How Self-Organizing Teams Help You Manage Change
Agile organizations employ the power of self-organizing teams at every turn. The cultural shift into sustainable agility is a move from hierarchy and information hoarding to self organization and knowledge sharing. Decisions in an agile organization are not made by one individual, but rather pushed to those who work in closest relationship to the customers.
In agile organizations, employees and leaders are transparent about the work they do and the value they bring. They are no longer trying to protect information, but rather democratize it. With open communication pathways, your teams’ interactions become more about efficiency, discovery, and innovation than perfection, as everyone knows there will be an opportunity to evaluate, iterate, and refine. Communication is made frictionless as daily stand-ups and weekly all-hands meetings are conducted, so that each person within the organization is aware of what is happening in each team, department, or location.
Change Is a Good Thing
Effective change management is directly associated with the vision of your company, and it is evolution-oriented. Change management has three parts: testing change, implementing change and perceiving change. Business is ever-evolving. Innovative business partnerships are now more crucial than before. Technology is also encouraging competition. Startups and agile high-tech firms are setting the pace that companies that do not follow go-to-market trends could soon be left out of the race. Demographics and global economics are shifting. The world is changing rapidly. On the same nerve, emerging markets are growing exponentially, which means agile firms have the power to respond immediately.
Engagement Leads to Satisfaction
Never underestimate the power of the positive influence of always getting things done — agilists swear by it. That’s how agility also lowers internal risks: When your employees are members of self-managed teams, they feel more engaged in their work and share collective responsibility for delivering high-quality results rapidly, which leads to a greater sense of job satisfaction, better deliverables, and a lower turnover rate. When you make the people you have happier, it improves customer satisfaction, period. The secret to success for any business is customer loyalty, which translates to how your business handles customer service, as well as selling topnotch products and services. When your company is agile and responds to customer needs, you improve your customer loyalty.
Highly engaged employees produce better-quality work more quickly, minimizing the likelihood of expensive mistakes that take a long time to discover. Change is a constant factor in the market — the last thing you need is a six-month mistake. Employees handle change best when their morale levels are high. Their morale, therefore, has a direct effect on your company's ability to increase quality deliverables. An agile organization that considers employee views and input can achieve greatness.