What exactly is Agile in HR?
What is agile?
The technical definition - Agile methods or Agile processes generally promote a disciplined project management process that encourages frequent inspection and adaptation, a leadership philosophy that encourages teamwork, self-organization and a shared/team accountability, a set of engineering best practices intended to allow for rapid delivery of high-quality software, and a business approach that aligns development with customer needs and company goals.
The less technical definition – Agile is a methodology that focuses on improving the effectiveness and value of a company’s project outcomes by using individual cross-functional teams allowing for faster more adaptable production or provision of value-based services. The philosophy of Agile is one of making decisions at the level of expertise, empowering people to learn, and experimenting with solutions that are co-created with customers.
According to this report by Deloitte, 79% of global executives believe that Agile performance management is considered a high organizational priority. Within their 2019 report, Agile continued to be a focus with the majority of companies surveyed engaging in some form of agile management.
Figure 1 Google search term interest. Agile(Blue), Scrum(Red) & OKR(Yellow)
Agile in HR
HR, like many roles within business has changed and continues to change at a rapid pace. In addition, as Industry 4.0 takes hold, the way management operates within business is changing. The traditional management approach focused on alignment and control with a tiered hierarchy. This approach has been replaced within many companies with a much more fluid management system that focuses on speed and customers with their goals being adaptability, innovation and agility.
HR’s role within companies has changed due to this more modern way of leading. Traditionally, HR’s function was to implement controls, standards and systems to drive alignment and execution whereas the more modern approach has shifted to focus on implementing programs, systems and strategies which foster expertise, collaboration and decision making. This shift allows HR professionals to manage volatility, enhance adaptability, and strengthen the organization by applying Agile methodologies to their talent-management processes.
(Some) Benefits of Agile HR
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Improved communication
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Catch problems while they’re still small
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Learn to better incorporate feedback
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Up to a 20% boost in employee engagement
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Improved visibility and control
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More flexible resource pool
If you want to achieve any of the benefits of Agile highlighted above, LeadingEdgeNow offers a variety of Agile courses; An introductory course on Agile Leadership combined with Agile HR and internationally recognised Agile certifications through ICAgile. Check out the courses for yourself or contact us here to learn more about Agile HR.