Agile Culture Report 2019

Agile Culture
BE-ING AGILE
Walking the Talk
Future of Work series
June 2019
©Walking the Talk, Ltd, 2019 All rights reserved | WTT1
Unlocking the secrets of an agile culture
What is important to your customers and stakeholders? What do they want and need and when do they need it?
Can you deliver better and faster than your competitors?
More and more we hear from leaders that they need their organisations to be more flexible and responsive to the market. They need
to develop the speed to anticipate, pivot and be ready for whatever comes toward them. They need to be agile and want a culture to
support that – an agile culture.
But what does an ‘agile culture’ really mean? As experts in culture we have set out to answer this question. In a spirit of co-creation,
we have gone out to the market and listened and learned from the views of leaders in over a dozen leading organisations across
multiple sectors, from financial services, to telecommunications, consulting and academia, to technology. We have combined these
insights with Walking the Talk’s 30 years of research and delivery experience in culture and, in this report, we present our learnings.
So what have we learnt?

• How to define an agile culture. • Organisations that are making progress towards an
• That you don’t get an agile culture simply by adopting agile culture not only experience business outcomes
Agile working practices, that mindsets, BE-ing agile are improving, but also the experience of their colleagues.
critical. People feel like they are making a difference, that they
• To build an agile culture, you need do it holistically from have the freedom to make decisions, are getting more
the organisation vision through to individual mindsets. done and feel a part of something fun and meaningful.
This is the possibility that awaits you.

The Walking the Talk Team
01 ©Walking the Talk, Ltd, 2019 All rights reserved

Cracking the code
In this 01 We reveal the DNA of an agile culture and highlight the patterns of
Page 7
report
behaviour and mindsets that together bring organisational benefits.
How to foster an agile culture: agile 

behaviours, symbols and systems
02 There are key shifts leaders and colleagues can make to unleash agility in any
organisation. Here we get practical about specific behaviours, symbols and
Page 17
systems that will make the biggest changes occur, fastest.
Troubleshooting: Top eight cultural challenges

03 The path to building an agile culture is not straightforward. We share common
traps along with tried-and-tested solutions and ideas for course correction if you
Page 25
lose your way.
Toolkit: Implementing an agile culture

04 Your essential toolkit – top tips for leaders, a checklist for building an agile Page 32
culture, a roadmap of the typical journey, and a quick-fire current culture
assessment to help you get started.

How to read this report
Based on our research, organisations are in one of three stages of creating an agile
culture. Even ‘born agile’ organisations are looking at how they can evolve.
Where is your organisation?
Have you have adopted Agile ways of

working but are experiencing some Were you ‘born agile’ but need to keep
Are you yet to embark on your
blockages? evolving?
agile journey?
Identify critical missing pieces, hidden Find out how agile your culture is and
Understand what an agile culture means;
strengths, or common challenges to assess whether your people have an agile
learn what is critical to get right, anticipate
discover how to unlock a fuller potential of mindset to build in sustainability and
where to focus in order to position agile
agile culture. avoid the pitfalls of growth.
successfully for your organisation.
In particular section 2 & section 3 Section 4 will be the most

All of this report will be useful for you.
will be useful for you. useful for you.

01 Cracking the code
We reveal the DNA of an agile culture and highlight the
patterns of behaviour and mindsets that together bring
organisational benefits.

Why agile?
Think of yourself as a customer. You demand immediacy; you Now think of businesses responding to this in the current
want to be understood; you expect improvements; you expect economic environment. In this highly competitive, fast
high levels of service, whether it is for internet connectivity, moving environment of constant change, the main
banking, shopping, healthcare, or entertainment. And you imperatives of business have to be:
have more choices than ever.
Delivering Realising value

Adaptability
value sooner
Customers have ever increasing Organisations do not want to

Organisations need to be able
expectations. Delivering value for spend one more minute or unit
to pivot and flex to keep up
customers means delivering the right of money than they need to in
with ever-changing markets.
things, sooner. order to deliver value.
The Economist Intelligence Unit found that 90% of executives believe organisational agility is critical for business success. Thanks to our research, we know that the organisations that can adapt faster than others,
deliver value for customers, not spend a dollar more than they need to in order to get there and can fail fast will thrive in the world that we live in today. Supporting this, MIT research found that agile firms grow
revenue 37% faster and generate 30% higher profits than non-agile companies.
But what is the fastest, most efficient and sustainable way of getting there?

