure maximum participation and knowledge retention. This approach also nurtures a culture of continuous learning and innovation, one of the drivers behind an agility transformation. (Scaled Agile, 2023).
The five-minute video below is an example of one way that organizations introduce business agility concepts to their employees. Notice that the short video covers a vast amount of information quickly, telling a story that includes benefits and outcomes of a scaled agile implementation. This engagement tactic is high-level enough to engage learners at all levels within the organization who will be transitioning into business agility, but also detailed enough to ignite curiosity within the potential learner, driving the learner to explore more about how the framework will impact them. The intended outcome of the video should drive the learner’s volition with the ability to realize their own learning needs and start to set goals that pertaining to learning within the new framework. (Reiser & Dempsey, 2018).
(Scaled Agile, 2023)
Continuous Feedback:
In the journey of business agility transformation, organizations tend to find higher levels of employee satisfaction and engagement when the concept of continuous feedback is introduced. Feedback looping is a type of cadenced event that is organized in a way that is intended to provide a safe and constructive environment where stakeholders and employees together can voice their ideas, concerns, and suggestions about several initiatives, and ultimately plays a vital role in driving learning and improvement. During these feedback loops, individuals can reflect on their progress, identify areas for improvement, and respond to needs for change. (Scaled Agile, 2023).
(Bhat, 2023)
Continuous feedback inspires employees and leaders alike by providing insights into the growth and development of each employees respective role. In most organizations, both roles are not only interested in sharing their experiences, wins, and pitfalls; but also generate interest in understanding the perspectives of themselves that are held by their counterparts. (Bhat, 2023). Encouraging a culture of feedback at all levels of the organization fosters learner engagement and supports the iterative nature of agile practices. (Hugos, 2009).
By actively participating in feedback looping activities, leaders have the opportunity set an example for the organization, demonstrating the value of ongoing learning and adaptation. (Bhat, 2023). The outcomes lead to a sense of ownership across the entire organization; thus, promoting continuous learning and strengthening collaboration. By embracing the concept of continuous feedback, organizations have the opportunity to empower individuals and teams to contribute to the evolution of agile practices, adapt to changing circumstances, and achieve sustainable growth. (Scaled Agile, 2023).
Conclusion
Business agility is not just a buzzword but a strategic imperative for organizations to navigate uncertainty, drive innovation, and achieve sustainable growth. Business agility transformation is a labor-intensive step for organizations to thrive in today's dynamic marketplace. Having a strong learning engagement strategy is crucial to the success of an organization’s transformation initiative. While employees at all levels may initially struggle to understand the need for change, strategic learning engagement concepts based on the true needs of the organization can help to bridge the learning gap and drive better adoption. By creating awareness, leveraging engaging learning formats, and providing iterative feedback for improvement opportunities, organizations can empower their workforces to contribute to the success of the transformation journey.
References:
Bhat, A. (2023, June 8). Continuous feedback: Definition, management, and benefits. QuestionPro. https://www.questionpro.com/blog/continuous-feedback/
Dempsey, R.A.R.J.V. (2018). Trends and Issues in Instructional Design and Technology. [VitalSource Bookshelf]. Journal of Research in Innovative Teaching. Retrieved from https://bookshelf.vitalsource.com/books/9780134237015
Michael H. Hugos. (2009). Business Agility: Sustainable Prosperity in a Relentlessly Competitive World. Wiley. Retrieved June 15, 2023, from https://web.s.ebscohost.com/ehost/ebookviewer/ebook/bmxlYmtfXzI3MTY4NV9fQU41?sid=a8412281-53ae-4745-90ec-4b88158a090c@redis&vid=31&format=EB&rid=1
Leffingwell, D. (2023, June 8). Continuous learning culture. Scaled Agile Framework. https://scaledagileframework.com/continuous-learning-culture/
Leffingwell, D. (2023, June 8). Measure and Grow. Scaled Agile Framework. https://scaledagileframework.com/measure-and-grow/
Opensense Labs. (n.d.). Benefits of Agile Transformation. Retrieved June 15, 2023, from https://opensenselabs.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/Benefits%20of%20agile%20transformation_2.png.
Scaled Agile, Inc. (2020). SAFe Explained in 5 Minutes. YouTube. Retrieved June 15, 2023, from https://youtu.be/aW2m-BtCJyE.