It is no secret that we live in a fast-paced world where things change extremely quickly. The technology we use has a massive impact on our lives in both work and leisure. Some of the things we rely on today and take for granted didn’t exist at all a decade ago, so it is clear to see how important keeping up with technology is. This fast-paced society brings both challenges and opportunities with it, which
agile working is designed to tackle head-on. Agile methodologies are used across a wide range of industries and bring with them many benefits. Flexibility is one of the most critical parts of an agile work culture. It is essential that you can adapt to meet the evolving demands of your team and business. Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, this flexibility and adaptability are more important than ever. Many businesses are making changes to work in a more agile fashion, and these seven tips can help.
Ensure A Safe Environment For Innovation
Employees will only be able to be truly innovative if they have the confidence to make mistakes without major consequences. An agile business will constantly create new solutions to problems, so having the freedom for creativity is crucial. All the leaders within your business need to create an environment where agile workflows are free to thrive. Agile is all about flexibility and ongoing improvements, so create a culture where your team can innovate and sometimes fail without fear. It is also essential to ensure everyone is learning from these failures and moving on and improving.
Provide Autonomy And Trust
In order to promote an agile work culture in your business, you must give your team the autonomy they require. This includes having trust that your employees are going to do their jobs, both remotely and onsite. You will never be able to create an agile culture if your team do not feel like you have trust in their work. Because of so much uncertainty going on at the moment, flexibility is critical. Your teams must be able to work autonomously with confidence in order to create an agile working world.
Hold Daily Meetings
In agile methodologies, regular scrum meetings are held to keep a project in check. This is an idea that all businesses, no matter the industry, can adopt. Hold a short daily scrum meeting every morning to kickstart the day. During this meeting, talk freely about the specifics of a project, including any challenges or roadblocks that individuals might be facing. Scheduling a time for this meeting every day can help teams with flexible work schedules stay in touch and up to date.
Reward Productivity With Time Off
Agile culture is all about flexibility and freedom, so providing this to your teams is critical. With the right kind of structure in place, workforces can remain productive and flexible. Because of the pandemic, this freedom and adaptability are more important than ever before. Reward productive employees with paid time off, as long as all their duties and goals are being met. This kind of recognition and trust will further encourage productivity and improve employee satisfaction.
Promote A Healthy Work-Life Balance
A healthy balance between work and play can improve productivity, staff happiness and overall results for your team. As a leader, you need to take some responsibility for your teams, particularly those that work remotely. Working from home can make this balance a challenge, so it is your job to do everything you can to encourage it. Consider asking teams to schedule in some downtime and pay attention to those that seem to be overworking. If anyone in your team seems to be struggling with separating work and life, then do what you can to encourage a healthier balance.
Hold Cross-Departmental Meetings
Having team members who don’t usually work together attending the same meetings will encourage a more diverse workplace. This is so important in an agile work culture because it helps everyone stay in touch and involved with all business areas. Get some new voices at the table and encourage your teams to speak freely to one another about their current challenges. You might find some talent that wasn’t initially apparent, and it helps to avoid silos in the workplace. Not only that, but this cross-departmental communication will break down the hierarchy because everyone is on the same page.
Measure Results Instead Of Hours
Many businesses focus so heavily on their employees’ hours that they fail to see the crucial results. Shift your focus from the number of hours worked to the results they are achieving and their overall productivity. Because most individuals respond more positively to this approach, it is a great way to encourage an agile work culture. The only time this is challenging is when fixed office hours are required. If your teams don’t need to be working set hours, then give them the control and flexibility to manage their own schedule. Ultimately, promoting an agile work culture among your team is a significant change from traditional approaches. You need to have the whole organisation on the same page, and everyone in the business must take ownership of their own way of working. The key driver behind agile methodologies is flexibility, so make sure that is engrained into all members of your team. At TSG Training, we offer various courses to help you and your team learn all about agile methods. We have courses for all levels and abilities, so whether you are already clued up on agile or new to an agile environment. Contact our team today to find out more and discuss your
agile learning requirements.