Focus on BE-ing agile Vs Do-ing Agile
Agile as a process,
There’s a big difference between implementing something that you do
Agile and having an agile culture. To move Implementing Agile involves following a
set of specified methodologies and
beyond DO-ing Agile to truly BE-ing agile. daily routines and practices. Agile
usually exists within 1 or 2 pockets only
(i.e. HR, technology, retail).
agile
Adjective | ag-ile | \’a-jel,-ji(-e)|\ agile as a way of
BE-ing
able to anticipate,
Distinct, enterprise-wide cultural characteristics
pivot and respond required to be an agile organisation that is
intentionally shaped through behaviours,
quickly symbols and systems and underpinned by
enabling beliefs and mindsets.

So what is an agile culture?
Culture is the patterns of behaviour that are

encouraged, discouraged or tolerated by
people and systems over time.
C U S T O ME R - SELF-
CENTRICITY DI R E C T I O N
We were excited to discover in our research*
four distinctive patterns of behaviour of an
agile culture – customer-centricity, self-
direction, experimentation and collaborative
networks which are interdependent and
need to occur together to realise the full
organisational benefits of Agile.
C O L L A B OR AT I VE
E X P ER I ME N TAT I ON
N E T WO R K S
* Conducted in the first 6 months of 2019 via interview and survey with 14
organisations across financial services, telecommunications, professional
services, academia and technology.

Deep dive: defining an agile culture

The following pages deep dive into each of the four
patterns of behaviour of an agile culture.
For each pattern of behaviour we:

• Share a definition to bring it to life.
• Define the ways of BE-ing – mindset and belief that
must be present or built in your organisation for this
What you HAVE as an organisation, your business and employee
pattern of behaviour to emerge. outcomes are shaped by…
• Summarise what you would see people DO-ing if this
pattern of behaviour was present in your organisation. What people DO in your organisation – the behaviours and actions that
• Reveal the outcomes you will HAVE if this pattern of are encouraged, discouraged and tolerated.
behaviour is activated.
• Share critical shift in thinking reported as necessary
These behaviours are shaped by the collective mindsets and beliefs in
by organisations working on building an agile culture.
your organisation – the BE level.
Importantly, what people believe, their collective mindsets, shape what
Although in the following pages the 4 agile patterns of behaviour
people do and the outcomes you have. Cultural transformation
are defined separately, remember they are interdependent and
therefore must start at the BE level.
need to occur together to realise full organisation benefits.

Deep Dive: How Customer-centricity drives outcomes
Definition BE-ing
Do-ing Have
In an agile culture the customer sits at the Mindset &
heart of what people do and think.
Behaviours Outcomes
belief
There is a genuine interest and curiosity in
customers– who they are, what is important to
them and how you can help them solve their
problems or enhance their business/life. Mindset: Continuous customer Market share.
Curiosity engagement. Increased NPS.
Customers become active participants not Co-creating. Value for
passive recipients. Time is spent continuously Belief: I don’t Listening. customers.
connecting with them and, as their needs flex have all the Customer Unlocks purpose
and change, so can the solution which can be answers – there empathy & interest. motivation.
tested for fit. There are few surprises. is more than one Flexing and
right way. adapting.
The ability to ask good questions and deeply
listen are core skills.
Curiosity;
Improvement;
Being an expert is no longer important.
Tolerance of
mistakes.

