Known as Agility or Agile Coaching, the concept of agile management was born in software development companies in the early 2000’s as a response to the need for rapid adaptation in the generation of customer-oriented products, with methodologies and operational processes that are not found in most traditional companies nowadays.

 This new philosophy implies a change in the role of all the people in the organisation, regardless of their hierarchy, which generates a huge impact from the organisational structure and decision-making processes to professional profiles, especially leadership styles.

7 out of 10 companies apply Agile Leadership today, making their teams work more collaborative, self-organised and resilient in a constantly changing environment.

Business Agility Corporation (BAC), a Spanish association that seeks to achieve success in adapting to new working styles, presented their 1st BACometer in 2018. This report showcases the Agile state of companies in Spain, measuring the general evolution of the Agile methodology and its practices.

According to the report, sectors such as banking and insurance stand out for adopting Agile Leadership, compared to more industrial environments where their need to maintain it is much more recent. It surprisingly indicates that CEOS are the main drivers of this work methodology  and that almost 70% of the companies surveyed use Agile on a regular basis and 20% have adopted it as default working style. As for the results obtained after the application of this productivity method, the report indicates that Agile is already materialising in tangible results, highlighting the speed of delivery, the improvement of the team relationship and the continuous adaptation to everyday needs.

According to Deloitte research carried out in 2017, 32% of executives are dedicating efforts in designing their companies under agile, adaptable systems focused on multidisciplinary teamwork. For this, the implementation of the agile methodology is necessary, for it guarantees them a more competitive and innovative future.

“If we really want to carry out a vision of deep and sustainable organizational agility, we must start by changing our assumptions and fundamental beliefs about the idea of ​​leadership,”said  Michael Hamman .

The role of the agile leader is essential. Agile teams need supportive leaders to help them frame the right goals, so the organisation works in support of agility. This leader must be flexible, adaptable and quick in decision-making, just as the company must adapt to the market in order to generate substantial benefits according to the nine principles of Agile by HITOS

Some leadership actions that support Agile transformation are listed below:

  • Actions speak louder than words.
  • Better quality thinking leads to better results.
  • Organisations improve through effective feedback.
  • People require purpose and meaning to be fulfilled.
  • Emotions, your basics for improving creativity and innovation.
  • Leadership lives everywhere within the organisation.
  • Agile leaders properly empower their teams and themselves.
  • Collaborative communities accomplish more than individuals.
  • Great ideas can come from everywhere.