The Agility Conversation

The infrastructure of your business, of your organization, is critical because it shapes behavior. And if you’re not careful, you’ll have an infrastructure that reinforces behaviors that aren’t agile, that hinder your ability to be nimble. In this episode, we discuss: What is infrastructure What are the three dimensions of infrastructure What is agile infrastructure How can you make the pivot on those three dimensions from waterfall to an agile infrastructure   Links and Other Information All episodes of The Agility Conversation: Click here Issue No. 1 of Retrospective: A Guide for Students of Agility

People often talk about “operations” and “operations management.” But what does it mean for those functions of the business to be agile? Can that even occur? In this episode, we unpack these ideas, including: What do we mean by “operations management” What is agile operations management versus waterfall operations management How can you pivot to agile operations management   Links and Other Information All episodes of The Agility Conversation: Click here Roese, N. J. (1997). Counterfactual thinking. Psychological Bulletin, 121(1), 133. Click here  Steven Rogelberg: podcast about meetings and using science to improve the workplace (link) and book The Surprising Science of Meetings (link)

Strategy is something you do once a year, right? Wrong! In this episode, we unpack what it means to have an agile strategy process and discuss how it benefits leaders and organizations. Specifically, we address:  Why might traditional ("waterfall") strategic planning be problematic? Why you should consider an agile strategy process How to make the pivot and implications for leaders and organizations Links and Other Information All episodes of The Agility Conversation: Click here

Every so often, we’re releasing an “ask us anything” episode of The Agility Conversation. In this episode, we delve into many topics under the general categories of (a) confusion about agile and (b) getting started.  Links and Other Information All episodes of The Agility Conversation: Click here  Ben’s white paper, “Agility and Agile: An Introduction for People, Leaders, and Organizations” click here  The Social Psychology of Organizing: click here   Managing the Unexpected: click here  Scrum: click here  Good to Great: click here Great by Choice: click here  Execution: click here  Agile at Spotify: video 

Agility is a journey, not a destination. It’s about getting more acutely oriented to the unfolding journey of your business differently perhaps than you have been oriented before.  With the speed of business, pace of change, and accelerating VUCA of the world we live in, business has become a 3-dimensional challenge. We explore in detail, focusing upon:  What is a journey orientation? How to get oriented to a journey differently than before?   What can you do to begin pivoting?   Links and Other Information All episodes of The Agility Conversation: Click here  Stouten, J., Rousseau, D. M., & De Cremer, D. (2018). Successful organizational change: Integrating the management practice and scholarly literatures. Academy of Management Annals, 12(2), 752-788. Click here  Thinking in Jazz: book  

What is “waterfall” as it pertains to projects--and more? And how does it compare with agile? In this episode, we dive into this topic. Specifically, we explore:  The primary differences between waterfall and agile  The deeper complexities in these two approaches toward work How you can overcome “waterfall inertia” with agile   Links and Other Information The Agile Manifesto TED marshmallow video: Click here 

If you want an agile organization, you must consider culture. In this episode, we explore organizational culture, with a focus on what it means to have a culture that supports agility. Specifically, we explore: Why an agile culture is essential and how it contrasts with a traditional or “waterfall” culture What organizational culture is anyway, and what having an agile culture entails How leaders can develop an agile culture or a culture that supports agility   Links and Other Information What to Learn from the Firing of Ford CEO Mark Fields: Click here  White paper on agility and agile for the Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology: Click here

Are you thinking about your thinking? Being an agile leader and building agility in your team or organization requires a look inward. In this episode, we discuss: What is mental agility and what are mental models? What are some examples of mental models and how they work? How to develop mental agility and practical steps for you to take Links and Other Information Fulmer, R. M., & Keys, J. B. (1998). A conversation with Peter Senge: New developments in organizational learning. Organizational dynamics, 27(2), 33-42. Click here Baran, B. E., & Woznyj, H. M. (2020). Managing VUCA: The human dynamics of agility. Organizational Dynamics. Click here Mathieu, J. E., Heffner, T. S., Goodwin, G. F., Salas, E., & Cannon-Bowers, J. A. (2000). The influence of shared mental models on team process and performance. Journal of Applied Psychology, 85(2), 273. Click here

Are you overwhelmed ... or are you under-organized? In this episode, we unpack ideas around the topic of agile productivity. Specifically, we talk about: Starting with your personal approach toward organization Meeting the challenge of turbulence with good triage Meetings, project management, and personal ways to view challenges Links and Other Information Upcoming webinar with Mike, Ben, and Chris: click here Other episodes of The Agility Conversation The Surprising Science of Meetings: book Related episode: Getting S*** Done James Reason’s Swiss Cheese Model: more info  David Krakauer: Intelligence and Stupidity

In this first episode of our series titled, "The Agility Conversation," we explore agile decision-making. Specifically, we discuss:  Agile conversation flow to cash flow Decision making and how your thoughts, questions and actions play a role Proactive conversation flow to improve functioning Links and Other Information Join us for a free webinar on Sept. 16, 2020! We'll be uncovering agility before, during, and after COVID--with a specific focus on the five roles of everyday agile leaders. Click here for more info.  Two books by Gary Klein: (1) Intuition at Work and (2) Sources of Power Baran, B. E., & Scott, C. W. (2010). Organizing ambiguity: A grounded theory of leadership and sensemaking within dangerous contexts. Military Psychology, 22: S42-S69. Click here