Agile
ˈadʒʌɪl/
adjective
1.
able to move quickly and easily.
“Ruth was as agile as a monkey.”
2.
relating to or denoting a method of project management, used especially for software development, that is characterized by the division of tasks into short phases of work and frequent reassessment and adaptation of plans.
“agile methods replace high-level design with frequent redesign”
Agile, as you can see, is basically about being able to move quickly and easily and adapting plans.
If anyone in your organization refers to your HR function as adaptable, agile, and moving quickly and easily, you can stop reading, because you have already got it sorted. These are not usually terms that describe many HR functions, policies, or procedures on the whole, but they can be.
Interestingly, a few months ago, when I was delivering a talk to a group of HR students, I asked them what they thought their role was. All of them said it was about ensuring people followed and adhered to the policies and procedures. Wow, what an inspiring role!
So, what is AGILE HR and how can it make a difference to the way you lead, manage, and engage your people?
AGILE is recognizing, and then, treating your employees as:
- Able
- Game-changers
- Individuals
- Leaders and
- Engaged
And when you get this right, your people feel engaged, performance improves, and you have happier staff and happier customers.
Great words, but what do they mean in principle?
Employees that are Able – This is where you recognize that your employees come to work to do a good job—where you feel you can trust them to do a good job and not have to police them constantly. It is trusting that they perform to the best of their ability and that they can work with autonomy in a flexible way and still get done what they need to, when they need to.
Employees that are Game-changers – Your employees are where the majority of your ideas, creativity, and innovation can come from. They know what works well and what needs to be changed. Involve them in the way you do things and reap the benefits.
Employees that are Individuals – For too long, we have been creating a one-size-fits-all approach to policies, procedures, programs, and processes, and then, wondering why nobody follows them. If you start by recognizing that your employees have different wants, needs, and drivers, then you are onto a winner.
Employees that are Leaders – Leaders within a business are too often seen as only those that hold the most senior positions, but this is not the case. Leaders are those that are able to lead, engage, and develop others within the business, no matter what their job title or status. They are self-starters and have the best interests of the business at heart.
Employees that are Engaged – It is about shared values, a shared vision, and a shared purpose. This is much, much more than an annual survey. This is about what your employees will say about you to their family and friends at the pub after work. If you can give them (within a framework) the space to work in a way that suits them, that encourages their ideas, that recognizes them as an individuals and allows them to lead, they will be engaged, and engaged and happy staff lead to engaged and happy customers. It’s win-win.
AGILE HR places the employee at the heart of their employment journey. The HR function becomes an enabler of change and development while the managers support and develop their people. The employee becomes more responsible for their objectives, for their performance management, for their learning and development, for their career progression. The employee takes ownership and works with autonomy.
This enables managers to manage and HR to focus more on growth and organizational development.
Before you go any further with this book, consider a project or initiative you are working on currently, or even your existing HR policies, and take some time to answer these questions:
- Does this allow space for our employees to demonstrate their ability in a trusting and autonomous way?
- Does this encourage ideas, creativity, and innovation for our people?
- Does it reflect that our people are individuals?
- Does it reflect that our people are leaders?
- Does it reflect where we all have a shared purpose, a shared vision, and shared values, and would it be something that our people would feel proud about sharing with their family and friends?
Take some time to answer these questions, discuss them your team, your senior leaders, and then, when you are ready, let us look at how AGILE HR works throughout the employee life cycle.