Twenty years ago, the Agile Manifesto was published for the first time. Today, with 357% more remote work job postings, agile is even more valid than ever. Companies are looking for new ways to build resilient teams and operating models to overcome Covid-19 and the Great Resignation while driving a diverse hybrid workforce.
This post was originally posted @ Forbes
Agile is definitely gaining momentum as the preferred framework to help organizations during a crisis, especially in hybrid teams: the organizations that adapted quickest were self-organizing teams that applied agile practices. Still, the question remains on the best approach to implement it, given that agile methods require changing habits ingrained in the company culture. Agile requires both top-down and bottom-up transformations from new ways to conducting a meeting to organizing work within a team or evaluating performance.
Hiring a coach versus starting the change from within
Agile coaches are the ones to help teams learn to adopt and practice agile methods, overcoming the urge to go back to old behaviors. The coach role is trainer, facilitator, consultant and mentor, helping people rethink and change the way they work. Some coaches could be internal, some external. With so many videos, blogs, posts, podcasts and webinars online, many companies opt for the DIY approach, while others prefer to hire an external coach. What are the pros and cons?
A McKinsey report explains that “the degree of change required to adopt agile ways of working across an entire organization is simply too large to repurpose existing roles and structures. Only by investing in agility coaches—and a comprehensive program to identify, train, and support them—can companies expect to scale and sustain agile across the enterprise.” An external coach, even though is not an expert on the company process, provides a fresh and unbiased perspective.
The same report also alarms that “outsourcing these key roles will often lead to an influx of agility coaches who are disconnected from a company’s culture”.
A solution that seems to be gaining momentum is to hire an agile coach (or a small team) that can help the organization get inspired, agree on the central values and strategies to move forward and define a model to train internal coaches. Internal coaches with an external guide can connect new ideas to the current culture while maintaining a professional approach to follow the methodology and bring new insights.
Especially with hybrid teams, agile coaches help team members be engaged, inspired by a new vision and overcome communication barriers. Below are the four benefits of hiring agile coaches:
1- Offer Immediate feedback
One thing that remote work promotes is asynchronous communication while delaying or preventing immediate feedback. It is one of the main sources of frustration from employees who work from home, who may crave more input from their supervisors. One-on-one coaching helps bridge that gap with continuous and structured support. Feedback goes both ways, allowing the coach to determine if agile methods are being well received.
2- Help Overcoming resistance
Another typical way to learn nowadays is just by listening. Audiobooks and podcasts are very informative and convenient, as you can even learn while driving. Still, only a live coach can emphasize what is more important at the right time when employees ask for specific applications on the job or talk about “how the company actually works”. That is how a coach can identify and address resistance to implement the method.
3- Use real and tangible examples
Going to the “Gemba” (where the action takes place in Japanese) or attending a live meeting, even if it is remote, is the most effective way to provide feedback and help work differently. Usually, attendees don’t recognize these issues as “a problem” until they see them in real-time facilitated by a coach.
4- Transpire positive energy
A coach can help identify best practices within the team, share them and help to multiply them across the organization. Providing some reward for a job well done, shows some appreciation and increases positive energy flow.
The key to a successful agile journey lies in meaningful hands-on practice and a widespread willingness to introduce a real change. The coach cannot remove the workplace barriers unless they unleash the power of the employees. The passion of the coach and the relationship they build with the teams can make or break the desire to be agile. The pandemic allowed us to change how work is done. It’s time to grasp the chance and enjoy the journey.
