Regular readers will know that the development and practice of agility in business and communications is something that I'm very passionate about. I've been writing and podcasting about it off and on for over a year now. So, I figured it was time I put my time and effort where my mouth is and did something more tangible about it.
I believe there is a huge need. A need that goes way beyond social media. A need distinguished by the move from a linear industrial model characterised by command and control to a networked post-industrial model characterised by participation and collaboration. The digitization of products, services, and communications is relentless, the connectivity (us to each other, businesses to their customers) is (relatively) ubiquitous, yet that network is fundamentally disruptive in it's architecture (as John Naughton has said: "The internet's disruptiveness is a consequence of it's technical DNA. In programmers' parlance, it's a feature not a bug"). It's an environment described not just by innovation, but by continuous and disruptive innovation, and not just by product but by business model innovation. Business latency is decreasing drammatically – the ups and downs happen quicker, can be bigger. Businesses recognise that they are being bombarded by change, yet admit to an inability to cope with the pace of change. Digital models are all about experimentation, adpatability, optimisation, beta. Lighting lots of fires. Yet how many established businesses really (I mean really) have the agility of working process, the culture, the flexibility in business cycle, and the responsiveness to successfully operate in, adapt to, and innovate in the new environent.
My hunch is very few. So I've partnered up with the brilliant Johnnie Moore, facilitator and improv supremo, to put together an Agile Bootcamp. Johnnie is a natural partner – he writes often and exceptionally well about innovation, organisational change, and the value of playfulness in business. He's also an exceptionally nice bloke.
I believe that agility in business and communications is about responsiveness, not about velocity. It's a critical difference. The software industry has a history of bringing new working practices to wider business including the principles of open source and collaboration. Through Agile Development techniques, it is again pioneering a way of working that is all about keeping close to your market and your customers. This is a workshop that interprets agile principles to offer a new way for teams, projects and organisations to be effective in the new environment.
Our objective is that the day will in turns be challenging, informative, useful, but also a whole lot of fun. As Johnnie says "It will combine serious content with seriously playful experience of agile using improv activities." We're running it at the lovely Wallacespace in St Pancras, London, on Sept 17th and the earlybird rate is a very reasonable £195 incl VAT.
And you can sign up here. It would be lovely to see you there.
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