Agile Coaches' Corner Scaling and Transformation: Leading Your Org to Business Agility with Steven Granese and Quincy Jordan
In this bonus episode of the Agile Coaches’ Corner podcast, Christy Erbeck, Chief People Officer at AgileThought, is serving as your guest host for today’s conversation with Steven Granese and Quincy Jordan. Steven Granese is the Managing Director of AgileThought’s Transform Practice and Quincy Jordan serves as the Agile Competency Lead and Principal Transformation Consultant at AgileThought.
In their conversation today, they discuss scaling and transformations and how to effectively lead organizations towards business agility. They speak about the role of scaling in transformations, the challenges of scaling, opportunities that arise as an organization begins to scale, how to know when it is appropriate to help a client scale, and how to know when you’re on the right path with a transformation.
Key Takeaways
Transformation & scaling:
Part of a transformation is in transforming how people think
There are a number of ways to scale
Though it is called “scaling,” oftentimes it is about breaking down the problem into smaller pieces (especially in organizations that are already large)
A real transformation is an organizational transformation throughout all departments
The long term goal is to achieve business agility
Tips for getting clients started on their scaling or transformation journey:
Break down the problem into more manageable pieces in order to be able to take action on them and deliver faster (by delivering faster in these smaller increments you are setting expectations with stakeholders, which increases transparency and creates an outcome of more trust)
Buy-in is needed from leaders
Make sure to employ roadmaps with clients which can help with expectations
Clarity and guidance alleviate stress during the scaling process
Leaders need to address problems upfront when it comes to adopting agile
Asking the question “why” is critical for transformations; it has to be answered first (especially if you’re looking at a true transformation)
“Why are you doing this?”
“What is it that you’re trying to change?”
“Why are you trying to change?”
“Are you confronting real organizational challenges and problems that you have?”
Knowing what your client wants to focus on fundamentally changes how you work with them
Note: A true transformation will take time (sometimes years) and oftentimes, things will get worse before they get better
Differences between the two modes of adopting agile: Delivery and Transformation:
Ask: If you’re interested in adopting an agile way of working, are you focused on improving your delivery OR do you want a transformation (i.e. change the way your business fundamentally operates)?
Knowing which your client wants to do is critical
If your client just wants to improve their process and doesn’t believe anything is broken, they just want to improve their delivery
There is no right or wrong answer, but it is important to clarify what outcome they’re looking for as it will greatly impact how you help them
If a client wants 10–20% better output for their teams they’re looking at improving delivery
If a client wants to fundamentally look at the way their business operates, the types of customers they’re going after, the way their teams are structured, their financial incentives, etc. they are looking at a transformation
It’s important to determine when a client wants to achieve certain outcomes so you know whether to focus on improving delivery first vs. long-term transformation (that will lead to better delivery down the line)
Benefits of an agile transformation/achieving true business agility:
Being nimble, adaptable, and being able to react quickly to changes and demands from customers or the business
With the right culture and infrastructure in place, an organization is able to move very quickly when an unknown market shift happens (such as with COVID-19)
A true agile transformation allows an organization to be in a position that can weather any storm
Allows for better reactions to the unknown
True business agility helps the business be adaptable
Tips for leaders during a transformation:
Encourage the ability to learn, relearn, and unlearn — this is critical because companies may get stuck in their past successes, which limits their ability to learn new things and/or do things in a new way
Be courageous and vulnerable
Be a learner, not a knower
Continuously adapt and learn
Have a growth mindset in order to be able to help your people
Leaders need to ask themselves: “Am I clear as to where I’m going in the future?”, “Do I know why I’m trying to get there?”, and “Can I deliver in small increments and learn from the feedback?”
Have humility in understanding that everything can change in a second — so the ability to learn, unlearn, and relearn is critical (if you don’t, your business will become vulnerable to competitors)
Mentioned in this Episode:
Unlearn: Let Go of Past Success to Achieve Extraordinary Results, by Barry O’Reilly
Start with Why: How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone to Take Action, by Simon Sinek
The Agile of Agile: How Smart Companies Are Transforming the Way Work Gets Done. by Stephen Denning
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