Agile change often fails in the workplace. A few days ago, I learned about a Japanese technique that presents multiple principles and methodologies for a sustained and people-centered approach.
We are in a moment where organizations are undergoing constant change, facing the major crisis of COVID-19, cost increases, competitive influence, and heightened changes. Across different organizational setups, this is causing significant dissatisfaction among those involved and an excess of demands.
In response to this, how do you address such goals and how should you proceed in uncertain times and a complex environment? To answer this, many organizations have undertaken internal transformations into agile organizations over the last five to ten years.
Only a few will achieve the goal. Today, there are those who are still trying their luck, others have already succeeded, and others are simply searching. Through this article, I want to show that there are various analyses of the reasons behind this.
From my own experience as a consultant, many organizations ask why they have to work with Scrum rules exclusively and if those general rules can't be adapted to their own organization. This point applies to role descriptions, resource allocation, or individual adaptation of selected agile methods. Should one advise flexibility or opt for sustainable transition?
ESSENTIAL 3-STEP FOUNDATIONS AS AN ENVIRONMENT FOR CHANGE.
Representatives from various organizations in Austria and Switzerland recently proposed a methodology for the agile transformation process with minimal agility standards that are agreed upon through a catalog.
What's innovative is that it's based on a principle from a Japanese martial art called "Shu Ha Ri," which consists of three levels that a student goes through from initial learning to mastering the art.
HOW DO THE PHASES OF SHU HA RI DEVELOP?
"Shu" is the first level of learning. It's the imitation phase where people learn by copying and follow rules under set guidelines. The basic idea is that one can only truly master the "art" by strictly adhering to rules and procedures without deviating in later adaptation.
"Ha" is about breaking and adapting what has been learned to one's own needs. It might work or not, but it's a part of development.
"Ri" is the abandonment phase. It involves moving away from the fixed structure to follow a path controlled by one's own drive. One must pass through the two previous phases before reaching this stage.
WHAT ADVICE COULD WE OFFER TO IMPLEMENT THIS IN PRACTICE?
When in a process of change, there's a rapid need to adapt environments to one's own circumstances. The critical path is marked in the first step; if this phase isn't mastered, the "art" won't be either. It's often seen that agile projects have faltered because they didn't yield results in a short time, and the failure is attributed to the method.
WHY DO TWO COMPANIES DOING SIMILAR THINGS YIELD DIFFERENT RESULTS?
This methodology offers an interesting learning system in times of excessive speed, and both you and I need to "take time to do the new things correctly" first in the mind, then in the heart, and integrate them into workers' practices. Here lies the mast to "break the patterns" for long-term adaptation and achieving victory.
