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Agility Shift: Creating Agile and Effective Leaders, Teams, and Organizations
As contrary as it sounds, "planning" -- as we traditionally understand the term--can be the worst thing a company can do. Consider that volatile weather events disrupt trusted supply chains, markets, and promised delivery schedules. Ever-shifting geo-political tensions, as well as internal political upheaval within U.S. and global governments, derail long-planned new ventures. Technology failures block opportunities. Competitors suddenly change their product or release date; your team cannot meet the pace of innovations in your market niche, leaving you sidelined. There are myriad ways in the current business environment for a company's well-considered business plans to go awry. Most business schools continue to prepare managers to be effective in stable and predictable environments, conditions that, if they ever existed at all, are long gone. The Agility Shift shows business leaders exactly how to make the radical mindset and strategy shift necessary to create an agile, entrepreneurial organization that can innovate and thrive in complex, ever-changing contexts. As author Pamela Meyer explains, there is much more involved than a reconfiguration of the org chart and job descriptions. It requires relinquishing the illusion of control at the very foundation of most management training and business practice. Despite most leaders' approaches, "Agility is not simply accelerated planning." Unlike many agility books on the market, The Agility Shift provides specific, actionable strategies and tactics for leaders at all levels of the organization to put into practice immediately to improve agility and achieve results.
240 pages, Hardcover
First published September 29, 2015
73 people are currently reading
332 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
October 25, 2020
I liked this book for how the author manages to connect different concepts to promote the agile mindset, like improvisation and action learning. Being a practician of both I do think they make a lot of sense and can bring a lot of impact in preparing us for the world we live in today.
P. Mayer emphasizes a lot the importance of a Relational Web and argues that you need three Cs (competence, capacity and confidence) in order to make and sustain the shift to agility:
- agility competence: skills, abilities and knowledge to respond spontaneously and take advantage of emerging trends;
- agility capacity is the degree of uncertainty and volatility in which a person can be effective;
- agility confidence is the human need to trust in one’s one and other’s competence and capacity to be effective in changing contexts.
The Relationship Web has to main roles. It helps us with sense making (comprehending what is happening/has happened) and meaning making (discerning and determining the significance of what is happening/has happened).
I also liked the example she gave of changing SWOT with SOAR (strengths, opportunities, aspirations and results).
This is not a technical book and she briefly touches the “agile methodology” per se, so I recommend it as in introduction to what agile entails and its benefits.
Overall is an easy read and it makes you curious to explore more.
P. Mayer emphasizes a lot the importance of a Relational Web and argues that you need three Cs (competence, capacity and confidence) in order to make and sustain the shift to agility:
- agility competence: skills, abilities and knowledge to respond spontaneously and take advantage of emerging trends;
- agility capacity is the degree of uncertainty and volatility in which a person can be effective;
- agility confidence is the human need to trust in one’s one and other’s competence and capacity to be effective in changing contexts.
The Relationship Web has to main roles. It helps us with sense making (comprehending what is happening/has happened) and meaning making (discerning and determining the significance of what is happening/has happened).
I also liked the example she gave of changing SWOT with SOAR (strengths, opportunities, aspirations and results).
This is not a technical book and she briefly touches the “agile methodology” per se, so I recommend it as in introduction to what agile entails and its benefits.
Overall is an easy read and it makes you curious to explore more.
November 23, 2017
As the title suggests, this book is about agile. For someone who has some background on the subject, there wasn’t much new in this book. But that isn’t necessarily a bad thing. The book introduces the concepts and has the focus on changing mindsets.
I was excited to read this book. In the end I got let down, understanding why the book does not have the high rating other books about the topic receive. I rate this book 3 stars. This book is worth the read if you know nothing about agile, but I wouldn’t recommend it to fellow agilists.
Read the full review at my blog.
I was excited to read this book. In the end I got let down, understanding why the book does not have the high rating other books about the topic receive. I rate this book 3 stars. This book is worth the read if you know nothing about agile, but I wouldn’t recommend it to fellow agilists.
Read the full review at my blog.
April 2, 2021
I won't discount this possibility that I was the wrong audience for this book, but I personally found it to be too broad. Giving examples, but without actually saying anything other than that they are agile (and not as much detail about how they got there). And I was annoyed every time I hear the narrator say "Shift Happens." I kept thinking they were trying to be witty (and failed), but then again maybe it just came across that way in audiobook.
August 22, 2018
Possibly some good content, but it was obfuscated by an incredible amount of jargon.
October 4, 2017
Exciting book! easy to grasp, complete perspective about agility (in individual, teams and also organization). Agility shift not just about being agile, but shifting (being effective, good tactical approach in turbulent time or changing context)
get a lot of new insights how we look to people, teams and organization.
