The agile organization focuses on teamwork as the primary means of melding people, process and technology into an environment of elevated performance and continuous improvement.
Christopher Mims, Technology columnist with the Wall street Journal, writes; “Alongside life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, you can now add another inalienable right: two-day shipping on practically everything. Mom-and-pop shops and even midsize retailers can no longer assume buyers will put up with getting their goods several days later.”
Yet urgency and need for immediacy are not exclusive to retail. Organizations of all kinds are exploring and innovating ways of doing things faster with greater efficiency while eliminating or at the very minimum significantly decreasing unnecessary costs. Indeed, for those tasked with mission-critical messenger, courier, and intra-organization deliveries in the pharmaceutical, medical, lab and clinical services, long-term care, energy, government, agriculture, financial services, real estate, and banking sectors two days seems like an eternity.
WHAT IS AGILITY IN A BUSINESS SENSE?
Agility literally means “the power of moving quickly and easily; nimbleness (see dictionary.com). Moreover, there is a mental aspect of agility that goes beyond the physical realm, whereby agility represents sharpness of thought, focus, and a capacity for quick and accurate decision-making. As a result, one might define organizational agility as the discipline of successfully managing and operating in an unpredictable, competitive climate of continuous, ever-accelerating change while demonstrating an ability for anticipating, responding to, and effectively navigating those fluctuations.
As such, it is apparent agility originates within an organization’s culture and operating framework. It is a by-product of the careful and thoughtful integration of people, process, and technology. And teamwork is the vital mechanism that allows it to grow, flourish, and benefit the organization’s entire customer, partner, vendor, and market-wide ecosystem.
Why does that matter to you? Because when people are counting on you to get things right — such as medical test samples and diagnostics, medications, vital documents, supplies — you need reliable partners that ensure you get things where they need to be when they need to be there. Let’s examine how people, process, and technology work together in formulating organizational Agility.
AGILITY BEGINS WITH PEOPLE
People are by far the most important element in the Agile organization equation. Flexibility, strong listening skills, open-mindedness and commitment to being part of something bigger and more significant than the individual are qualities that enable Agility.
Take for example Michael’s Messenger Service (MMS), a Vancouver, Washington-based courier and intra-organization logistics company. From founder and CEO Michael Eshelby down to the newest of the more than 200 highly-skilled independent contract drivers that partner with the firm, one deeply held passion drives all activity — a love of driving. That shared value of love of driving keeps the entire team focused on delivering fast, accessible, and accurate service. Rather than dread and eschew extended road time, MMS contracted drivers thrive on it. It’s what motivates them. Which means their focus is on best practices for serving clients and customers and those they serve, not on the vagaries created by traffic congestion and unforeseen delays.
In addition, the business model allows for fast and efficient scale-up or scale-down based on client delivery needs and volume for a particular day, week, or month. The account development and management team provide expertise in planning, scheduling, and executing both established routes and on-demand services. Internal and external communication and transparency is facilitated by end-to-end, one view technology aligned with MMS’s standardized operating principles, processes, and procedures. This enables team members to interact as needed and keeps everyone — clients, customers, dispatchers, operations, account management, and drivers — in the know and aware of their role in achieving detailed business objectives.
AGILITY IS ENABLED BY TECHNOLOGY
As mentioned above, technology is a valuable resource in ensuring team members are well-informed and working toward common purposes and goals. MMS utilizes leading-edge technology in scheduling, routing, expediting, and finalizing all deliveries — whether via regularly scheduled route or on-demand shipments. Plus, the software is an indispensable tool in analyzing and reporting service level Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) and tracking and fine-tuning budget parameters.
The purpose-built, web-based technology ensures complete visibility from start to finish of the delivery process. And it is accessible from desktop, laptop, mobile phone, notebook, or any other Internet-enabled device. Even though the proprietary seven-step framework managing workflow is Internet-based, human intervention is still possible and welcome. This ensures deliveries are handled in the most efficient, time-sensitive manner possible.
AGILITY IS ELEVATED BY PROCESS
Process ensures people and technology are ideally aligned with client and customer needs and expectations. It makes certain people are equipped with the right tools for the duties and tasks devolving upon them while introducing opportunities for innovation and continuous improvement.
Teamwork facilitated by relevant processes guides and motivates individual team members by providing an understanding of the individual’s role in achieving and even exceeding business goals and outcomes. Career satisfaction, commitment to the organization’s mission, and engagement is greatly enhanced as a result. Strong teams also engender accountability for individual and group performance, reward flexibility, encourage cross-functional collaboration, heighten competence, and increase speed and responsiveness to change. Consistently improving performance across the enterprise is a natural by-product.
The majority of studies assessing the value of teamwork indicate organization’s that emphasize team-building and teamwork are more successful, adapt to change more easily, and exhibit advanced levels of customer focus and quality of service. Agility — that is keeping abreast of and in front of change and not being deterred by its unpredictable nature —gives your organization a tremendous competitive advantage.
EMPOWER YOUR TEAM WITH AGILE THINKING
Agility and the teamwork it enables is your key factor in establishing and sustaining organizational success. In addition to creating a powerful competitive edge, Agile teams are also known to improve flexibility in operations, reduce administrative costs, improve cross-functional cooperation, accelerate activities, inspire innovation, make more effective decisions, elevate customer service, and solidify individual commitment and awareness.
As you look for ways of improving business and team performance in the coming year, explore how Agility can help you accomplish your objectives. Doing so affirms your organization is on the path to exceptional and sustained excellence.