Press Release: New report shows agile working bolsters business productivity

Adoption of an agile culture found to lead to a two-fold increase in commercial performance - and it also helps engage employees 

 

• Businesses with a strong agile culture saw a 237% increase in commercial performance

• Research commissioned by consultancy JCURV also shows 90% of businesses who were not previously agile switched as a result of the pandemic

• However, this comes as business leaders were significantly less agile in 2021 than the previous year

 

LONDON – February 8, 2022 – New research reveals companies that rolled out a strong agile culture more than doubled their commercial performance (an increase of 237%) and have employees who are almost twice as engaged as those at non-agile businesses (64% vs 34%). 

 

As the ‘Great Resignation’ means employees are leaving the workforce in record numbers, the report shows how becoming more agile can combat key concerns around the attrition of talent - by engaging employees. Employee satisfaction was reported to be 160% higher from respondents in organisations that introduced agile at scale compared to those that were not agile and respondents were seven times more likely to feel like they had a great ‘team spirit’ compared to places without agile practices (77% vs. 10%).

 

The report carried out by researchers Truthsayers Neurotech on behalf of agile consultancy JCURV and not-for-profit Agile Business Consortium* - the largest study of its kind - found that Covid was a significant impetus for many organisations’ new focus on agile culture. Over 90% of organisations who had previously neglected to adopt an agile approach increased their agility as a result of the pandemic. 

 

In the study, scores were awarded to organisations for demonstrating the characteristics of an agile culture, such as establishing a clear purpose, agile leadership, opportunity for collaboration, trust in employees, providing developmental feedback and high adaptability to change. 

 

Businesses with a strong agile culture were found to be most prevalent in some of the industries which had been hardest hit by the pandemic: Professional Services (60%), Healthcare & Pharmaceutical (56%), Government (53%) and Education (53%). Respondents within the Financial Services (non-banking or insurance) reported the highest levels of agility, with the highest overall agile culture score at 64%, compared to cross-industry average score of 47%. 

 

While the report found that an increasing number of businesses have become agile in the last year, business leaders are less agile in their behaviours in the last year: a mere 44% reported this compared to 56% in 2020. This mismatch is felt at all levels: while 73% of C-Suite members believed they were acting as ‘role models’ for agile behaviour within their organisation, only 16% of delivery teams members agreed.

 

Vikram Jain, Managing Director at JCURV, says: “In a time where the best laid plans and forecasts have been decimated by external forces, the data should reassure everyone that agile practices are one sure-fire way to feel prepared for whatever may happen in the future but this must be done in a strategic way so as not to overwhelm existing work expectations, and ensure employees are not at risk of burnout. 

 

“With a 237% increase in business performance reported from those who have built a strong agile culture, agility should be at the top of mind for any organisation looking to ensure they’re attracting and retaining the best team possible and maximising productivity. I hope to see significant emphasis placed on ensuring senior leadership are engaging with and learning about the agility process this year, as a current lack of C-suite involvement in its adoption may be impacting the effectiveness of the adoption of agility.” 

 

Find out more about the adoption of agile cultures in the full report here.

 

Methodology

*With 1,392 responses, the State of Agile cultural survey was the largest global agile analysis of 2021. Respondents come from a variety of geographies, industries, and organisations. Data was analysed across all the various splits to draw out fascinating insights to help organisations on their journey with agile. The survey focused on three areas of cultural agility: myself, my company and leadership. 

 

Analysis was conducted using an advanced surveying approach which measures implicit reaction time (IRT), rather than traditional tick box questionnaires. IRT captures people’s immediate, intuitive, gut responses, which are often very different from what they say. Unlike traditional surveys, no questions are asked. The IRT bypasses conscious thought processes by measuring the reaction time of how employees respond ‘yes’ or ‘no’ to a statement on the digital device. 

 

Thirty years of advances in neuroscience have proved that emotions and feelings originate in the non-conscious part of the brain that traditional methods can’t access. Traditional box-ticking exercises therefore make it impossible for organisations to capture meaningful and honest data. As a result, normal employee surveys are unable to tap into employees’ true emotions and feelings, and responses can be biassed – making them ineffectual and inaccurate. 

 

The output gave a combination of traditional survey results, along with a deeper view which indicates where cognitive dissonance occurs.  

 

About JCURV  

JCURV is an award winning management consultancy with a strong track record in supporting our clients increase the agility of organisations so they can thrive in an increasingly uncertain world.  Founded in 2015, JCURV have worked with many of the FTSE100, supporting organisations such as Sainsbury’s, GSK, Lloyds Banking Group and Hargreaves Landsdown.  JCURV have helped unlock £3.2bn of value to the economy through agile ways of working for their clients.

 

JCURV help clients define, deliver and sustain their agile transformations working with the Executives through to the delivery teams.  JCURV, are also winners for the ‘Best new consultancy’ in the Management Consultancies Association, 2020 awards.

 

About Truthsayers 

Truthsayers is a neurotech firm whose mission is to enable happier, more productive workplaces for millions of organisations worldwide. 

 

It wants to fundamentally change the way that people engage at work, whether that is between an employer and their employees, or an organisation and its customers. It is what the team are passionate about and why they get up in the morning and come to work. Its Neurotech® platform combines neuroscience with technology and data to deliver insights that simply have not been made available to businesses before.  

 

About Agile Business Consortium  

The Agile Business Consortium is a global leader in promoting business agility, with unrivalled expertise in the field. A not-for-profit organisation, it pioneered agile thinking and methodology. It continues to inspire new developments and agile thinking, such as the role of innovation at the heart of the Framework for Business Agility.