Feral Sunar // Agile Coach - Allianz Türkiye
Hierarchy has been one of the most successful methods of maintaining order in business life until recently. It is not the case anymore. Today, companies seek to adapt to the agile transformation, the working model of the world where hierarchy is not spoken.
Let's talk about the agile working model. Here, untitled teams where people with different competencies come together replace the traditional vertical structure in the hierarchical structure. Even when generously handed out, titles that can negatively impact employee satisfaction are replaced by roles. These roles can change very quickly based on needs. Employees experience self-organization rather than being managed by a manager, and they share knowledge and experience transparently within the team.
Even with a successful agile transformation, teams are likely to have difficulty understanding and implementing this new structure in the first place. What is even more difficult is this: Some people do not want to give up on hierarchy, they find it comfortable to work in a hierarchical structure, they even hope to continue with the creation of a secret hierarchical order.
Silos must be demolished, autonomous teams must be formed
However, breaking down existing organizational silos and creating autonomous teams with multiple functions is one of the most valuable elements in the transition to an agile working model. That's why transformations that try to make teams directly agile are often unsuccessful attempts. Maintaining the agile mindset is a difficult goal to achieve without touching the organization.
Defects such as prolonged decision processes brought about by multi-layered organizational structures and limited cooperation between units created by silo structure can only be improved with a design in which hierarchy is reduced. Let me quote here from Austrian writer and management guru Peter Drucker. He says, “If you want something new, you have to stop doing something old.”
If de-hierarchical structures are critical to the success of agile transformations, what could be the most important obstacle to this?
It won't be as hard as you fear
First, the challenges in the organizational design phase come to mind. In practice, this turns out to be resolved sooner than expected. The unit, which consists of top managers and mid-level managers, which is structured in the form of a silo, can quickly turn into a horizontal structure free from hierarchy after organizational design. With a short orientation, the team is already running their first sprint on the HEY! journey.
Then, is it possible to move away from the hierarchy, which has disappeared on paper, in minds? Most likely not.
In spite of the transformation, the team may even feel more hierarchical in the new setup.
It takes time for minds to change. The key here is the human factor. In the transformations that take into account the human being, the expected benefit is achieved much faster.
Essence of the story:
Teams should be alert to the possibility of maintaining the reduced hierarchy with behaviors and expressions that remind the pre-transformation structure.
Consider removing the barriers to agile behavior in the transformation journey as a collaborative task that should be removed from the work list; because the hierarchy in the minds does not end until you say "It's over."
P.S. You can contact us by clicking here to share your experiences and ask questions about the agile working method.
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