To be or not to be Agile: that is not a question anymore.

Not so long ago, almost all the companies around us had a leadership model based on hierarchy (most of the times, male hierarchy). The organizations were seen as machines and people, just a peace of the machinery itself. Within this context, the manager was focus mainly on command and control, handling the exchange of pieces (“people”) when needed. Manager was the one and only role empowered to take decisions, people (“pieces”) could only execute, without any possibility to innovate or contribute to the decision process. People (“pieces”), did not have any responsibility but executing other’s and there was no thought, action or consideration around people motivation.

This model worked pretty well in XX century, predictability, accuracy and planning accordingly were key. Processes were heavy and rigid, with strong dependency of detailed planning as input for any new execution.

Beginning XXI, technology evolved in such a way that nobody could be labeled as “expert” for very long…We started to live and deal with the unpredictable, without having 100% of the answers. New environment needed a new way of taking decisions, a new mindset, to become flexible and adaptable with the new reality. In this context, Agile started to be the password for everything: Agile manifesto and the 12 Principles become the new must have.

Organizations started to realize that people were the actual capital, the most important part in any company: people are the one to innovate, design and execute the customer dreams. New terms such as Servant Leaders, Empowerment, Agile were in many leader’s speeches, but the reality was not as nice as it sounded: still there were many resistance from top management to start delegating decisions, to feel that they were losing “command and control”. There were some years talking about the change, without actual change.

Actual change came once top management felt ready, convinced and embraced the new way of leading. People (no longer pieces) were committed earlier, but the transformation was needed end to end, from top management to customer, from manager to tester, from RRHH to newcomers. Even in many cases, the furniture and the physical environments of the companies were adapted to the new wave of working, leading and living.

Now, we are facing how to scale agile: that is another interesting chapter in our bumpy ride, mates.