Chapter 8– Organizational Agility
Organizational Agility
Organizational agility- An ability for an organization to renew itself, adapt, change quickly, and succeed
in a rapidly changing, ambiguous, turbulent environment. Agility is not incompatible with stability –
agility requires stability.
Improving agility in tough times: three lessons
Lesson #1: There should be as much rigor (consistency) devoted to management before a crisis as
during it. “People see volatility as something beyond their control. It puts them on edge, heightens
emotions and compromises good decision-making,”. When a crisis happens, organizations tend to
overcompensate. Yet during such times organizations need people at all levels to remain calm and
focused.
Lesson #2: Do not let communication and teamwork lapse. People tend to withdraw when troubles
brew. As a result, teamwork can suffer, often at times when companies need it most. Management
needs to make the first move to reassure anxious employees whose confidence in the company’s
direction may have faded. It’s important for leaders to be honest, forthright and direct with their
employees and communicate with greater frequency.
Lesson #3: Be wary of the status quo. The point at which things start to go wrong is often when
everything seems okay on the surface. Managers tend to miss the proverbial red flags until it’s too
late. People are more inclined to probe poor results than they are good ones, says Ms Stockmann.
