Complexity and Chaos: Leading for Agility

Uncertainty brings both opportunity and challenge for leaders. How can leaders cut through confusion and enable real collaboration and innovation at pace? What does it take to inspire AGILITY? The topic of Agility is everywhere right now, but what does Agility mean for Leaders? At Sheppard Moscow we clearly differentiate between the mindsets and behaviours of the type of leadership that creates truly Agile Organisations, as opposed to the popular Agile Methodology that is transforming innovation and customer responsiveness in many businesses.

Agile has been a great cross-over success, as businesses have seen the merits of what started in software development applied to transform business processes and systems, enabling enhanced decision-making and innovation for customers. It is clear organisational culture is the critical enabler to implementing Agile as a process and innovation revolution. Transforming the nature of leadership and management in the business is essential for Agile to be implemented at all – not just effectively. And for those businesses for whom Agility is less about a methodology and more about the outcomes of pace, flexibility and responsiveness, then Leading for Agility becomes a crucial capability.

Leading For Agility

SO HOW DO AGILE LEADERS RESPOND?

During our two Conversation Series, held in Dublin and London, the following provided a basis for conversation...

What kind of ‘agility’ is needed in your organisation?
What has helped you develop your leadership agility?

... from the resulting conversations, plenary and table dialogue, we have integrated key themes to emerge...

Agile - Responding to a rapidly changing world

We live in a VUCA world – with accelerating change and uncertainty caused by digitisation, globalisation, population growth and climate change, creating both opportunities and threats.

This Means...

Businesses Need To Be Agile.

Able to respond quickly to seize opportunities and tackle emerging challenges – with a focus on achieving their Purpose

Developing An Agile Culture.

Appreciating core values but being responsive; open to doing things differently, with greater collaboration and pace

Leadership Throughout The Organisation That Builds A Climate For Agility.

Holding the strategic challenge, generating relationships and trust, connecting and enabling, taking decisions and staying open to learning

Agile Triangle VUCA Sheppard Moscow.png

What emerged from our discussions was:

Reach out to learn more

Developing BUSINESS AGILITY requires:

Clarity of Purpose – because this provides the North Star to navigate through the turbulence of the current business world. What are we in service of…..? This Purpose needs to be framed in terms of what it means for all key stakeholders – both within and outside of the business/organisation.

In responding to the environment the business needs to respond to some natural tensions or polarities e.g.:

Pace v Perfection
Consistency v Unknown
Stability v Innovation
Need for structure v Need to adapt
Inclusion in decisions v Speed to decide and act
Deliver now v Change for the Future

How these play out will vary by industry and the nature of the business e.g. the risk impact of innovations and the extent of regulation.

An AGILE CULTURE is characterised by:

Convene – Develop – Deliver – how best to connect people, develop a way forward and make it happen
Innovation – trying new things; acting through uncertainty; making mistakes and learning from them rapidly
Collaboration – both within the business and between key stakeholders; finding new patterns of connection
inclusion – drawing on all of the talents available; seeking differing views and stories; and listening to people
Outside Focus – staying aware of opportunities, threats and possibilities emerging in the market and beyond

AGILE LEADERSHIP Involves:

The capacity to connect people to make things happen in service of a shared purpose in the context of rapid change and uncertainty.

Generating the Climate

Generating the conditions for trust and creativity

Innovation relies on creating an enabling climate for experimentation and learning agility
‘Selective’ Vulnerability – sharing your own uncertainty
Compassion for others – create a personable environment eg coffee machines; dogs at work
Curiosity - staying open to new things; start each day afresh; question your own mindset
Conversations that surface things eg “stand-up” meetings; no agenda or presentations
Be aware of your tone
Strengths based thinking (appreciative)

Orchestrator

Linking and enabling

Be interested rather than trying to be interesting
Have a giving mindset – see what emerges
Listening for different points of view and showing up differently – draw on diversity
Connect others together, internally and externally
Do not be distracted by hierarchy
The importance of “coffee” – create informal spaces and meeting formats to facilitate cross connections and deeper dialogue
“Chef” who can work with differing ingredients to create varied meals as needed
Or perhaps the conductor in an orchestra or leader in a jazz band

Action Orientation

Acting through uncertainty now and learning fast

Provide energy to make things happen and follow through
Bravery – making decisions and taking risks even when you are uncertain
Using your head, heart and gut when making choices
Learning agility – asking naïve questions
Individual resilience – holding the challenge of uncertainty, setbacks, doubts and conflicts
Keeping the wider picture in mind (systemic perspective)
Conversations are powerful…stay connected