Resources

“My boss said we need to be more agile… So I googled it.” Sound familiar? You’re not alone. The word agile gets thrown around a lot, often with very little explanation. It can feel like everyone else already understands it, while you’re stuck trying to figure out if it’s a new process, a mindset, or just a buzzword. But here’s the thing: understanding agile can change the way you work, lead, and collaborate. So yes, agile is worth caring about. And no, you don’t need to panic.

In this business agility 101 guide, we’ll break it down and explore how organisations can use business agility to stay competitive, resilient, and successful.

Since the big data boom in the early 2010s, businesses have been drowning in data. But having data isn’t the same as understanding it. 

Whenever organisations try to improve something, you can hear them needing more “focus”. More focus on the customer, more focus on cost, more focus on sustainability, etc. What we focus on becomes sharper. What we ignore fades into the background. Using focus in this way allows organisations (and people) to concentrate on one (or just a few) issues and dedicate some extra energy specifically to those issues.

Agile has come a long way since the Agile Manifesto [link] in 2001. Originally a call to rethink software development, it is now what underpins how successful organisations adapt to change, lead with purpose and deliver value. But now, there’s a new disruptor: Artificial Intelligence.

Success in a changing world requires more than process, it’s about learning to surf the waves of disruption with business agility, purpose, and resilience.

How the Agile Business Consortium can help you solve problems and seize opportunities!

Enhance business agility with AI collaboration. Discover how cross-functional teams use AI to break down silos, automate tasks, and make smarter, data-driven decisions.

While agility enables teams to respond rapidly to change, resilience ensures they can keep going when the going gets tough. In today’s interconnected world, resilience isn’t purely technical or procedural, it’s socio-technical. This article explores what socio-technical resilience means for business agility, and what we can learn by shifting our perspective.