CHAPTER 1

The Six Functions of an Agile Manager

Today’s manager would be unrecognizable to Henri Fayol (1841–1925), French mining engineer, executive, and author widely acknowledged as a founder of modern management method. In his original work, General and Industrial Management: Planning, Organizing, Staffing, Directing, and Controlling. Fayol identified five primary functions of the manager: planning, organizing, staffing, directing, and controlling. Those functions served managers well in the past when the marketplace was defined by risk, fear, and avoidance. In today’s volatile global marketplace marked by constant disruption, Fayol’s functions fall far short in providing the blueprint individuals need to succeed as managers. Today’s hyperconnected global economy is defined by “possibility, agility and opportunity and requires managers to both manage and embrace change.”¹ Doing so remains difficult for most people. As the American Management Association noted, “managers need to alter their thinking patterns and try new things to respond to change. They may be stuck in a rut, however, which makes it hard to meet today’s challenges.”²

Helping managers embrace agility involves updating Fayol’s primary functions for today and identifying relevant principles for each function. Whereas Fayol’s functions involved the verbs planning, organizing, staffing, directing, and controlling, this publication relies on the nouns: curator, architect, conductor, humanist, advocate, and pioneer. This revision from verb to noun reflects the manager’s need to shift their thinking from a position of status to one of perspective. This new way of thinking allows the manager to become more agile and understand their position is far more dynamic, empowering, and creative than previously considered. This new way of thinking will change the actual work managers do. And this new way of thinking is available to all managers, regardless of industry, position, title, training, budget, or educational background.

The six functions of an agile manager defined in this book are the following:

The first function of an agile manager is that of a curator studying the information, knowledge, and actionable intelligence required to comprehend the attributes of today’s global marketplace. Understanding today’s dynamic, hyperconnected, and ever-changing landscape can help a manager grasp the disruptive forces impacting the organization (Principle #1). Surveying the landscape involves defining the Fourth Industrial Revolution, examining the impact of hyperconnectivity, and studying the characteristics of a volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous (VUCA) environment. Knowledge of change attributes will allow an individual to self-reflect on the risks associated with their ability to develop as an agile manager (Principle #2). The risk of conventional thinking, the risk of lacking a decision-making process, and the risk of remaining comfortable all pose credible threats to becoming an agile manager. Once risks are identified, the manager needs to assess their ability to ask the relevant questions required to help move the organization forward. (Principle #3). Engaging in double-loop learning, encouraging people to ask questions, and exploring answers to questions all play a central role in the agile manager’s ability to ask relevant questions.

The second function of an agile manager is that of an architect. This function allows the manager to create or update an organization’s mission to remain relevant (Principle #4). As retired U.S. Army general Eric Ken Shinseki said: “If you dislike change, you’re going to dislike irrelevance even more.”³ Managers looking to develop their agility should heed Shinseki’s words closely. Technological disruptions continue to alter the very fabric of life and work so a review of an organization’s mission statement is only prudent for the agile manager. Upon review of the mission, the agile manager can work toward designing the vision of an organization (Principle #5). Designing a vision will allow the agile manager to maintain an organization’s focus while navigating the chaos of a volatile world. Once the mission is reviewed and updated if necessary and the vision designed, an agile manager can cultivate the values of an organization’s culture (Principle #6). The values drive the expectations, behaviors, and attitudes of employees and help the organization maintain consistency of work across departments and functional areas.

The third function of an agile manager is that of a conductor ensuring collaboration, skill development, and harmony among internal constituents and between the organization and external stakeholders and partners. Fostering collaboration across departments, functional areas, and offices illustrates a critical component of agility (Principle #7). Managers also need to demonstrate a commitment to ensuring employees receiving the skill development, training, and education required to succeed (Principle #8). Such collaboration and skill development prepares the organization to navigate the dynamics of a volatile global marketplace as the agile manager nurtures relationships with external stakeholders (Principle #9).

The fourth function of an agile manager is that of a humanist who emphasizes the value and agency of human beings, individually and collectively. The human capital needs of today demand agile managers establish a humanist culture based on diversity, equity, and inclusion (Principle #10). An appreciation of the unique qualities of each person will help the agile manager better understand how to build productive teams (Principle #11). Demonstrating compassion, kindness, and empathy are often understated in the role of management but remain a critical tenet of the agile manager in a volatile world (Principle #12).

The fifth function of an agile manager is that of an advocate promoting the work, employees, and value of the organization as it looks to break through the inordinate amount of noise in the marketplace. Creating content on a regular basis will help the agile manager promote the work of the organization (Principle #13). Telling stories about the people who work there can help the organization relate to customers, partners, and suppliers (Principle #14). The manager then needs to diversify the distribution of both the content and stories to as many social media platforms and outlets as possible (Principle #15).

The sixth function of an agile manager is that of a pioneer exploring new ideas for products and services that inspire employees and customers alike. An agile manager should encourage dialogue from employees and others about the organization’s products and services (Principle #16). During the dialogue, an agile manager should remain opened minded about new ideas (Principle #17). This encouragement of open dialogue and consideration of new ideas can help the agile manager inspire others as the organization looks to move forward in today’s volatile world (Principle #18).

¹ Michels, D. 2019. “Change Is Changing: Coping With the Death Of Traditional Change Management.” Forbes, April 22, 2019. https://forbes.com/sites/davidmichels/2019/04/22/change-is-changing-coping-with-the-death-of-traditional-change-management/#7fad4d945308

² “How Managers Can Shift Their Thinking and Respond to Change.” American Management Association, August 8, 2018. https://playbook.amanet.org/training-articles-managers-change-thinking-patterns/

³ Eric Shinseki, Wikipedia, https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Eric_Shinseki