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Agile. What does the word remind you of? Gazelles streaking across the savannah? Mountain goats on a perilous cliffside? Or perhaps the neighbourhood stray cat, who always lands feet first from an impossible perch? Coming to business speak, ‘agile working’ is now a popular, even aspirational term, referring to an unconventional, contemporary style of working that is in sync with the imperatives of industry today. ‘Agile working’ captures the qualities typically associated with nimble-footed animals – swiftness, fluidity, focus, and adaptability – all of which businesses today need to embrace to survive, thrive, and ace the game.
Interestingly, there is more than one definition of agile working in business circles. In one context, it refers to physical workspaces cleverly designed for flexible, collaborative functioning. In a second, agile working refers to a non-hierarchical way of functioning, where employees can rapidly assemble in teams to work on specific tasks and goals. Then there is agile staffing – a flexible recruitment process where companies hire people for work only when required.
So what makes an agile work culture a must for business today? Essentially, companies that adopt agile working can:
- Save on costs and make optimal use of office space
- Foster a culture of creativity and innovation
- Attract and retain high-calibre talent
- Boost productivity
- Adapt and respond swiftly to a shifting business environment and
- Stay ahead of the competition
If that sounds like an exciting premise for both employers and workers, it is. Here is a closer look at some ways that agile working is being applied the world over.
Design for agile working
An agile office space keeps employers and employees happy, inspired, productive, and comfortable. Let us see how.
Data shows that up to 45% of office area goes largely unutilised, with employees going out, attending meetings, on vacation, on sick leave or away on training programmes – a waste of expensive real estate!
Now we have agile office design, typically consisting of well lit, aesthetically pleasing open spaces that can be used for multiple purposes. There are quiet zones for working alone, but fixed desks are few. Instead, flexible workstations are more the norm. Hot-desking, where employees move to available workstations rather than having assigned work spots helps companies to cut back on real estate expenses. The space thus saved is used instead for other purposes, such as comfortable corners for taking a quick break, spaces for formal and casual meetings, team collaboration, and conferencing.
Importantly, agile office design, with vibrant and contemporary aesthetics rubs off positively on a young, diverse workforce. Some organisations go that extra mile, inviting ideas from employees on office design.
Research shows that agile work spaces confer a host of other employee-related benefits:
- Both recruitment and retention rates are higher in agile offices as they attract high-calibre candidates who are drawn by an environment that exudes positive energy.
- Agile working suggests both efficiency and quick action and hence agile work areas are designed for speedy communication and decision-making. This enables companies to be more responsive to customer needs and stay ahead of the competition.
- Agility is also synonymous with the ability to make unexpected moves, push boundaries and disrupt old ways of thinking. The agile workspace is designed to promote out-of-the-box thinking, innovating and going where others have not. Diverse groups of employees with cross-functional skills working together fosters a culture of experimentation – an exciting and engaging environment for young employees.
Agile ways to improve retention levels:
Agile working, in terms of how the company’s workforce operates, is characterised by how nimbly people are able to respond to shifts in the business environment. It is a no-brainer that to sustain such performance, a company needs employees who are not only skilled, but deeply engaged with their job functions and invested in the success of the organisation.
For HR managers under pressure to control employee attrition, it is imperative to adopt methods that keep office morale high and motivate high-skilled talent in complex job roles to stay on. Here are some ways in which agile organisations strive to accomplish these objectives:
Encouraging ownership
Agile organisations understand that to win employees’ confidence and loyalty, it is essential to let them function with a high degree of autonomy. Giving employees control over setting their own goals translates into a win-win proposition for both the workforce and the organisation because:
- It signals recognition and trust in employees’ abilities
- Boosts workers’ self-confidence
- Cuts down absenteeism
- Collaborative decision-making permits diverse perspectives and hence, more innovative solutions
- It instils a strong sense of belonging to the organisation
The rationale for autonomous groups is based on the assumption that such teams can make informed decisions and adapt more quickly to changes than if they have to function in a conventional, top-down hierarchical structure. Being self-reliant, the group learns to adjust, switch priorities, and seek ways to work around roadblocks. Typically, such teams are composed of self-organised groups who formulate their own processes to accomplish their goals. The freedom they enjoy enables individual team members to contribute their unique thoughts, skills, and work experience to the work at hand.
