Hyper Agility

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Well, we are wrapping up quite the week around here.
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I hope you're having a good week and maybe you've uh been able to exercise some calm in your in your dailies.
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Um sometimes it's a struggle.
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I get that, but you know what?
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I think we're all kind of in the boat, the same boat, uh at least at the moment.
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So appreciate you deciding to take some time out of your day, put all the crazy on pause and just kind of hang out with us.
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Um I'm Melanie Stern for Supply Chain Unfiltered today.
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The topic hyper agility.
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It's uh, and you're gonna find out why it's really um it's a superpower.
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Um I know that agility's been a really um, really important.
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Uh it's been spoken of and examined in multiple different ways, integrated into companies and across supply chains, and because basically it helps us be ready for anything, and that is um the name of the game right now, and for who knows how much longer, I mean, it might be that way for a while.
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Um, but the boundaries of agility are changing, um, and they need to change, and it's out of necessity, and we're being pushed into new territory.
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So, with us today to give us um the details on it and a deeper look into hyper agility, Dr.
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Charlotte DeBerbant, um, and she's gonna help us out.
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Let us know what it is, how it works, and what's the best way to integrate it into your um the way you work, help your teams and your strategies, and um improve the impact that you um seek to make.
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Charlotte, good to have you here.
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Thank you, Melanie.
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I'm thrilled to be here.
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Yeah, yeah.
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Um, I mean, I I always, when I first heard of the term agility, and it was almost like for me, it was like a way for me to take a it was like a breath of fresh air, you know, because instead of working, you know, in these fixed ways of thinking, and you know, it just gives us room.
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And um, so I I'm really curious to know what hyper agility is and and why you think the time is now to um make it part of the way we operate.
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Yeah, absolutely.
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And you know, for you started with agility and now I come to you with hyper agility.
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I think hyper agility is really the answer to hyperleadership because you as a good hyper leader, you need to be hyper-agile, and hyper agility is the ability of an organization and its people to continuously sense and respond to and lead change at speed and scale.
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Um, but it goes deeper than just being fast, it's about responsiveness, especially in these uncertain times, right now, more than ever, responsiveness, resilience, and inclusion all at once.
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So in in today's world, disruption is is not the exception, it's the norm.
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I mean, look at our daily news, our thing, yeah, and from you know, from this technological shift to geopolitical events, from demographic changes to social movements, um change, it comes from every direction at the moment, and traditional agility, what you're talking about, is in my opinion, simply no longer enough.
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And hyper agility is really what companies need to pivot overnight, reconfigurate their teams in real time and launch innovations, not in quarters, but in weeks, and and how to respond to all the change.
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And and the key is it's not just systems, it's it's people.
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Hyper agility lives at the intersection of empowered teams, flexible processes, and a lot of diverse thinking.
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Great segue for my next question.
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Thank you.
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Um when you've got your diverse team, and then it's all about making sure that you set up an inclusive environment where people feel like they belong, it's part of company culture.
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Um, where does hyper agility fit into that?
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Or I mean, does it?
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Yeah, I mean the the connection is profound.
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Hyper agility it doesn't um just tolerate diversity, it actually requires it.
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Okay in a in a volatile environment that we are in, these monocultures they they would collapse, I believe.
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Hyper agile organizations are just built on the belief that the best solution comes from many lenses, not just one.
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And when teams include individuals from all these different backgrounds, different generations and ways of thinking, the result is cognitive elasticity.
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And that's why in my team I make sure that I have different generations represented because every generation thinks just so differently, how they observe the news, go about tasks, and um that's the fuel you know for agility.
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But inclusion is the engine without psychological safety, those diverse voices would remain silent, and that's why hyper-agility also means creating environments where every team member can speak up, can have a voice, won't be judged, can challenge assumptions and and contribute freely.
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Um, so I I really see that in my team.
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No one is afraid to speak up, give, and I always encourage for for every individual to represent their own voice, their own opinion.
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They won't be judged.
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And um and and and that's why hyper agility is just the outcome.
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And then so you've got, let's say you've set up a hyper agile organization.
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Obviously, as you mentioned, diversity and inclusion are you know an important part of that.
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Are there other core competencies that you feel are really integral into creating that hyper agile organization?
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Um, the one that we all want, the one that's going to provide the most benefit.
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Yeah.
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Well, um I've I've really I've worked in a variety of different industries, and especially now building up these brand new teams in these uncertain times where as a hyper leader I am practicing hyper agility.
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I I think I I would say I focus on five different elements.
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Firstly, flexible structures.
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So um having like a dynamic team that can then reconfigurate um based on skills and needs, not just titles or silos.
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So I actually have this um spreadsheet I've designed.
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You have a spreadsheet?
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I I did on different um on my team members.
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Okay.
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On um what are their passions, what are their strengths, and and constantly reconfigurating their roles on them so they are fully fulfilled in their role, in their job.
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And it's just like a little cheat sheet that I have in the back of my pocket in order to constantly have these flexible teams and live this dynamic team.
