The age of Agile

Abstract

Purpose

Because too many firms are stuck on the treadmill of producing quarterly returns, often to be achieved through financial engineering, a new management mindset is needed set them to exploring new opportunities through innovation.

Design/methodology/approach

A new kind of management is emerging–called the Agile model– in which firms emphasize searching out opportunities, finding solutions through rapid experimentation, and achieving agility through decisiveness.

Findings

In organizations that have implemented the Agile model Agile, the distinction between exploration and exploitation tends to blur and even dissolve. Those involved in exploitation are also continuously looking for ways to improve performance. Those involved in exploration and development are continuously seeking ways to deliver value to customers sooner

Practical implications

Agile managements are learning to shift from scalable efficiency to scalable learning, where everyone is driven by the need to learn faster and accelerate performance improvement

Originality/value

This overview of how explains how all members of a organization–from the CEO to the front-line worker–will need to be involved in the implementation of the Agile model.

Citation

Denning, S. (2017), "The age of Agile", Strategy & Leadership, Vol. 45 No. 1, pp. 3-10. https://doi.org/10.1108/SL-12-2016-0086