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As workplaces become virtual and working from home becomes the norm, organizations would have to adopt newer methodologies and strategies to adjust to the New Normal.
Agile methodologies, long thought to be the answer to the Digital Age workplaces are now gaining traction as viable models that can be adopted by virtual organizations.
Agile Workplaces, by definition, are those that are composed of Modular and Self Sufficient Teams that can work independently and without much supervision.
In addition, since they are composed of team members well versed in varied and versatile skills, they can also work without much need for assistance from other teams.
In other words, by virtue of being comprised of team members with cross functional skills, they can perform their tasks without much support and assistance from the rest of the organization.
Indeed, when the entire organization is made up of such teams, workplaces become that much more productive and efficient in our Virtual World where interactions between teams is limited in a face to face basis and where such communications are virtual.
So, it is our argument that Agile Workplaces are the Future.
How do Agile Workplaces function in the real world? To start with, Agile Teams are those that have Designers, Developers, Testers, Rollout specialists, and After Rollout Support Team Members.
In addition, they also have members who are adept at fixing hardware and software issues in addition to having members who can liaise and interact with the Marketing, Finance, an Administration functions personnel.
In short, Agile Teams are truly modular and exist as separate entities without much need for inputs from the rest of the organization.
Moreover, as organizations and their clients begin to move their operations to the Cloud, Agile Teams would be in great demand as by virtue of their Cross Functional Expertise, they can perform everything from Design to Rollout to After Sales Support.
Cloud Operations obviate the need for Physical Presence of the Team Members in Client Sites, thereby ensuring that everything can be done remotely.
Indeed, when Remote Working is the norm, Remote Delivery and Remote Rollouts would follow suit, paving the way to a truly Virtual World.
This fits in neatly with the New Normal of Digital and Virtual Workplaces where there is no need for Physical Presence and Face to Face Interactions are virtual.
One can go as far as to say that Agile was a methodology that was waiting to arrive and the Post Pandemic Virtual World gives it the best opportunity to Scale Up as well as to Actualize Synergies between the Various Functions.
Indeed, agile teams make it very easy for organizations to Scale Up as Cloud based rollouts do not need multiple personal computing devices and instead, a theoretically infinite number of clients can login and get their work done on the cloud.
Moreover, due to their cross functional nature, they can actualize synergies between different functions and ensure that Virtual Organizations are able to enhance team and organizational productivity in the process.
In addition, Agile Teams can be located anywhere and everywhere and can deliver the goods every time and all the time.
This is perhaps what was envisaged by Tech Visionaries such as Bill Gates when he predicted the Virtual Organizations that are the norm now much before anyone else did.
So, in a way what we are witnessing now is the Fusion of the Present Exigencies with an Innovation that arrived Just in Time. The Digital Age is upon us and Agile is the Future of Working.
Having said that, as with any methodology and paradigm, Agile too has its limitations and drawbacks and these relate to the way in which Fixing Transparency and Accountability for errors and glitches are concerned.
For instance, if a particular team misses out on the Deliverables, then the higher-ups would need to either fix the blame on the entire team or go in a piecemeal approach by apportioning who was at fault through talking to each team member.
In physical workplaces, often it is easier to spot errors much before they happen as the close relationships between Teams and within Teams ensures that everyone is in the loop.
On the other hand, in Remote Teams with minimal interactions with the other teams and with the rest of the organizations, there is every possibility that Agile Teams would go Rogue and create problems for the organization.
This is where Astute Leaders and Hands on Managers can make the difference between unnecessary meddling and smart monitoring.
Indeed, even the Monitoring of Agile Teams can be done by other agile teams so that there is a 360 Degree Interactions between the various teams in the organization and thereby, minimize goof-ups and missteps in delivery.
Last, as mentioned earlier, Agile is the methodology that is taking over the corporate world and hence, it is our suggestion to corporates and especially those that are now in the midst of adjusting to the New Normal of Virtual Workplaces to embrace it.
Moreover, even when they move back to Physical Working, the transition is made easier since there are no lags between setting up all over again and resuming work is concerned.
To conclude, the business world is in the throes of a transition to newer ways of working in the New Normal and Agile fits in nicely.
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