Business change isn’t easy, which is why people have to believe that the change you want to make is worth the effort. Everyone involved needs to understand and buy into a common purpose – they need to become one team.
Change is hard. People are hardwired to resist it, particularly when working within larger organisations. When we embark on transformation programmes we need to acknowledge this challenge, but know that we can overcome it.
Resistance to change happens when we depart from what feels safe and known. In an organisational context, this comfort zone may be in people’s familiar habits and organisational structures – perhaps years of adapting to ways of working and solutions that have not themselves adapted to the change occurring around them.
Change takes time, and people who are busy supporting business outcomes are often time poor.
Different organisations have their own cultures and conventions and when we bring them together to do something new, there’s additional complexity to navigate.
So, it’s safe to say that business change isn’t easy, which is why people have to believe that the change you want to make is worth the effort. Everyone involved needs to understand and buy into a common purpose – they need to become one team.
The Agile approach gets people working together and success depends on that ethos. It breaks large programmes of work into manageable chunks and enshrines continuous improvement and collaboration at every stage.
When we build something new with our clients, it’s our job to create the human ecosystem that gets things done. This week has seen the successful delivery of our Agile team’s
most recent project, so it feels fitting to reflect on some key principles that have helped us along the way:
People before process and tools
However tech-focused a project, people are at the centre of everything we do. Effective communication is essential, and Agile meeting design prioritises flexibility, responsiveness and rapid, transparent communications throughout the project or programme.
To err is human – reframe failure
As we create new structures and fit-for-purpose solutions, we build a culture that allows us to make mistakes and learn from them, which makes for a richer, more experienced team. Give people the confidence to try things that may not always work out by providing a framework that allows them to learn as they go.
Empower people
Build projects around motivated individuals who want to do well and want others to do well. Take time to understand the people in your team and their talents and give them responsibility.
Be candid
Air your challenges frankly. If you have a shared purpose, you have shared challenges. Speak to your team and client about any issues that arise and develop solutions together. Your clients will thank you for your honesty and you’ll build their trust.
Connect people back to the common purpose, all the time
Transformation programmes can take some time – as projects progress it’s easy for individuals to lose sight of the bigger picture. Getting a line of code right might not feel like much, but it is highly likely to be contributing to software that will improve people’s lives. Everyone needs to know that their work matters; your job is to continually remind people of the connection between the work being done today and the difference it’ll make in the future.