Companies around the world have been experimenting with the agile workforce (hiring talent if they need and when they need) concept to futureproof their businesses, especially in unpredictable times like these. They have been quite successful in being nimble, iterative, innovative and profitable. So, what can we learn from them? The modus operandi.

Let’s see what all of them have in common.

Freedom to be

The workforce today is more conscious about work-life balance. They want to be accountable for the work they do and not the time they login.

They are likely to ask for full control on start time, end time, off-days, number of working days and so on. An agile organization is open to this flexibility and is happy to let them be. They adopt the necessary technology to make it happen.

In a recent study by SAP Concur, it was found that 88% of the workforce in India prefers working from home.

Source: Times of India

Fostering trust

In an agile environment, you are likely to be operating in a dynamic way. There would be different people working in their own flexible time and place.

Traditional managers might find it difficult to trust them and may enforce counterproductive rules like – compulsorily staying online, filling in time sheets or other compliances.

It is a lot of about the mindset and it has to trickle down from the top. Leadership has to show more willingness to keep their eyes on the goals and not the micro ways of working.

A survey revealed that 69% of the workforce in India believed that their productivity increased during the work-from-home period.

Source: Times of India

There have been studies to prove the correlation between trust and increased productivity. It is worth taking a leap of faith and build a culture of trust.

Eyes on the prize

Leaders in agile organizations know that work can be seasonal, and they need a flexible workforce to fill in the peak demands. They hire for specific goals and they know how to measure against them. They don’t concern themselves with the micro things like work timings or other perks they may have to provide.

Agile organizations are goal-oriented, and they are wise enough to put KRAs against them.

Being Innovative

Remember, an agile worker does not have the security of a full-time job and is always trying to give their best. And while they are at it, they need the power to do things differently. Allow them to be creative in their approach and watch productivity soar.

They bring the experience of working on different contracts and it is in the interest of the organization to learn from them. Agile organizations understand that.

Learning environment

An agile organization is never stuck with one way of working. They are happy to retire older ways and bring in new technology, processes and people.

They could be dealing with people in different places and different time zones. They are happy to experiment with cloud technologies, new communication tools, project management systems and so on.

Little wonder that they are far ahead of the technology curve.

Embracing change

An agile organization will have ever changing workforce brought in sporadically for specific purpose or projects. With new people joining ever so often, the team dynamics are likely to change. Besides, the organization cannot afford to lose a lot of time on induction and settling of the new team member.

How do they deal with that? They have an agile system that makes these changeovers smooth and quick. People are trained into a culture that embraces change and welcomes new joinees.

Feedback loops

These organizations are always evolving, trying to do better with more and more experimentations. And while they are at it, they become good listeners. They don’t work on one-off exit interviews or occasional checklists. They are continuously working on two-way communications with the consultants, recording their challenges and woes.

Lead by example

There are no great organizations who implemented agility without the guidance of a great leader. It is the leader that provides the vision, channelizes all energies towards that and protects it against naysayers.

WordPress has all of its workforce working remotely. Matt Mullenweg, the Founder of WordPress says – “I am an optimist, and I believe that people are inherently good and that if you give everyone a voice and freedom of expression, the trust and the good will outweigh the bad.”

Being agile is not just a buzzword. It is here to stay. It has lived and proven its worth for many years and now is the time to embrace it with both hands. Good talent will often be available only on their terms – flexible. Organizations must accept this reality and consider filling their headcount needs with contract workers, consultants and even freelancers. And of course, build these eight characteristics into the organization’s way of working.