Strategic agility in a changing world
Over the past two decades, advances in technology have triggered unprecedented changes across all aspects of society. In the business world, this tech-shift has created a context of constantly evolving customer and market needs.
Developments in digital technologies, such as smart devices, the Internet of Things (IoT), artificial intelligence (AI) and blockchain, have disrupted and transformed markets at astonishing speed. The world as we know it today is volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous. As a result, the strategies that once delivered deep market power and long-term dominance are no longer effective.
In this paper, we will look at the ways organisations need to adapt their approach to strategy to survive in the current business context and will show how adopting and embracing AgileSHIFT practices and principles can support them in this.
Some organisations are naturally agile: with seeming effortlessness, they continually move to where they can deliver the most value to their customers. They make mistakes on the way, but their agile processes allow them to learn quickly and to respond by improving their performance with every new challenge.
However, most organisations are less coordinated and have less intuition on where or how to deliver the best value. In slow- moving markets it’s okay to be a little less coordinated, but when the pace of change picks up and when disruptors rapidly enter the market, agility becomes the critical approach and mindset for organisations.
AXELOS is a joint venture company co-owned by the UK Government’s Cabinet Office and Capita plc. and this free white paper written by IQS Founder and Director, Kuldip Sandhu PhD, shows best practice methodologies used globally by professionals working primarily in project, programme and portfolio management, IT service management and cyber resilience.
The AgileSHIFT practices are as follows:
Engage stakeholders. Establish goals based on the needs of one or more stakeholders such as customers and partners.
Build collaborative teams. Agile decision-making is treated as a team sport.
Plan to be flexible and adaptable. Decision-making processes empower people in the organisation as deeply as possible.
Deliver iteratively and incrementally. Decisions must be tested as quickly as possible.
If addressed continually, the AgileSHIFT practices will allow an organisation to adapt to the changing business context, but these must go hand in hand with an appropriate organisational culture that supports a transformational mindset underpinned by the AgileSHIFT principles.
In addition to agile practices and an appropriate organisational culture, organisations that want their strategy to succeed need a purpose that all their employees can follow. That may sound like a very sentimental assertion, but it’s actually a logical and rational requirement for strategically agile organisations.
As new opportunities appear, decision-makers throughout the organisation need to be empowered to assess what fits the organisation’s portfolio of assets and initiatives so they can make decisions quickly and independently. That’s why a strategically agile organisation, one that is designed to continually adapt to a constantly changing world, must have a clear purpose.
This free White Paper gives CIO's or those responsible for IT an introduction to AgileSHIFT and the benefits companies can expect when they embrace a culture of agility.
About the Author
Kuldip is a C-level Digital / IT Transformation and Change Programme delivery specialist. He brings 23+ years of experience working in IT across public and private sectors. Internationally, he has worked with PwC CIO Advisory, TCS, HP Consulting, Reuters, and the UK Ministry of Defence.
In addition, he has worked with multiple renowned clients including RBS, Citigroup, Saxo Bank, State Street, AIA, Aviva, Scottish Widows, EDF Trading, Bank of Tokyo Mitsubishi, First Data Corporation, Slaughter & May, Coventry City Council, University of London International Academy, University of Cambridge, and Durham University; and vendors such as HP, CA, BMC & Microsoft, and IT managed service providers.
He is passionate about delivering Digital/IT change to enhance the engagement of customers and to deliver efficiencies and improve IT maturity across major sectors.
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