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So people don't just think they need to work from from nine to five and constant continuously do that same job.
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Um, we need flexibility in our structures.
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Secondly, adapting uh communication, so real-time, um having multi-platform channels that empower transparency within the team, because we work in so many different time zones, and we are a global but also virtual company, so having this cross-functionality, cultural sensitivity, and um and that's very important for me.
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I make that clear right at the beginning that we need to adapt different communication styles for hyper uh agility, and then also having this inclusive decision making, so um, these fast loops that include diverse perspectives and prioritize responsiveness over bureaucracy.
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So I really encourage joint decision making.
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What are certain opinions from the team members, and uh and having this inclusive decision making so the team members don't feel afraid to speak up, but rather they would really come and we make certain decisions jointly together.
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And number four is rapid learning, um, where we really encourage organizations to learn from each other.
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And number five is empowered talent.
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So people who are trained, trusted, and given the um autonomy to act quickly and creatively creatively.
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So um hyper-agile organizations, they um shift from control and demand to connect and collaborate.
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And this is really what I try to do is you know, learning from each other, embracing this flexibility, communication, just having this hyper agile aspect of leading the teams.
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And for uh, let's say anyone on a team in an organization that you know they have their set ways of functioning, you know, individually, together, um, and then enter hyper agility.
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And they, you know, that's a that's a lot to take on and and understand the concept, um, let alone um wrap your head around it and then ultimately put it into practice in the way intended.
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Um that might stress out some people.
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Um, it might create some internal chaos.
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So how would you suggest leaders foster that hyperagility that they want without making everybody, you know, just we don't we want to minimize the chaos, not not add to it?
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More chaos in these organizations, it wouldn't go well at this stage.
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Yeah, like can you imagine?
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Is that even possible?
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Yeah, is that even possible?
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Uh well, you know, as the saying goes, anything is possible, right?
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But um to answer your question, I think really that's the art and science of hyper-agility, because agility isn't about constant motion, it's about intentional motion, and leaders must provide clarity of purpose, also while allowing freedom of execution.
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And here's the the formula um decentralize decisions plus centralized vision.
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When everyone understands the why, they can then adapt to the how in real time.
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And leaders must also model agility themselves, showing vulnerability, um showing what strategy they follow publicly, and admitting when when pivots are needed.
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So the biggest myth, uh, Melanie, is that agility means no structure.
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In fact, it needs structure, just not uh these rigid hierarchies.
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It needs frameworks, not these formulas.
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And I do I do want to make mention, I think it it's pertinent, um, as you were discussing, you know, how leaders can use hyper agility.
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Um we had also done an episode covering hyperleadership.
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So it it's it's you know, to connect the two.
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And um, after you've listened to this episode, you know, go over to ismworld.org, go to the um podcast library, and search for the hyperleadership episode.
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I I think you'll find value in that for sure.
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It it gives you a broader understanding of how they work together.
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Um so what happens when you put hyper agility into your talent management practices or your you know workforce planning or you know, thinking about what does head count look like?
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What happens when you integrate hyper agility there?
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So, in a hyper agile organization, talent isn't um just slotted in a box, it's actually viewed as a constellation of skills and experiences.
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So talent management becomes fluid and cross-functional and personalized.
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Um, so when we do workforce planning, uh these shifts from static organizations to having more of dynamic capability maps, hiring uh focuses less on these perfect resumes or CVs and more on learning agility, um, curiosity, resilience.
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So development becomes, I would say, more modular, short, interactive uh bursts of upskilling rather than um these long learning programs that we used to have.
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And um career paths then become or are nonlinear and self-directed, self-advocacy.
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So the result is then that you have a workforce that adapts as fast as the world does and feels empowered to lead the change and empowered, as I mentioned before, to express their concerns, their feedback.
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And how does hyper agility drive innovation?
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I mean, that's much of our focus is on innovation and you know when and how much do we put it into effect in our companies and um, you know, product launches and and all of it.
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I mean, is it changed things?
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Does hyper agility change that in any way?
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Absolutely.
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I mean, think about the companies that pivoted overnight during COVID.
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I remember I was I worked at Johnson ⁇ Johnson at that time in New York, and and just overnight we were asked to change, like distilleries producing hand sanitizers or automotive plants.
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Right.
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You know, automotive plants um manufacturing some ventilators that wasn't just uh improvisation, that was hyper agility right there in action.
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Or consider um a tech company that brings these diverse uh customers into their product uh sprint cycles, getting real-time feedback from the users across cultures and abilities.
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And by embedding diversity and speed into the innovation process, um, they don't just ship faster, but they build better.
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And hyper agility also drives um microinnovation, so everyday problem solving by employees on right there on the front lines.
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And when they are um trusted, then they are also encouraged uh to e to invent.
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That's um that's super positive.
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Super positive.
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Uh and what about I know we touched on um hyperleadership, but what does hyper agility change the role of leadership in and of itself?
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And and in what way?
