Guest Column | September 30, 2021

Business Agility: How You Can Improve Performance Across The Board

By Grace Murphy

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Agility is a key asset to businesses in 2021. Thanks to the coronavirus pandemic, more and more companies are recognizing the importance of being able to shift with rapid changes in the market. A business’s adaptability and agility are crucial to keep it competitive and viable. Becoming an agile business means changing the way you work from the top down. It is vital to find employees that have a proven ability for agile work.

Becoming agile will not only make your business more resilient in the future, but it also will make it more profitable and effective at what you do. There are plenty of ways to improve agility for your company, and this article will explore some of the best ways to do so.

Hire The Right People

Choosing candidates that have proven experience in agile working is crucial. Any business leader knows that your employees are the beating heart of your organization – the higher-performing your staff members, the better your odds of success are.

It is best to look for employees that show initiative, creativity, and curiosity. These skills can be invaluable when shifting to an agile way of working.

Empower Your Employees

Empowering staff members can make a big difference in how productive they are and how satisfied they are with their work. Every team member has a role to play in enhancing the agility of the business. It may help to provide training opportunities to your staff so that they fully understand their roles in improving the agility of the company.

Utilize Communication Technology

Communication and collaboration are crucial to having an agile workforce. This can be challenging if you have offices in multiple locations or remote workers. Fortunately, the communication technology available is improving every day.

It may help to find reliable, workable video conferencing and instant messaging platforms for your team to utilize. This will allow them to communicate with co-workers and other professionals quickly and easily, no matter where they are based.

Be Reflective 

Being self-reflective is an excellent way to improve your processes and learn from past mistakes and successes. Take the time regularly to review your business’s performance and see how you can improve in the future. Ask yourself what went well, what went wrong, how circumstances have changed, and what obstacles you face.

Use The Right Software

To have an effective agile workflow, you will need the right tools. There are plenty of software options out there that can help businesses achieve the best. You should look for agile software specifically designed to help your company improve its agility. Look at the options from Easy Agile for an idea of how agile apps and software can benefit your business.

Allow The Best To Rise

Allowing your employees to prove their abilities can help you identify potential agile leaders. It is a good idea to offer more responsibility to the most promising individuals and monitor their progress. As a business leader, it is your role to identify future leaders. Identifying the right talent is vital if you want to ensure your business’s future as an agile company.

Host Daily Huddles

Having a daily get-together with your team to review the business’s goals and objectives can help ensure that agility remains a top priority. It is best to have short, concise huddles that will motivate your team. Ensure you have a set agenda for your meetings to prevent them from straying off-topic and resulting in wasted time.

Narrow Your Focus

Many businesses fail because their focus is split across too many priorities. It is crucial to narrow your focus down to a few critical priorities. This can prevent your focus from becoming split and ensure that your business excels in its key priorities.

It may help to review your business and look for areas that are inefficient or unwieldy. For instance, if you are an e-commerce vendor, you might consider discontinuing products that are not selling well and refocus your energies on the products that bring the most value.

Bring In Automation

Automating processes can massively improve a business’s agility. Many companies still have employees carrying out processes that could be done significantly faster by using automation. Tasks such as sending reminder emails and answering simple customer queries can be automated, freeing up staff time for more high-value work.

Final Thoughts

Agility is a crucial skill for any business in 2021. It allows your business to grow, become future-proof, and adapt to the ever-changing market we face. Agility needs to be implemented in all areas of your business to be effective. You will need to focus on hiring the right people and making the best use of the technology available to make your business truly agile. Use some of the ideas above to help your business thrive and give yourself an edge over the competition.

About The Author

Grace Murphy is an experienced reviewer and journalist dedicated to sharing updates from throughout the business market, as well as reviews on the products and services you want to hear about. Small businesses across the corporate market have relied on her insight and knowledge to drive them forward for years.