Acceleration of technological changes, increased customer demands, competition: our world is constantly evolving. Organizations and managers no longer have a choice: they must adapt very quickly without sacrificing quality! Agility becomes essential and profoundly revolutionizes our ways of working.
Closer to customer expectations
Agility prioritizes the final satisfaction of the customer over adhering to a rigid specification. In other words, it shifts from managing a project with a well-defined scope to managing a product to be co-constructed as a team, with the collaboration of all stakeholders. Delivery occurs in modules, without waiting for everything to be finalized to interact with the customer; they react along the way, allowing real-time adjustments. Creativity of all team members is encouraged, within the constraints of budget and quality. Advantages: proximity, responsiveness, and satisfaction of individuals involved in the project.
"We have moved from a deterministic and measurable world to an empirical world. Companies must learn to react quickly!" - Mallory Goossens, senior agile transformation coach and Agile referent at the consulting firm ANEO.
Management shifts to agile mode
Traditional management proves to be poorly suited to these new agile management methods. They require a cultural change at all levels of the company. The manager must now adopt a coaching stance rather than being the sole decision-maker. They define the framework and facilitate the engagement and creativity of all for the benefit of the product. Teams enjoy real autonomy, and hierarchical layers are minimized to promote speed and adaptability.
"The manager's role is to create connections and define the framework in which everyone has a margin of autonomy and initiative."
Facing an ecosystem undergoing transformation, companies will sooner or later have to implement agile approaches. It is a crucial challenge economically and humanly. Indeed, the values of Millennials align perfectly with these new management styles, and only companies that succeed in attracting and nurturing these young talents will adapt successfully to the world of tomorrow.
"As digital transformation accelerates, agility and the mindset shift it induces become vital."
