Why Agile Leaders Need to Mind the Gaps

When we talk about agile leadership, it’s easy to think of it as a modern concept. After all, agile ways of working took off in software development before spreading to functions and companies of all kinds.

But according to Stephen Bungay, managing people in a way that ensures they’re aligned on common goals while simultaneously empowering them to make their own decisions – which is what agile leadership is all about – has its roots in military strategy that’s more than 100 years old.

Bungay, a long-time management and strategy consultant and Boston Consulting Group alum, explains that theory in his book, “The Art of Action.” He talked about it and how strategy and agile leadership are connected in a keynote address at BCG’s recent Agile Exchange conference in Amsterdam.

Creating Alignment That Enables Autonomy

Bungay says that in the 19th century, leaders of the Prussian army realized that no matter how much planning they did, they couldn’t predict every situation that their troops would encounter in battle. They also couldn’t predict whether specific actions that troops took would lead to desired outcomes.

Instead, they determined that the key to winning was to combine alignment around a common goal with empowerment, giving troops autonomy to act as they saw fit. To do that, military leaders needed to pay attention to the gaps between plans, actions and outcomes. They devoted an inordinate amount of time to communications and preparing for battle. Once the action began, they relied on their people to improvise when they saw the opportunity, within predetermined boundaries.

How does this relate to agile? Leaders at many organizations still cling to the belief that if they plan everything and then follow the plan it will inevitably lead to the right outcomes. But, if leaders manage in a traditional top-down way, people may work toward a common end but feel like they don’t have any input on how to get there, and fall short of the goal as a result. Conversely, if leaders give people permission to act on their own initiative but can’t get them to focus on a common purpose, their actions may not lead to the desired outcome.

But if like the Prussian military men of old, agile leaders can mind the gaps between plans, actions and outcomes, they can create the alignment that enables autonomy.

To do that, they may need to unlearn behaviors such as the command-and-control style of management that made them successful in the first place and adopt a more flexible style, setting goals and then leaving it to teams to decide how best to achieve them. They also may need to make sure that they understand what their expectations are, communicate those clearly, listen to feedback and encourage people to think independently within the confines of a project or goal.

Working with BCG clients, I’ve seen how difficult it can be to mind the gaps and achieve this balance. But when it happens, the rewards can be great – processes are more efficient, products get to market faster, and employees are more engaged. It may be a strategy that dates back to more than a century, but it’s as relevant now as it was then.