Deep Dive: How Self-direction drives outcomes
Definition BE-ing
Do-ing Have
In an agile culture people believe that they Mindset &
Behaviours Outcomes
are responsible to deliver to others and belief
leaders trust their employees will deliver on
their promises.
There is a focus on empowering people at all

levels to have the confidence to act. The world Empowering. Efficiency.
Mindset: Personal
is moving too fast to have top-down control Doing what we Realising value
Responsibility
with decision bottlenecks at the top of the say we will do. sooner.
organisation or people who are disconnected Transparency. Unlocks
Belief: People
from the customer driving the organisation. Setting a autonomy
matter and will
framework/ motivation.
deliver.
Controls exist but it is loosened. Leaders set ‘guardrails’. Trust
the direction, the guardrails to act and ‘let go’ (Reliability and
– they do not set how activity is delivered. Respect; Courage;
consistency).
Contribution is
Time is spent clarifying the direction and valued.
providing the tools and resources needed to
succeed and solve problems.

Deep Dive: How Collaborative networks drive outcomes
Definition BE-ing
Do-ing Have
In an agile culture unlocking the potential of Mindset &
people in teams becomes fundamental to Behaviours Outcomes
belief
success as problems are too complex for
individuals to solve on their own.
Dynamic teams form and dissipate around specific

goals. Diversity is important as the solution is not Mindset: Forming connections. Diversity.
found through one expert but through the right Teamwork Holding each other to Unlocks social
group of people coming together to work on an high standards. interaction
issue.
Belief: Together Being inclusive of motivation.
Teams are autonomous but standards/rules of
we achieve more. others. Psychological
engagement and behaviour are clearly established Problem solving safety & trust.
and agreed. Connections and together. Dynamic teams.
relationships Supporting each
Time is spent talking and forming connections, matter; Collective other.
creating alignment within and across communities
over individuals;
around common goals. Sharing knowledge and
Respect.
resources is expected.
Connectivity with others matters and is more

important than status.

Deep Dive: How Experimentation drives outcomes
Definition BE-ing
Do-ing Have
In an agile culture there is openness to Mindset &
feedback and learning and testing and
Behaviours Outcomes
belief
experimentation are at the heart of how work
is structured.
It involves moving away from a right/wrong view

of the world to one where there are multiple Mindset: Course correcting. Realising value
possibilities. Accuracy no longer equals success. Learning Testing and trialling. sooner.
Providing feedback. Unlocks
People spend time talking about learnings and Belief: There Iterating. achievement
there are regular feedback loops. Creating safety is no failure Reflecting. motivation.
around mistakes becomes important to learn only learning. Focussing on 80/20. Innovation.
faster than competitors.
Adaptability.
Openness;
There is a discipline to stop and review and
Interest;
course correct if the direction is no longer
appropriate – iterations are regular. Humility;
Outcome
Regular delivery is seen as essential for success. driven.
Being perfect is no longer important.

Agile culture blueprint: agile culture definition on a page…
AD A PTAB ILI TY; D E LI VE RIN G VAL UE FO R CU STO ME RS ;

HAV E R EA LIS IN G VA LU E S OONE R
Customer-Centricity Self-direction Experimentation Collaborative Networks
Continuous customer Course correcting. Forming connections.

engagement. Empowering.
Test and trialling. Holding each other to
DO Customer empathy & interest. Doing what we say we will do.
Transparency.
Providing feedback. standards.
Co-creation. Iterating. Being inclusive of others.
Flexing and adapting. Setting a framework/
Reflecting. Problem-solving together.
Listening. ’guardrails’.
Focussing on 80/20. Supporting each other.
Mindset:
Mindset: Curiosity Mindset: Learning Mindset: Teamwork
Personal Responsibility
BE Belief: Belief: Belief: Belief:

“I don’t have all the ”People matter and will “There is no failure, only “Together we achieve
answers”. deliver”. learning”. more”.

