Agile Human Resources

In the new world of work, agility is a business imperative. Agile HR is a practical guide written specifically for people professionals on how the HR function can develop agile processes and practices that save time, boost performance and support overall business goals. From small tech start-ups or large traditional companies, organizations need to be fast, flexible and digitally empowered to succeed. However, too many companies are stuck with siloed, compliance-driven HR processes that work in opposition to the business rather than supporting it. This results in the view that HR is slow and out of touch. However, Agile HR shows that this doesn't need to be the case. Covering every aspect of the HR function from people processes, ways of working and HR services to organization design, operating models and HR teams, Agile HR is an essential guide for all HR practitioners wanting to make their HR practices agile and drive business performance but don't know where to start. As well as guidance on how to deal with resistance, manage a backlog and deal with constraints, there is also invaluable guidance on how HR can prioritize effectively and assess which activities to pursue, which to develop, which to rework and which to abandon in order to achieve continuous business improvement. Supported by case studies from organizations who have seen the benefits of an agile approach to HR including Sky Betting & Gaming and MUJI, this is critical reading for all HR professionals in organizations of any size needing to adopt fast, flexible and evolving agile approaches to effectively compete in the new world of work.

Corporate cultures, global mindsets, and employee priorities are changing, which means management and human resources departments must also evolve. To ensure teams are well crafted, motivated, and successful, managers and HR professionals must step outside their comfort zone and adapt to younger, newer ways of thinking-they must become Agile. In Agile People, management consultant Pia-Maria Thoren outlines how managers, human resources professionals, company decision-makers, and employees can adopt the flexible, fluid, customer-focused mindset of modern tech companies to inspire their workers and strengthen their organizations. This essential handbook explains both the theories and practical applications behind the Agile framework, showing how companies can do the following: -Create a structure and culture for an organization to meet future challenges -Give management and HR the changed mindset and the tools to facilitate employee drive and performance -Empower employees to become motivated stakeholders -Adopt hiring practices that value attitude, behavior, and competence -Create a passionate, loyal, and accomplished workforce No matter the size of a company, it can benefit from an Agile mindset and launch into a future filled with successful leadership and motivated employees.

Understand how to continuously organize people, skills and resources to meet changing business needs and forecast for future workforce supply and demand.

Over the last 20 years, the topic of conversation when it comes to HR, is whether or not it should even exist. The name of the function is ever changing, but are the outcomes and results evolving in the right way? Over the last 5 years, the author has been designing and implementing HR solutions focused on doing things differently, and the creation of her AGILE HR framework is well received by all of her clients. Agile HR helps organizations manage, motivate, engage, inspire, and lead their people in the best possible way by treating them, first and foremost, as able adults that come to work to do a good job. Mainstream HR, however, works from the perspective of policing employees through policies and procedures that suffocate and restrict employees and hinder creativity and innovation at work. This book provides hints, tips, and examples of how to implement Agile HR solutions into your organization that will help HR professionals and senior leaders implement people-focused solutions to increase productivity. It is time to put the human touch back into human resources.

More than a buzzword, agile is a powerful business tool for all. To the uninitiated, agile is a software development and project management process involving white boards, colored Post-it Notes, and stand-up meetings. It may seem as though agile doesn’t and won't ever apply to you. But agile is here to stay, and its benefits can be realized beyond IT and project management into other areas of your business. If you're a leader, it's worth exploring how your group can benefit from the higher productivity and morale agile brings. Agile: The Insights You Need from Harvard Business Review brings you today's most essential thinking on agile, from exploring the conditions under which agile is most effective and easiest to implement to reducing new-product development risk to bringing the most valuable products and features to market faster and more predictably. The lessons in this book will help you introduce agile into a broader range of activities and accelerate profitable growth for your company. Business is changing. Will you adapt or be left behind? Get up to speed and deepen your understanding of the topics that are shaping your company's future with the Insights You Need from Harvard Business Review series. Featuring HBR's smartest thinking on fast-moving issues--blockchain, cybersecurity, AI, and more--each book provides the foundational introduction and practical case studies your organization needs to compete today and collects the best research, interviews, and analysis to get it ready for tomorrow. You can't afford to ignore how these issues will transform the landscape of business and society. The Insights You Need series will help you grasp these critical ideas--and prepare you and your company for the future.

Where does human resources fit into an agile world? Agile methods are all about people; how to help them collaborate, stay more engaged and focused, work smarter and happier, and adapt with ease. In HR and the Agile Organization, explore how HR and People Operations teams can harness agile methods themselves while supporting agility throughout the organization. Create a truly adaptive and value-focused organization, from hiring the right people to shaping the culture through learning and development.

As an Agile team leader, your biggest challenge is also your biggest asset. The human side of Agile is tricky. It's the least manageable, understood, and appreciated asset in an Agile environment. Even if your customers are reasonably happy and your developers seem to be doing okay, you know your team is capable of more: delivering great products and staying ahead of ever-changing demands. You need a team that's self-organized, energetic, and flexible, even in tough situations. But how do you build it and lead it? Whether you're a ScrumMaster, project manager, functional manager, or team leader, you want to feel good about using Agile and to create the conditions for great results. But the project management skills you honed in traditional environments don't always apply to the role of Agile team leader. The Human Side of Agile fills this gap, guiding you to: Establish yourself as a confident and capable leader who adds value Build and lead an engaged team that can handle almost any challenge Cultivate collaboration and a continuous improvement mind-set Reap the full benefits of Agile in the real world with real people "I just found the next must-read book for our entire leadership team." "Tricia Broderick, Director of Development, TechSmith" "This book is up there with Peopleware, with concrete examples you can use immediately." "Dave Rooney, Sherpa, Shopify" "Agile teams need effective leaders who 'get' the people stuff. Without that you're merely going through the Agile motions." "Scott W. Ambler, co-creator of Disciplined Agile Delivery" While readable from cover to cover, the book is written as practical answers to the 80+ most relevant and pressing questions that team leaders ask, such as: "How Can I Help the Team Buy In?" "What If I Can't Work Full-Time as the Team's Leader?" "What Actions Will Build the Team's Trust in Me?" "How Can I Mitigate the Damage of Performance Reviews?" "What If a Member Doesn't Fit With the Team?" "How Can We Focus on Our Work With So Many Meetings?" "How Do I Get Stakeholders and Managers on My Side?" "How Can I Make Changes Stick?" "How Do We Avoid Reverting to Old Behaviors?" (Click on Look Inside to browse the complete table of contents.) The book's forewords are by Jim Highsmith and Christopher Avery. Gil Broza, founder and chief specialist at 3P Vantage, has successfully mentored Agile leaders and their teams since 2004. Gil's guidance helps professionals adopt effective, humane, and responsible approaches to software development.

Agile @ HR has the potential to revolutionize our profession and will help us co-create the future of work in HR. It also equips us with the capability to help our organizations transform and meet the challenges of a volatile, uncertain and complex business world. We've learnt that the starting point is mindset and HR's ability to define and articulate the value we deliver to our people. By embracing a test and learn approach, and incrementally develop solutions in partnership with our people, we can enrich their employee experience. And remember to be Agile in your own approach when learning how to do Agile HR. Start small. Treat it as an experiment, in which you might fail at times but definitely learn from and allow the Agile energy ignites to move you forward.