Any enterprise operating in the modern business world has likely heard the term “agile management.” There are four main factors that define agile management:
- Flexible, interactive ideation.
- Participation by capable individuals.
- Openness to consistent customer feedback.
- A willingness from management to accept non-hierarchical forms of leadership.
Agile management processes are driven by collaboration among highly skilled individuals from every business unit at a company – and even clients – in the goal-achievement process. Companies structured around agility are far less focused on hierarchy. Instead, leaders are more concerned about concerned about cross-functional participation that includes staff at every level of the organization.
Agile management is crucial to modern-day business success. As Forbes pointed out, leaders that embrace more traditional management structures today breed dispirited employees, struggle with innovation and experience overall declines in their success and returns on investment.
Of course, adopting agile methodologies can be challenging. However, at BetterWorks, agility is at the core of everything we do. We know with the right tools in place, such as interactive goal setting software, agile management is a very real possibility with great rewards to follow.
The Value in Numbers
Adjusting to an agile management structure takes time, but the rewards are countless. For example, Forbes cited companies that use agile management such as Apple, Google and Facebook whose market capitalizations have reached upwards of $300 billion, while other enterprises that still utilize more conservative structures, like IBM, are on a steady decline.
Moreover, project management tool Wrike shared data that sheds some very real light on the benefits of agile. According to the results, 75 percent of agile organizations achieved their goals compared to companies with low agility, where only 56 percent met their objectives. Additionally, agile organizations grew their revenue 37 percent faster and generated 30 percent higher profits than non-agile companies.
“Agile organizations grew their revenue 37 percent faster.”
So Where Do Goals Come In?
Flexibility is at the core of agile management. Since the purpose of this modern process is to achieve business objectives more quickly and effectively, we think goal structures also need to be flexible. Additionally, goals should do more than give managers and employees a metric by which to measure their performance. Instead, interactive goals empower leaders to visualize their teams’ progress and adjust their strategies and courses of action in real time.
Also important is the fact that interactive, transparent goal setting structures eliminate hierarchical roadblocks to innovation and instead empower talent at every level of an organization to contribute to the highest-level company goals. Further, consistent access to goals and progress and an in-depth visualization gives leaders the tools they need to adjust strategies.
A Tool for Managerial Empowerment
Beyond that, interactive goal setting software provides managers an essential tool to lead more effectively. Forbes also shared data from a poll that found among people working in firms where agile management is implemented, 88 percent cited tension between the way agile teams operated and how the rest of the organization is managed. Additionally, our case studies revealed that according to a Bersin report, 51 percent of senior leaders discuss goals with business leaders, but only 6 percent communicate progress with managers.
In our minds, there is a major communication discrepancy and frustration is warranted. In fact, agile management just isn’t possible without transparency and horizontal communication that empowers managers to lead well. However, the inclusion of interactive goal setting software helps create aligned teams and enhances discussions surrounding company goals, eliminating tension and improving collaboration.
At BetterWorks, we believe agile management and goals go hand-in-hand. With the right tools in place, enterprises can lead more effectively and enjoy greater success over the long-term.