There is no arguing that change is scary. Change is particularly scary because the outcome is often unknown. But, for those of you who have taken a leap of faith and jumped into the unknown, know that change or evolution of strategy are the best ways to stay ahead in the marketplace. Sometimes change isn’t necessary, but what is necessary is to constantly be ready to react to changes in your market.

What is organizational agility?

The basis of organizational agility is a company’s ability to produce a steady stream of products and services, while improving internal processes to remain competitive in the marketplace.

The Business Dictionary defines organizational agility as:

“The capability of a company to rapidly change or adapt in response to changes in the market. A high degree of organizational agility can help a company to react successfully to the emergence of new competitors, the development of new industry-changing technologies, or sudden shifts in overall market conditions.”

Why is organizational agility important?

Organizational agility is important for multiple reasons, however competitive edge takes the lead. Your team members must share a common culture, mission, vision, and strategy to be organizationally agile. As you know, in such a fast moving business environment, competitive edge is extremely important when it comes to staying relevant and innovative in your niche. The more competitive you are, the better able you are to address the needs and wants of your leads and clients.

Some other reasons agility is so important to success are:

Increases innovation and motivation to stay up to date with current trends and recruit forward thinking team members: Companies that are easily able to adapt to market changes have motivated employees committed to producing the most innovative products and services available. This works in a cycle, therefore, an organizational agile company never stops changing and innovating.
Improves a company’s ability to respond to competitors: Competition exists in every industry, but it’s the way you proactively respond to your competition that differentiates you from them.
Improves quality of communication, both internally and externally: An organization’s ability to adapt or change depends largely on the efficiency of its internal processes. Once a company defines its strategy, then creating and executing a new product or service flows much smoother.
Helps establish authority in the market: You have all heard the saying, “the early bird catches the worm.” Well, the company that is most innovative and fastest to respond to market changes is the one that will own the space. For example, Apple is the most innovative in computer technology, and therefore, owns the space.
Increases customer retention because of a company’s ability to change and customize its products and services to meets the needs of its end users: Companies that use customer feedback to improve their products and services demonstrate a commitment to the customer. The customer experience is extremely important and will continue to be integral to a company’s well-being. Provide your customers with what they want and need, and increase retention and acquisition.

What are some ways to become more agile?

Reduce internal barriers: Transform your business structure to support a more collaborative, team-oriented environment. When people start to feel apart of something, it diminishes competition from within, and encourages innovation and collaboration.
Increase speed of decision making processes: Companies that want to get ahead and stay ahead are quick to approve or disapprove changes to their team, products, and/or services. Once someone makes a decision in an agile company, team members make necessary changes to support that decision.
Dedicate time to research: If you don't do the necessary research then you won't know the current and upcoming trends. Conduct daily research and compare it with what your organization is currently doing. Research is an ongoing stage that is vital to your success.

Do you currently have the agility you need to sustain your business and get ahead of your competitors? What are some ways your company stays competitive?

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Organizational Agility: The Secret to your Success