Is Agility the Answer to the Future?

Last week, I was invited to a podcast interview on the topic of agility and future technologies. The conversation quickly wrapped around the idea that agility is the solution to mastering the challenges of the future. Oh. A strong statement that I would like to make today.

The problem is us

The first question is, where do the challenges actually come from? Are they caused by software? Is AI to blame? Or the nuclear reactors? I would say: no, the problem is not these technologies per se. Technology is like a knife: it’s up to us what we do with the tool - save or ruin lives.

And we are not so evil at heart that we deliberately get up to mischief. We do a lot of things well. But even if every single one of us has good intentions, collectively and as a system we have accumulated quite a lot of garbage on our beautiful spaceship Earth: Climate change, social confusion, a highly dynamic economy and volatile markets. And in the midst of all this turmoil, we only understand half of it, the other half overwhelms us and e-cars are supposed to save us now? Not at all.

The solution is us

Technology alone won’t cut it. Every tool needs a hero who knows how to use it. And that can only be us. The work is up to us. It’s not the electric car that will save us, but how we live mobility in the future. Not AI, but how we use it to promote biodiversity. And even the most sophisticated CI pipeline will only deliver scrap if we don’t use it in well-formed work processes.

For us to be able to think creatively about this at all, the framework conditions have to be right. Every good idea is nipped in the bud by excessive demands, stress and chaos. By contrast, a change of context, movement, joy and the exchange of ideas with like-minded people at eye level promote ideas and new thoughts. And last but not least, we need the ability to deal with crises, setbacks and uncertainty - a high level of resilience. It’s not the tools that give us all this, but personal development.

Is agility personality development for teams?

The first definition of personality development that Google spits out is: “Personality development is the development of the personality”. Aha. Historically, scholars have already delved deeper into the subject. Greats such as Freud, Jung, Adler and Erikson. There are many schools that, in various forms and combinations, dominate the gigantic personal development market today. From business and life coaching, seminars, constellations and retreats to gurus, energy work or even laying on of hands and angel brushing … there is something for everyone. The field is huge and confusing, the desire and need is very high.

But what remains at the heart of all the stylistic flourishes in this area is a triad of personal development:

• (Self-)realization
• (Self-)Acceptance
• (Self-)change

Oh well, aren’t these also typical questions in agile transformation?

• What can I do? What can we do? What are my/our strengths? (realization)
• What went well? What did not go well? (Acceptance)
• What do I/we want to do differently now (change)

Thinking further, I believe that all the agile tools, methods and formats are there to support us. Namely to develop our own agile way, our agile mindset - or whatever you like to call it. And that is personal development.

The answer

Yes, and is that why agility is the answer to the future? I don’t think so. Huh? Yes, exactly! From my perspective, it is the vehicle, a well-functioning framework to further develop ourselves as individuals, as a team and as a company. This further development is the answer. Falling down, getting up, straightening the crown, learning and moving on. To deal better and better with all the imponderables, uncertainties and challenges. To increase our resilience and thus emerge stronger from crises. And to then have the freedom to shape our future creatively.