Importantly, an autonomous style of functioning should not be mistaken for a complete absence of leadership. Self-organisation in this context means that leadership is spread across the team; each member can be a leader in different situations.
Self-organised teams do face challenges. For the agile approach to work smoothly, the autonomy they enjoy should have clearly defined boundaries; without such definition, there could be confusion leading to less effective outcomes. Also the concept of decentralised decision-making can lead to conflicts and delays. It is imperative that teams have strategies in place to make collective decisions. In short, the rules of the game must be clearly spelt out for teams to produce the desired results.
| The Agile Manifesto - how it all began In 2001, 17 technologists framed the four principles that define agile project management as a guide map for teams to develop better software. This has come to be known as the Agile Manifesto: Individuals and interactions over processes and tools |
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Flexible working styles
Another way that agile organisations build loyalty is by adopting flexible work routines that signal their concern for employees' lives. From lengthy, tedious commutes to childcare needs, employees juggle multiple challenges in their personal lives that impact their decision to stay on with an organisation. Remote work and job-sharing are examples of how companies can help talented employees work around personal concerns, stay on top of their goals and retain their commitment to the organisation.
Strengthening manager-employee bonds
Agile performance management requires keeping closely in touch with employees. Annual performance reviews are passé for a business environment that must counter high competition and unexpected shifts. Research says that organisations that have introduced a culture of frequent employee feedback – instead of yearly appraisals – are reaping the benefits of a sharp decrease in staff turnover. With regular appraisals, employees can give current feedback and seek answers to immediate concerns. These are also ideal opportunities for managers to acknowledge good performance, offer encouragement, and develop close bonds that support employee engagement levels.
Bonding at work
Even in the best designed and managed agile offices, employers must contend with stress and anxiety issues in the workforce. Humans are social beings; an agile leadership recognises this and therefore stresses the importance of strong social bonding to keep staff morale high. Cordial relationships among employees are known to boost productivity. To develop a positive and friendly office culture, agile organisations consciously promote social interaction among employees, from casual conversations around a coffee dispenser to company-sponsored offsites that build close ties.
Agile staffing
In fast-evolving business environments – especially in the tech industry – the need often arises for specialised talent to handle short-term engagements. If the existing workforce is already stretched in terms of time and workload, what is the best way to work around the situation? An agile organisation knows the answer – short-term or flexi-staffing. It is a tough call for a multitasking HR department to also manage a large database of candidates which can be tapped for remote, freelance or part-time workers. This is where a recruitment process outsourcing (RPO) vendor can make the difference. Reputed RPO vendors can offer instant services for short-term projects. Their ready pool of knowledge workers can be tapped and scaled according to a company’s specific requirements – an agile solution for unexpected situations.
Today, a young generation with high-calibre skills – millennials and Gen Z – seeks a range of non-traditional employment options, from full-time work to more flexible work routines. For an agile organisation seeking temporary staffing solutions, RPO vendors can deploy both technical and non-technical gig workers with end-to-end services from sourcing and assessment to hiring, onboarding and compliance management.
Agile working has its origins in the management of software development projects. However, the principles on which agile is based have caught the imagination of business leaders across industries and are being applied in different contexts. While there are many benefits to agile working, there are challenges too, especially for organisations wanting to switch from old ways of working to the autonomy-based, free-flowing ways of agile. Employees accustomed to fixed, hierarchical structures, whether in terms of office space or their own job functions may experience anxiety and stress as the organisation transitions to agile; it is essential that HR managers find ways to reassure them and keep their morale high.
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