AMIA#32 | Thriving in Chaos: Agility Philosophies that Shattered Conventional Thinking
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AMIA: #32
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Agility Unlocked: Timeless Wisdom from Maverick Minds
You know how companies these days have to be really flexible and quick to change with the times? We’ve seen a wave of ‘Agile transformations’ that have really not gone anywhere.
In an article on LinkedIn, Al Shalloway explained that there are two groups emerging within the Agile community.
The article highlights two camps emerging in the Agile community - one portraying management as the problem and adopting a victim mentality, while the other embraces the scientific principles of thinkers like Deming and Goldratt to empower themselves as professionals. It urges readers to choose the latter camp, taking responsibility and continuously learning, rather than blaming management for Agile's challenges.
Well, Al referenced some really smart people from the past who came up with ideas that can help organizations become more agile and adaptable.
Let me tell you about a few of those ideas and the thinkers behind them.
Systems Thinking for the Big Picture
Russell Ackoff, Christopher Alexander, and W. Edwards Deming talked a lot about "systems thinking." Basically, they said that instead of looking at just one part of a company, you need to understand how everything is connected and impacts each other. It's like looking at the whole picture instead of just a tiny piece. This big-picture view can help companies respond better to changes happening around them.
Continuous Improvement for Constant Evolution
Deming, Donald Reinertsen, Eliyahu Goldratt, and Tom Gilb were really into this idea of "continuous improvement." They believed that companies should always be learning, getting better bit-by-bit, and fine-tuning how they do things. By constantly improving, companies can quickly fix problems and take advantage of new opportunities that come their way.
Customer-Centric for Unbeatable Adaptability
Deming, in particular, was obsessed with really understanding what customers want and need. He said that by putting the customer first and aligning everything a company does with customer needs, it becomes much easier to adapt to changing customer demands and expectations.
Data-Driven Decisions for Agile Choices
Another big idea from Deming was using data and evidence to make decisions, rather than just guessing. By really studying the facts and numbers, companies can make smarter choices about where they need to improve or change direction.
Efficiency for Streamlined Responsiveness
Deming, Goldratt, and Gilb also pushed this idea of cutting out waste and unnecessary complexity from business processes. By keeping things simple and streamlined, companies can be more nimble and responsive when things need to change.
Cross-Functional Collaboration for Coordinated Agility
Finally, guys like Ackoff, Deming, and Goldratt emphasized teamwork across different departments in a company. When everyone works together and communicates well, instead of being stuck in their own silos, a company can be way more coordinated and agile in making changes.
While none of these thinkers directly talked about "agility" as a buzzword, their ideas around systems thinking, continuous improvement, customer focus, evidence-based decisions, efficiency, and collaboration are all things that can help make companies much more adaptable and agile in today's fast-paced world.
References
Ackoff, R. L. (1981). Creating the corporate future: Plan or be planned for. University of Texas Press.
Alexander, C. (1979). The timeless way of building. Oxford University Press.
Reinertsen, D. G. (2009). The principles of product development flow: Second generation lean product development. Celeritas Publishing.
Deming, W. E. (2000). Out of the crisis. MIT press.
Goldratt, E. M., & Cox, J. (2004). The goal: A process of ongoing improvement. Great Barrington, MA: North River Press.
Gilb, T. (2005). Competitive engineering: A handbook for systems engineering, requirements engineering, and software engineering using Planguage. Elsevier.
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