

The Business End of Agility
biunca-nz
The Business end of Agility Podcast, hosted by New Zealand's Business Agility Meetup community, brings you real-world stories from innovative organizations and forward-thinking leaders locally and around the globe. We explore all facets of business agility, from adaptive leadership and evolving company cultures to emerging ways of working, processes and technologies. By sharing diverse insights and lessons learned, our goal is to equip organizations to continually adapt, take advantage of change, pioneer new ideas, and thrive in an increasingly complex business landscape.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Jul 28, 2025 • 57min
Creating great teams through Self Selection - with authors Sandy Mamoli and David Mole
What if everything you think you know about building great teams is backwards? Sandy Mamoli and David Mole, authors of 'Creating Great Teams', discovered something revolutionary when they ditched management spreadsheets and let people choose their own teams. The result? A measured 20% productivity increase and a method now used by thousands across multiple countries. They reveal why managers consistently get team selection wrong, share their battle-tested framework that transforms team dynamics, and explain why treating adults like responsible decision-makers produces extraordinary results. Essential listening for any leader tried of playing chess with people's careers.Where to find the bookThe Pragmatic Bookshelf AmazonTo find out more about Sandy, David and Nomad8 https://www.nomad8.com/about-us

Jun 6, 2025 • 56min
Modernising HR, if it’s not on your agenda, it should be
There’s one department in every organisation that lives and breathes people - HR (Human Resources). While more commonly known as People and Culture, a name change is not the only thing needed in the world of HR. With change occurring even more rapidly with profound people impacts your HR team is more critical than ever.In this eye-opening conversation, we sit down with globetrotting HR expert Natal Dank to explore how Human Resources is evolving from a support function to a strategic business driver.She’ll be sharing her insights into what is going on in HR globally, and what HR functions need to have on their agenda to stay relevant and be able to equip their organisations to not just survive but thrive in changes ahead.Natal, author of "Agile HR" and "Agile L&D," also brings her unique perspective from working with organisations across sectors—from global banks to major charities like Macmillan Cancer Research. Her journey from financial markets to HR gives her a distinctly commercial approach to people strategy that's both refreshing and practical.

May 22, 2025 • 31min
Supporting culture in turbulent times
When times get tough, it can be hard for us to always show up as our best selves. Bring that into an organisational context and culture can quickly start to suffer. In this episode we are joined by the dynamic Emma Kirkman. Emma is a well known coach, facilitator and consultant with deep expertise and global experience in enterprise change and transformation, culture and organisational performance. We’ll be exploring why the posters on the wall are not enough, what feeds a strong culture, and what leaders can do to nurture it. We’ll also touch on why you need to get rid of the stinky fish, and watch out that you don’t become an Accidental Diminisher! Emma can be found at https://www.linkedin.com/in/emma-kirkman/ and https://www.emmakirkman.me/Emma’s book recommendation : The Coaching Habit by Michael Bungay Stania https://www.mbs.works/coaching-habit-book/Take the Accidental Diminisher Quiz here: https://thewisemangroup.com/quiz/accidental-diminisher/

Apr 22, 2025 • 52min
Cutting through the noise - taking communication to the next level
Communication isn't just about emails, presentations and the intranet - it's fundamental to solving core business challenges. In this episode of The Business End of Agility, we delve deep into the art and science of effective communication with our expert guest Eithne Sweeney.We’ll be covering the reality of communicating in the modern workplace. We’ll talk about the simple process of communication and how multiple sources of noise get in the way of a message being received. Eithne shares her experiences of detecting miscommunication, identifying noise and reducing it. We’ll chat about the key ingredients that turn everyday communication into a strategic tool and get practical with some insights for leaders to sharpen their communication skills- and get better organisational impact.If you're a business professional striving to unlock greater agility and efficiency within your organization, this episode will provide actionable insights to help you communicate clearly, decisively, and effectively.Tune in to move beyond the noise and harness the power of purposeful communication.To see more content from Eithne and to sign up to Eithne's weekly newsletter https://www.eithnesweeney.com/tips-toolsMusic intro - Smack That by Matrika

Feb 1, 2025 • 57min
Governance, Agility and Humanity
Tony Ponton, co-author of 'Govern Agility' and a veteran in organizational change, shares insightful perspectives on modern governance systems. He emphasizes the need for adaptable frameworks that enhance feedback and risk management. The conversation explores the shift from traditional governance to agile practices, promoting collaboration and sensible transparency. Ponton also highlights the critical balance between data-driven decisions and human input, arguing that effective governance fosters trust and empowers teams for better performance.