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Uh yeah, so the agile leader is no longer the the oracle of the top of the pyramid.
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Uh hyper agile leaders are facilitators, connectors, sense makers.
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As I also um mentioned in in our previous podcast, when I talked about hyperleaders, I mentioned that they were orchestrators, right, for the harmony.
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Uh they create clarity in complexity, not by dictating, but by guiding.
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And these leaders, I think they they bring four main components to the table.
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They listen more than they talk, and that's really a feedback I get from my leader that he hasn't um come across someone listening so carefully each time.
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Then they operate with um transparency and they they build systems that adapt, not protect the status quo.
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And lastly, they embrace the um minimum um viable decision that then evolve over time.
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So the the question is no longer what should I do, it's who can I empower and how can I support them.
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That's different.
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I mean, that's that I just just that alone and the ripple effect that would have across an organization is is pretty immense.
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Um so I know you mentioned we talked about innovation, but um specifically technology.
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Um what's the role as far as technology?
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How do we view it um when we enable hyper agility?
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Well, as always, I always preach technology is the enabler, not the solution on its own.
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And and hyper agility uh uses these digital tools to increase speed and visibility and collaboration, but not replace the human interaction and intuition.
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So cloud platforms, for example, they then allow uh instant collaboration across the different borders, and AI helps leaders uh to make decisions faster with data.
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And then automation frees humans to focus on uh creative and strategic work.
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But the technology, I think it must serve people, not the other way around.
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Right?
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Yeah, so so tools should uh should be there to enhance trust, not just surveillance.
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And hyper agile leaders, they then prioritize tech that is transparent and inclusive and empowering.
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So one of the things that's you know talked about often it's on our minds either in the moment or always you know in the back of our head, it's just always there, always there is KPIs, right?
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Um I'm just wondering how much would we still use KPIs to measure success in these hyper agile organizations?
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Is do they somewhat take a back seat?
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Are they do we repurpose the KPIs in another way?
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Do we change our perspective about them?
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What is it?
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Uh well, hyper agile organizations, they measure success in in outcomes, not outputs.
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So they track learning velocity, they they track um inclusion matrix, they track adapt uh adaptability scores, innovation flow, not just efficiency or revenue.
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So the key, I would say when you when you're a hyperleader uh in the field of hyper agility, the key question um that you ask might include how fast can we implement a feedback loop from the front line to leadership?
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What percentage of our projects are led by diverse teams?
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How many experiments are we running each quarter and what are we learning?
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So success isn't about perfection, it's about having the momentum, the insights so important, and and knowing the impact.
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And agile matrix are you know are are there, are living, they are breathing reflections of a of a learning culture.
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So this continuous feedback and and also when I engage with my team, constantly evolving the role of each team member, uh, because it's it's it's continuous growth, continuous change that we are embracing.
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I know you have um some, I'll say, deeper perspectives on hyper agility that you haven't shared thus far.
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Um, but if you could share one with us and maybe impart a message that you think is really important for leaders to hear today, what would that be?
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Um, well, I would say, and as as we took before, you know, hyper agility is not a strategy, so it's a survival instinct being a hyper leader.
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Um, but it's also a human instinct, and we are naturally uh adaptive and creative and capable of radical reinvention.
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I mean, you see what we're going through right now.
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If if this more than ever challenges our creativity and being adaptive and agile, so organizations just need to unlock uh what's already there.
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So I've lived agility not just professionally, but um but personally through adversity, through going through challenges in my health, illness, and um and reinvention.
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And I think the the biggest lesson is that agility is born when control is lost.
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And courage, um, it really takes its place.
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So I think to every listener, um, to every also leader listening today, um, building teams that can bend without breaking uh during change, that's essential, creating cultures where people feel safe to speak up and strong enough to leap.
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And most importantly, leading with curiosity.
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The world is moving so fast at the moment, but if your mindset is agile, you won't just keep up, you'll you'll also lead the way.
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That's how hyper agility came about.
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That's great, that's great.
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Um, and you know, if there wasn't I I don't think there's a better time for us to have been able to hear this from you um than than right now.
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And I imagine it will also be um a great piece of information to refer back to often.
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You know, keep us in keep us in check.
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Absolutely.
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You know, having hyper agility is kind of the the new organizational superpower for this unpredictable world.
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Yes, that it is.
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Thank you, Charlotte.
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Always a pleasure having you here.
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Um and it's just always great to have, you know, cover a topic and infuse some positivity into all of us.
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We need, we need that, you know.
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We all function better when we have that.
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Um and uh it's just the kind of um content we love to provide.
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We love to provide our members and non-members.
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Um you can find more content um and other resources to help boost your uh I'll say boost your mood, boost your productivity, and help you be ready for whatever's next.
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Um just go to ismworld.org, find the answers you seek, and meet some new people within the ISM community.
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We're all here to support one another.
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Thanks so much for tuning in.
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As always, I'm Melanie Stern, closing out another episode of Supply Chain Unfiltered.