Agile HR for Agile Businesses
Changing Times Call for Changing Measures
In today’s world, there is an evident need to modernize, digitalize and deliver value at speed. The transformation that businesses are undergoing requires flexibility, adaptability to change, and continuous dialogue and feedback that lead to creative practical solutions. That is to say, in this time of transformation, and as organizations consider ways to revolutionize their work toward more productive and efficient modes of function, business agility has increasingly become a concept to implement in any industry, and HR management is the way to do so.
Agile Business
An agile business is one that adapts quickly to market changes, and responds rapidly and flexibly to customer needs through internal and external means. Businesses are increasingly innovating agile methods to maintain competitive advantage and adapt to complex and volatile business environments without compromising quality.
Agile businesses prioritize practical, flexible, simple, and fast modes of collaborative work that result in smaller and consumable increments of work that is delivered frequently and responds to continuous feedback. Agile HR management supports this mode of work.
Agile HR
Agile HR helps management adapt to change by flexibly employing the right talents for open positions. Agility is a mindset and is based on four pillars:
An emphasis on individuals and interactions over rigid processes and tools. Continuous interaction amongst team members as well as with the customer leads to a better understanding of the problem that needs tackling and the most suitable action to meet all requirements.
A working software over comprehensive documentation. Needed documentation still takes place, but in a way that provides value while not hindering the team’s progress.
Customer collaboration and communication over contract negotiation. This encourages a constructive cooperation between customers and the development team to craft the best way forward together, rather than viewing each other as adversaries.
Responding to change over following a set plan. The ability to welcome and adapt to change is a powerful tool that leads to the best outcomes.
The Agile Way
To ensure that your business is following an agile methodology:
- Check that you and your team are clear on the problem you are trying to fix. To define your problem, consult with all stakeholders. Involve and collaborate with them to agree on identified gaps, how measured, and steps to fill them.
- Define your resources. Small teams with complementary skills help make the work agile. Define responsibilities and expectations, while keeping flexibility and willingness to change strategy at every step.
- Start with your first sprint. Implement your first doable segment of work, and run it by your customers for feedback, or just to keep them updated and manage their expectations.
- Take note of feedback and be prepared for change.
- Learn from the first segment of work, build on it with better ways to implement the project, collaborate with all stakeholders, and proceed with the next segment.
How Can HR Make a Business Agile
An agile HR model helps in developing business leaders at all levels. It manages today’s younger workforce who come with new and different demands and engages them in dynamic and flexible career paths.
Agile HR management systems allow for real-time feedback and a steep learning curve. With clear objectives and continuous communication amongst employees and managers. The quick turnaround and feedback allow for learning and continuous improvement of work mode and results. HR empowers both employees and managers to take ownership of talent development, by drawing analyses of the skills needed for each task and the available pool of talents. It creates a database of talented individuals, in addition to available and required skills to pipeline for future needs.