Dec 22, 2024 • 51min
The age of AI (Part 2) - Is your business leveraging AI?
So you’ve embraced that AI is here, and perhaps you’ve even done some experiments and had a few exciting productivity gains? But how do you incorporate AI into the very fabric of your business. How would functions like marketing leverage AI? What do you need to incorporate into your Business Strategy? How does AI change the future skills of your workforce?
Join us in this episode, where we will explore these aspects with our panel as part of our series on AI.
In this podcast our guests are;
Andy Cooper Avid Researcher, User and Speaker on AI,
Justin Kabbani Expert AI Coach & Consultant and former Advertising CEO
Laura Powers, CEO at Business Agility Institute
Where to find more from our guests
Justin
- linkedin/in/JustinKabbani
- justinkabbani.com
- aimarketingsummit.com.au
Laura
- linkedin/in/LauraPowers
- businessagility.institute
- lpowers@businessagility.institute
Andy
- linkedin/in/Andy766Cooper
Music credit
Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!):
https://uppbeat.io/t/matrika/smack-that

Nov 20, 2024 • 44min
Unlocking the Z factor in your organisation
In this episode we are joined by Future of Work expert and speaker Luke Goetting, where we explore the impacts of multi-generations in the workforce and new generations becoming the majority. We’ll look at how this changes the needs of our employees, and what this means for organisation culture, leadership and employee engagement.
Ultimately our customers and their needs are also changing right alongside our workforce, so now is a good time to unlock that Z factor !
About Luke
Luke Goetting is a dynamic Future of Work expert and Speaker (CES, TEDx and SXSW) who specializes in unlocking the potential of Gen Z and the emerging workforce. With deep insights into the aspirations and work styles of these generations, Luke has helped numerous organizations future-proof their workforce and foster a culture of innovation by implementing effective strategies for engaging and retaining Gen Z+ talent.
Website - https://lukegoetting.com/
Luke's TedX talk - https://youtu.be/RjNQzg3hk_Q?si=9vmnlyWvh7jsYSgqhttps://youtu.be/RjNQzg3hk_Q?si=9vmnlyWvh7jsYSgq
Podcast Soundtrack :
Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!):
https://uppbeat.io/t/matrika/smack-that

Sep 15, 2024 • 49min
The Future of Work - going beyond coping to thriving
In this episode we are joined by the amazing Author and Speaker Kevin Empey to explore just what is the Future of Work, and what it means for organisations, leaders and individuals today. We cover a lot of ground - looking at everything from the relationship of Future of Work with Agility, to how organisations can bring the topic of Future of Work into their strategy, and right through to the competencies needed for individuals to be 'future-fit' in today's changing world.
Find out more about Kevin here https://workmatters.ie/
Kevin's book Thrive https://workmatters.ie/resources/
Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!):
https://uppbeat.io/t/matrika/smack-that

Jul 13, 2024 • 53min
A little creativity never hurt anyone
Topics around employees over the last few years has been hounded by words like ‘disengagement’, ‘The Great Resignation’, ‘Quiet Quitting’, ‘Workplace Bullying’, ‘Burnout’ and the trend of declining mental health. It makes for a grim read.
In this podcast we’re to look that in the eye, flip it the bird and see how we can bring some light back into organisations, combining leadership, creativity and play to support increasing employee engagement, retention, performance and innovation.
To find out more from Wade you can find him here: https://www.wadejackson.co/ and to find out more about the art of Improv and the Covert Theatre here https://www.coverttheatre.com/

Jun 20, 2024 • 44min
Change it Up
These days change is occurring so rapidly you can’t even finish saying VUCA* before something else is disrupting you or your business. Today’s episode is called ‘Change it Up’ and we’ll be exploring different ways on how you can grab business change with both hands. We’ll look at the different aspects of managing and leading change like that will help us to better future proof, and empower your leaders and teams to navigate and thrive in an ever-evolving landscape.
*VUCA - volatility, uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity.
Todays Guest
Natasha Redman is one of Melbourne’s leading change management specialists, a Kath and Kim superfan and a passionate agile and modern change enthusiast. She has worked across a range of industries and technologies and with many of Australia’s favourite corporates.
With a strong background in change leadership, she founded Casa De Cambio (Spanish for ‘House of Change’) in 2019 because she saw a real need for sustainable change. Right alongside Natasha hosts a successful podcast (also called Casa de Cambio!) about change, technology, innovation and leadership.
https://www.casadecambio.com.au/about
https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/casa-de-cambio/id1484318776
https://www.linkedin.com/in/natasharedman/
Intro / Outro Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!):
https://uppbeat.io/t/matrika/smack-that