Important Insight #1: "Most valuable lessons in agility - how to make optimal use of available resources, be creative under pressure and always, ALWAYS be prepared to respond to the UNEXPECTED and UNPLANNED!"
Important Insight #2: "The Power of Human Relationship - HUMAN SYSTEM - NETWORKS --> which skills, knowledge, experience and resource awareness are Linked! Foundation: RELATIONAL WEB!"
Important Insight #3: "the 5 dynamics of Agile System (1) Relevant (2)Responsive (3)Resilient (4)Resourceful (5)Reflective" With this 5 Dynamics, we can assess our individual Agility Shift - click this link : http://pamela-meyer.com/agility-shift...
plus many other insights. Interest reading!!
December 21, 2017
Understanding the agile mindset
The agility shift is a great read for understanding the foundational mindset needed to become a successful agile organization. That mindset includes building a relational web; continuous learning; flexibility; responsiveness and collaborative. Well worth the time investment.
The agility shift is a great read for understanding the foundational mindset needed to become a successful agile organization. That mindset includes building a relational web; continuous learning; flexibility; responsiveness and collaborative. Well worth the time investment.
April 6, 2022
This was a fairly standard book on agile, using business buzzwords such as VUCA (volatility, uncertainty, complexity, ambiguity), reviewing the history of the Agile Manifesto, and encouraging the combination of formal and informal learning. It does use a neuroscientific approach very early in the book, which I appreciated.
June 14, 2022
Some really good tid-bits in here, and I truly believe in the importance of remaining agile, creating agile teams and supporting the adaptive behaviors. Could have used better examples, or maybe more of them. Good stuff, just not a great book.
September 7, 2017
For an organizational improvement and effective team dynamics (and a bajillion heart warming community stories), this book still lacks some bits of humanity. DNF
May 10, 2018
“Continuous learning for all”. ...if only!
September 10, 2018
An easy read with some really helpful ways of thinking about agility. Will become a reference book for ideas on engaging others in design and monitoring for effective learning and reflection.
December 6, 2018
Summary would be sufficient
No comment to add. Probably a summary is sufficient
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No comment to add. Probably a summary is sufficient
Word filler one two three four five six seven eight nine ten.
March 13, 2019
Pretty good!
January 15, 2021
HIGHLIGHTS:
1. Leading by followership. It takes maturity and knowledge to know when to take the backseat and let someone else shine.
2. Learning agility is the ability to access and apply lessons learned in one context to another. Ability to manage something new without having to master it first. The context is always changing.
3. Agile teams celebrate the unique contributions of each player and take responsibility to accept and build on the gifts each contributor offers.
4. Identifying the givens and finding the game becomes part of the way you do business.
5. A leader must identify which areas need development and select those learning experiences that will improve performance, rather than wait for someone else to identify and respond to their learning needs.
6. Generalizing specialists – able to effectively communicate and coordinate with their colleagues by sharing relevant information along the way.
7. Work in a context that is resilient, where people quickly regroup and are restored in response to disruptions.
8. Recruiting: See your candidates in action and observe the ways they are creative and collaborative under pressure.
9. The brain needs feedback to reinforce learning. Incremental, unexpected, and positive feedback for agile performance. Make learning stick is to share it with others.
10. Offer an environment where employees can continue learning, developing, and innovating as they take on new challenges.
1. Leading by followership. It takes maturity and knowledge to know when to take the backseat and let someone else shine.
2. Learning agility is the ability to access and apply lessons learned in one context to another. Ability to manage something new without having to master it first. The context is always changing.
3. Agile teams celebrate the unique contributions of each player and take responsibility to accept and build on the gifts each contributor offers.
4. Identifying the givens and finding the game becomes part of the way you do business.
5. A leader must identify which areas need development and select those learning experiences that will improve performance, rather than wait for someone else to identify and respond to their learning needs.
6. Generalizing specialists – able to effectively communicate and coordinate with their colleagues by sharing relevant information along the way.
7. Work in a context that is resilient, where people quickly regroup and are restored in response to disruptions.
8. Recruiting: See your candidates in action and observe the ways they are creative and collaborative under pressure.
9. The brain needs feedback to reinforce learning. Incremental, unexpected, and positive feedback for agile performance. Make learning stick is to share it with others.
10. Offer an environment where employees can continue learning, developing, and innovating as they take on new challenges.
October 12, 2015
As an improviser who works with business people to make them better leaders this book will be invaluable more to validate our approach with well researched data. The book outlines the whole approach towards becoming an agile organization, from recruitment to structure to action. It gives great tips to achieve in each section . This is a worth while book to read for any leader who wants their company to be responsive in today's uncertain climate , it will allow you to see the climate as an opportunity.
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews