Agility: the new response to dynamic change

Abstract

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to offer an integrated framework for understanding agility. Agility has become an increasingly important capability in today’s changing business world. In this paper, the authors suggest “3, 4’s” to better define agility. Agility can be defined through four dimensions (create the future, anticipate opportunity, adapt quickly and learn always); agility occurs with four stakeholders (strategy, organization, leader and individual); and agility is sustained through four Human Resource (HR) tools (people, performance, information and work). Design/methodology/approach Using this integrated framework, executives can better define, assess and invest in creating agility as a capability. Findings The authors studied leading Chinese and US high-tech organizations to discover how they respond to changing market conditions. Originality/value The research for this agility framework is described in their book, Reinventing the Organization: How Companies Can Deliver Radically Greater Value in Fast-Changing Markets.