Can We Measure Agility?

What Does Agility Mean?

First, let's define terms so we're talking about the same thing: Agility characterizes a new organizational form that is more proactive, self-organized, and flexibly structured compared to traditional organizations. In traditional organizations, such as industrial companies, work follows known patterns or is organized by projects (e.g., a construction project with a fixed beginning and end). Agile organizations are constantly changing, innovative, and simultaneously maximally customer and results-oriented.

Where Does Agility Really Work?

Simply working through certain points and how-to lists isn't enough to make an organization agile. The usual agile maturity models focus very closely on behavior: agile practices, methods, and approaches are in the foreground.

We understand agility not just at the behavioral level, but primarily as a real change in values. It therefore affects the core of corporate culture: worldview and fundamental attitudes. This is where the Graves model comes into play.

If you already know the Graves model (by Prof. Clare W. Graves), you know it's a cultural and values model. You can find an introduction to the Graves model here.

In relation to agility, the Graves model can show that an agile culture is based on certain values. Its effect goes deeper than superficial changes at the behavioral level. What does this mean concretely? It means that if you want to become agile, you develop, internalize, and realize the values of the Graves6, Graves7, and Graves8 levels within yourself.

The Impact of Self-Awareness

If your organization is strongly developed at the Graves7 level (G7 Development and Self-Actualization), it's a vibrant, learning organization. It's characterized by development and change. Currently, a global cultural shift toward the Graves7 level is taking place. Generations Y and Z are conquering the job market and no longer want to work in rigidly structured organizations – companies must reinvent themselves to remain attractive.

For an agile reinvention of your organization to succeed, not only values from the Graves7 level are essential, but also from Graves6 and Graves8.

Graves6 creates the connection to people. If your organization is strong at the Graves6 level, it acts customer-oriented. It's focused on added value and benefit for people. Graves7 describes the flexible, development-oriented way this is implemented. Constant innovation and continuous learning are implemented in the organizational culture, so that subsequently the entire company develops at the Graves8 level. The company becomes a living, evolutionary organism that fulfills a higher purpose.

Only when these value levels are strongly present in your company and especially in top management can an agile culture be established! We believe that an agile culture represents the central success factor in today's world for implementing agility long-term in a company. This is because top management learns to let go of established power hierarchies and replace them with many natural competence hierarchies.

Long-term Success Through Agility

But... is a profound value shift toward agility even possible and sensible for all organizations? For traditional organizations with strong Graves4 characteristics (Law & Order), this would be a major challenge. The keyword here is time.

Let's look at the automotive industry. It took a long time to embrace and adopt the development toward electric mobility. Such changes affect the core of the industry and therefore cannot be implemented overnight. It's different for small companies and startups. They have the advantage of being able to grasp and implement ideas more quickly.

In the long term, all areas of public life will shift to an agile context, otherwise they won't remain successful. The "old," procedural tasks will largely be taken over by artificial intelligence. The jobs that remain require social competence, relationship skills, creative abilities, optional thinking, and innovation capability.

In the course of this change, you don't give up the lower Graves levels, but preserve their positive aspects. This holistic fundamental attitude becomes stronger the more the Graves8 level unfolds. With Graves7 and Graves8, the healthy development of all Graves levels becomes a matter of the heart. You need Graves4, for example, for a legal foundation that prevents corruption and abuse of power. Graves5 ("Success and Achievement") forms your new starting point – a modern organization that develops upward, toward an agile organization.