Coping with a fast-paced business environment isn’t everyone’s cup of tea. With the Coronavirus pandemic posing unprecedented challenges to organizations last year, it has become more important than ever for businesses to be agile and respond quickly to new demands to ensure sustainability. In this article, we will discuss what it means to be an agile organization and the characteristics of an agile organization.
What Is an Agile Organization?
An agile organization is a term used to refer to organizations that respond to changes in the business environment, consumer needs, and the marketplace quickly and efficiently. These organizations design their processes in a manner that allows them to be more flexible and successfully adapt to shifting consumer demands and other challenges.
Agile organizations typically have a stable foundation. This foundation acts as an anchor of sorts and allows the organization to pivot and transform its strategies while still staying true to its core values and processes.
What Are the 5 Characteristics of An Agile Organization?
According to a study by the McKinsey Agile Tribe Group, agile organizations demonstrate 5 common characteristics that play an essential role in their ability to adapt and respond to changes. These include:
- Building Strategies That Incorporate Agility
- Introducing a Clear Structure
- Processes that Support Rapid Decision-Making
- Dynamic Teams With a Passion for Innovation
- Utilizing Advanced Technology to Support Efficiency
The Bottom Line
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, nearly 20% of small businesses fail in the first year. By the second year, 30% of these small businesses fail. Introducing agility and flexibility in your workflow processes can play a vital role in overcoming some of the challenges that threaten the future of your business.
As per the McKinsey Agile Tribe Group, there are 5 factors that can contribute to this. These include:
- Cohesive result-oriented strategies that focus on pursuing agility as an organization-wide objective.
- A clear organizational structure with properly identified roles, transparent communication, and hands-on governance.
- Standardized workflow processes that encourage experimentation, continuous learning, and action-oriented decision-making.
- Dynamic teams with an innovative mindset and servant and shared leadership styles.
- Utilization of next-generation enabling technology that helps with the evolution of work processes.
If you are interested in learning more about organizational agility, get in touch with our team at Edge Collab. We help companies accelerate and improve their organizational processes to successfully launch products, increase revenue, and move toward long-term sustainability.
