1. Set goals and hypotheses
First, we have to justify what we do, and we do that by developing impact objectives, so that everyone knows what we want and where we are going. When we know what we want to achieve, we can collect proposals/hypotheses (of the slightly larger kind) on how we can achieve these effects. This can be done through idea boxes or through someone being responsible for capturing the suggestions made within the company. We ourselves have tested having employee lunches where about 5 people meet over lunch and talk about improvement opportunities and what works really well within the company. I promise, there are lots of suggestions for improvements. Continually categorize the proposals according to what they add value to employees, customers and the company.
Then you can easily see which proposals should really be implemented and tested quickly and which ones may require a little more planning. And also which ones should not be implemented, but the feedback on why will be easy to give. And don't forget that most ideas don't even need to be evaluated, they're good to go!
2. Have retrospectives
A retrospective, or retro, is an occasion when the group gathers to discuss what went well and what did not work well during a given period of time.
It is common to have retros on projects or within a development team, but it is fine to have them within all groupings. Try e.g. in the management group, the marketing group, the sales group or why not the company as a whole. Evaluating and seeing what has been done well and what can be improved is a cornerstone of agile organizations.
3. Don't be afraid to change your mind
Sometimes the hypothesis we're testing doesn't quite hit the mark. Be open to it and change. Sometimes you oscillate between extremes to finally see that the pendulum stops in the middle.
4. Own responsibility
Create a culture where every employee feels responsibility for their tasks and a pride in what they do and dares to try new things. Our experience is that the best way to increase the value for the customer is that everyone who works at the company thinks it's fun and is both willing and able to take responsibility for the deliveries we make and understands the value of the knowledge we provide.
5. Enjoy & encourage!
It cannot be emphasized enough that if you have fun at work, you perform better. Don't save your words with with praise and encouragement. Appreciation must come from everyone within the company and of course customers (if you have an organization where that is possible). Celebrate when you can, reward and make sure that everyone feels that their job and knowledge is an important piece of the puzzle to make the whole company work and that they create value through their performance.
Creating a new corporate culture is easier said than done. It doesn't happen in a day. What we have learned is that small, but regular changes make a big difference in the long run. And to succeed as an agile company, the culture must not only be open to change but actively pursue it. We challenge ourselves to constantly improve by testing, changing, evaluating and giving feedback. We test hypotheses. Sometimes we succeed really well, sometimes what sounds good in theory is not as successful in reality and then it is important to make quick adjustments.
It's time to start. Contact us now and we'll tell you more!
