So much has been said about agile. Many statements , but also a lot of them are not true or out of context. Earlier we provided our readers with ten tips to become agilicious. Of course we have a lot more! But, we thought it would also be good to show you the almighty myths of the corridor chat. Here are some statements that you should definitely question! Let us enlighten you why…
Myth #1
Agile is ending the era of project and programme managers.
Managing change will also be important in agile environments. The job characteristics will be different, but the role will be just as important.
Myth #2
Agile means not being in control.
Take a spinning top: by being in motion, a top is both agile and stable. Agile practices require a lot of discipline, and if necessary, can go hand in hand with robustness and stability.
Myth #3
Agile is only applicable to It departments.
Agile is a management philosophy and a leadership choice. The role of the business an the support functions is just as important in becoming agile as an organization. The business is your cornerstone in doing the right things.
Myth #4
Agile solves all my problems.
Agile is no magic, but a great methodology to discover what bottlenecks are holding back the organization. At the same time it provides you with the proper tools to address these problems.
Myth #5
Agile organisations do not need leadership.
When teams work anonymously, leadership has still three important responsibilities: define the purpose and vision, translate this into a strategy and get buy-in from the workforce, and make sure the teams can thrive.
Myth #6
Agile is a trick.
Agile is far from a trick, it is a mindset. The agile mindset is about collaboration, transparency, continuous improvement, servant leadership, and focus on delivering value. It transforms groups into sparkling teams, delivering amazing results for customers.
Myth #7
By putting sticky notes on a wall things get better.
Although transparency is the foundation for agile, transparency alone is not enough. It is just the start of interaction and communication, and getting into a continuous mode of improvement.
Myth #8
COVID-19 killed the agile way of working.
On the contrary, agile coaches guise and coach teams in these hard times of only digital meetings. Agile teams are changing priorities superfast, scaling up or down if necessary. Agile leaders are aware of the fact that there is no time to waste. So they give guidance and trust the autonomous teams to act fast.
Myth #9
Top down control works best.
The decisive and agile way health care has withstood the corona pandemic has astonished everybody, The only reason for that is teams got sort of in the lead, because they had to other choice than to execute what was still possible and to pick up what absolutely could not wait. Suddenly health care organizations started to look like dynamic spinning tops, able to bear disruptive change: Flip. Turn. Spin.
Myth #10
Our cannot readers come up with some other myths.
Nonsense! Right?
Did you came across another myth within your organization or field of action? We would love to hear them in the comments!
