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Hi, It’s Tom here from Excel on the Learn Grow Succeed podcast

Have you noticed that recently, the term ‘agile’ is being applied more and more to teams?

This and a fascinating conversation I had with a client last week, made me wonder how agile teams can enable innovation in your organisation – so, you’ll be pleased to know that today, this is my topic!

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“Agile methodologies”- or in other words, the new values, principles, practices and benefits that are being deployed into teams – are a radical alternative to the more traditional hierarchical management style, and their popularity is spreading across many organisations.

Making teams agile involves taking individuals out of their silos and enabling them to self-manage in a multidisciplinary team. This method of working can accelerate not only profitable growth for your company but help create the next generation of skilled managers and leaders by giving them new skills and autonomy in their work.

To enable innovation in your agile team, you need three key ‘ingredients’: collaboration, communication and motivation.

In today’s video, I am going to explore each one, starting with…

Collaboration

Trust and autonomy rely on collaborative working. For collaboration to be effective, there needs to be a secure environment in which individuals are confident to voice their suggestions, take responsibility for their own task and be able to rely on others to do the same.

Instilling a practice of consultation, brainstorming and two-way conversations, in a supportive setting, will allow an agile team to flourish.

By accepting that there can be no wrong answers, only experiences and growth, and the acknowledgement that everyone can learn from each other, you can ensure individuals are given the tools they need to succeed.

Second, is Communication 

Communication is the key to making the right decisions. Feedback is crucial, not just within the team, or the company, but with your customers too.

Transparency in your communication helps establish trust. So, whatever the project, buy-in from everyone involved is crucial before decisions are made to avoid costly mistakes later.

Two-way, clear communication will enable your team to work in a more agile way and enjoy rapid innovation.

And lastly, Motivation 

Finally, an agile team needs motivation to succeed.

Motivation stems from a sense of having a purpose; of understanding how an individual fits into the overall scheme of things.

One way you can achieve this is to provide your team with autonomy to make decisions and take control of the process.

By providing autonomy, you also make space for creativity. And allowing creativity to flourish leads to higher personal productivity levels – if an individual is engaged in their work, they are more likely to do a better job.

Additionally, accountability in your team’s roles fosters a sense of ownership and job satisfaction, leading to higher overall achievement.

So, there you have it – the three key factors that promote and ignite creativity in an agile team and enable innovation.

If you want to develop your leadership style and empower your team, you can get in touch by sending me a DM either through LinkedIn or on the contact form on our website.

I look forward to speaking with you soon!