“84% of executives say organizational agility is necessary to succeed in digital transformation. Yet, only 27% consider their organizations as highly agile.” – Forbes Insights/PMI
When it comes to increasing productivity, start by looking at the agility of your organization. Are you able to adapt to different ways of work? This doesn’t mean asking people to work longer or harder, but rather providing them with solutions that fit both how they work today and will in the future. Let’s look into how exactly you can achieve this level of agility, but first, be sure to catch up on any of the previous parts of this series you may have missed:
- Part 1: An Executive’s Guide to Measuring Digital Transformation
- Part 2: An Executive’s Guide to Delivering on Strategy in a Digitally Connected World
- Part 3: An Executive’s Guide to Driving Innovation
- Part 4: An Executive’s Guide to Making Informed Investment Decisions
Alright, we all understand that people work in different ways, and this is a good thing, as long as they’re being productive. However, when encumbered by numerous tools that don’t operate in sync, these differences in work become a hindrance to productivity—they limit collaboration and visibility into how work contributes to strategic goals.
It doesn’t have to be this way. By becoming an agile organization, you can give employees the ability to select the right tools and adapt their methodologies to the work, as opposed to the other way around, all the while ensuring that everyone is contributing to the broader strategy. Talk about a competitive advantage. Simply follow these guidelines to get your organization on the right path:
Don’t demand a single approach, tool, or methodology.
This will only limit your productivity. Teams are more fragmented than ever—working across disciplines, cultures, time zones, departments, and organizational boundaries—therefore, they require a higher level of agility. A “one size fits all” approach simply won’t work in today’s world of work.
Adopt tailored solutions that reflect and automate the wide range of work methodologies.
With teams being so dispersed, they need digital, automated solutions to collaborate effectively. This includes methodologies such as Agile, iterative, collaborative, and more. Only then can you give them the ability to visualize their work, communicate effectively, and easily provide status updates.
Better balance planned and unplanned work.
This is also achieved through automated solutions. By being able to balance the two, your organization will have the ability to reliably meet delivery commitments and retain customers. Further, with an automated system, you will develop repeatable processes that will drive continuous improvement.
Ultimately, tailored solutions that automate today’s wide range of work methodologies are key to executing faster and increasing the productivity of your organization. With this, you will not only reduce non-productive time, such as tracking down information from various sources and holding constant status meetings, but will build a foundation for your organization to operate at the speed of digital transformation.
To learn all about navigating today’s world of work, check out the eBook, “Deliver Your Digital Transformation Strategy at Speed,” and continue reading for the final part of this series that will provide a wrap-up of everything you need to know.
