Agile Organization – Enhance Efficiency and Productivity

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What is an agile organization?

Few terms have been used as extensively in recent years as agile, agility, and the agile organization. Unfortunately, this has led to “agile” being seen by some as a diluted or even meaningless buzzword. However, there are good reasons for the widespread focus on agility: an agile organization is a necessity in the unpredictable and ever-changing world we live in.

The word “agile” comes from the Latin agilis, derived from “to act.” Agility means to move and act—to be quick, light, and flexible in one’s movements. In an organizational context, agility refers to the ability to be fast and flexible in leadership and structure. More specifically, it’s about quickly reading what a situation demands and adapting leadership style, organizational setup, and work methods accordingly. Agile leadership depends on the ability to create meaning and navigate a continuously shifting context marked by complexity.

Why is the agile organization important for modern businesses?

Traditional ways of organizing—hierarchies, bureaucracies, clear chains of command, and fixed departmental boundaries—no longer reflect today’s reality. Many theorists describe today’s world as VUCA: Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity, and Ambiguity. Internal changes within organizations combined with external societal upheavals—from crises to climate to conflict—have shifted from being isolated projects to becoming the new normal.

These societal shifts have made agile organizations essential. The way to manage leadership and organization in a VUCA world is neither pure micromanagement—with controlling leaders monitoring every move—nor absolute freedom that leaves employees without direction or clarity on roles and responsibilities. Micromanagement leads to unproductive, demotivated employees; unlimited freedom results in ambiguity.

Leadership research suggests that the solution lies somewhere in between. Successful leadership is about balancing control with empowerment. The right balance depends on context, task, and situation. As volatility increases, so does the demand for leaders who can adapt their style—and lead with agility.

Benefits of an agile organization

When discussing agile organizations, it can be understood both as:

  1. an organizational meta-competence and
  2. a specific organizational form.


Agile leadership—the foundation of an agile organization—is a meta-competence. Rather than subscribing to a single leadership style (“I have the solution; what’s the problem?”), agile leadership means using your full repertoire and adapting your approach to fit each context (“What’s the problem? Let’s find the best solution”).

As an organizational form, agility means the organization can adapt to and respond to discontinuity—or its expectation—in its environment. Agile organizing is about adjusting structure to match changing circumstances—whether through line hierarchies, matrix structures, or networked organizations. You’ll encounter various models: Adhocracy, SAFe, TEAL, Holocracy, agile organizing, Spotify model, etc.

Benefits of an agile organization include faster decision-making by bypassing slow command chains; increased efficiency and creativity; and greater adaptability to market demands—all benefiting both the organization and its stakeholders.

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Inspiration

We help you create an agile organization

At LEAD we offer advice on transformation from traditional to agile organizing/leadership as well as tailored courses and training programs in agile leadership.

Presentations

Inspirational research-based presentations on agile organizing for all levels your organization.

Sparring

Advisory support regarding your development of agile leadership or key decisions/initiatives.

Workshop

Facilitation of active workshops focused on agile leadership at both management and employee levels.

LEAD’s approach to building an agile organization

In our programs you gain knowledge and tools for transforming your organization toward greater agility. We always tailor our courses/advisory programs to client needs—based on your specific structure and challenges.

Our guidance typically addresses questions such as:

  • Agile organizational structures: How do you shape your organization according to agile principles? Where does it make sense to implement agile methods? What is needed for a successful transformation? How do you navigate organizations using both hierarchical and agile structures in parallel?

  • Organizational culture: What are your underlying assumptions? What potential exists for greater agility? What needs changing/learning for successful reorganization? How do you find the right balance depending on task/context?

  • Implementing agile work methods: What’s the purpose of these methods? How do we adapt them to our needs/context? How do we lead iterative processes focused on continuous improvement?

     

  • Agile teams: What should you consider when forming cross-functional teams? How do you develop collaboration/team performance? How do you foster leadership within self-organized teams?

The consulting team working with agile organizing

Andreas Fricke Møller

Partner

Laust Søndertoft Pedersen

Chief Consultant

Mette Tange

Chief Consultant

Claus Elmholdt

Professional Director  & founder

Would you like to learn more about what we can do for your organization?

Are you facing organizational change? Do you need strategic advice or a leadership development program?

Contact us so we can tailor a program that develops exactly those competencies and structures needed to strengthen and future-proof your organization.

Claus Elmholdt

Professional Director | Founder

Cand.Psych.Aut. & Ph.D., Associate Professor in Leadership & Organizational Psychology, Aalborg University

Mobile: +45 26 14 51 57
Email: ce@lead.eu