#21 Leading Agile ecosystems with Peter Stoppelenburg

“Culture eats strategy for breakfast.. and methodologies for lunch.. “

In this episode of let’s talk Peter and I discuss Agile philosophy and leading Agile ecosystems. We discuss how organisations embrace the concept of being and doing Agile to create high performance culture and to move from a culture of fear to a culture of courage. We delve into Peter’s framework and his 5 drivers of Agile, and discuss how to leverage leadership and culture to lay the foundations for systemic change. Leaders need to create the conditions for humility, where they can take their masks off, and take the first step. One is never ready, there is always something to improve, but how can we help our respective businesses explicitly design for a more Agile organisation driven by purpose and values.

Peter shares his wealth of experience, research and insight from working with organisations big and small across the globe. 

The main insights you will get from this episode are :

• agile as a philosophy embodies both a concept of being and doing and a particular culture; it is the outcome of a constantly evolving (western) society in which both individual and collective values and purposes change
• from an organisational perspective, it is based on methodologies and structural elements that encourage a flat hierarchy and a leadership that must constantly reinvent itself to keep pace with and adapt effectively to rapid change
• agile has 5 drivers: a higher purpose that is value-driven and shapes the organisation; systemic organisation comprising a network of teams and joined-up thinking; humble leadership that serves and empowers others; the aforementioned structures and methodologies; the human factor to encourage engagement and fulfilment
• for many organisations it will never feel like the right time to shift to agile - often due subconsciously to fear or complacency - but there is always room for improvement; the key is to prepare well and start small 
• it is revelatory to uncover 'blindspots' both within organisations but also individuals - self-awareness is essential, as is a focus on forming interpersonal relationships based on shared values
• designing for agile is possible to a certain extent and involves addressing the company culture, talking about any undercurrents that may be 'rocking the boat', and undertaking deep organisational work to ascertain where human systems can be brought to bear for the greater good or overarching vision
• change is messy, takes time and must begin at the level of the individual in a bottom-up approach, but aspiring to be agile brings with it a more informal style that develops organically, as well as shared power and control - taking inspiration from others can be transformational