02 How to foster an
agile culture
There are key shifts leaders and colleagues can make
to unleash agility in any culture. Culture is created by
the messages people receive through the behaviours,
symbols and systems that exist in your organisation.
Here we get practical about the leadership behaviours,

symbols and systems that, based on our research, will
make the biggest impact.

02 Fostering an agile culture
“ When you are dealing with teams of people,

things can become contagious and
infectious – you have to care a lot more
about how your team are feeling. Without
caring about your people, agile will fail”
— Leader, Media company

02 How to foster an agile culture
Culture is created by the unspoken messages

people receive about what is valued
Peoples’ behaviour is shaped by unspoken messages they receive about what is important and, therefore, how they are expected
to behave. The messages come from three sources - Behaviours, Symbols and Systems.
Behaviours Symbols Systems

Tangible business systems ranging
In particular what is role modelled by
Use of finite resources in from budgeting, strategy setting, HR
leaders – what they encourage,
particular, time and money. entry to exit, technology, that hold
discourage and tolerate.
patterns of behaviour in place.
Creating an agile culture involves fundamentally rethinking how you run your organisation and the following
pages share insights on how organisations are doing this.

02 How to foster an agile culture | Behaviours
Rewire your leadership behaviours and mindset

While people do not need to be managed in an agile culture, they do need to be led. The role
of the leader in an agile culture is to create a vision that multiple teams can work towards, to
enable teams with the right capabilities and conditions to operate within a network, to set and
hold people to standards and to spend time coaching and supporting teams to succeed.
Many of the organisations that we spoke to shared three challenges that leaders face when
Ii
shifting to leading in an agile culture:
Remember:
Leadership and structure are still
• Letting go of control – being in control has historically yielded results for many leaders.
necessary in agile cultures
• Not having all the answers – historically leaders have been trained to have the answers.
• Tolerating mistakes – whilst people learn faster when they make mistakes, senior leaders
don’t like to make mistakes.
“From a culture perspective I find that a lot of leader

“We continually need to re-set expectations. “There are very few companies that have found work is on the dark matter of the organisation. It’s the
Learned behaviour, muscle memory is really hard to
a way to differentiate reward for the 10x thing in between the teams. Often there is more ROI
re-wire in terms of the hierarchy – this is how it works
successes and to tolerate 3x failure. We reward fixing a relationship with another team than to
and this is how this organisation works and this is
maintaining the status quo.” continuously coach one team and make it the fastest
what my level needs.”
(Leader, Media company) goldfish in the goldfish bowl.”
(Leader, Technology company)
(Leader, Technology company)

Anatomy of an agile leader, harnessing the power of teams

According to our research, the #1 challenge facing leaders in agile cultures is letting go of fears related to losing control and not being needed.
The key transition to make is from a command-and-control mindset to one of trusting and serving people to help them be their best.
(Customer-centricity) (Self-direction)
I don’t have all the answers How a great leader thinks I can relinquish control
(Experimentation)
(Collaborative networks)
Mistakes are learning opportunities
Working in a team makes (All mindsets)
things better I believe in people
(Customer-centricity)
Keeps the team aligned around
Prioritises
shared purpose
(Self-direction) (Self-direction)
Empowers Walks their talk
(Experimentation) (Experimentation)
Creates a safe environment Course corrects quickly
(Collaborative networks) (Collaborative networks)

Communicates regularly What a great agile leader does Creates community across teams

When employees are led by agile leaders in an agile culture,

it unlocks four intrinsic motivators.
01 02 03 04
Achievement
Purpose Autonomy motivation Social Interaction
“A sense of accomplishment
“A sense of being in “A connection with others”
“A sense of making a linked to work”
control of your destiny” We are innately social
difference” Achievement is activated when
Autonomy is activated creatures, so the social
Purpose is activated when individuals experience success
when people have the interaction is activated when
individuals see that their associated with their performance
we are connected and
effort and their work has ability to influence how and accomplishments associated
with their activity are tangible and interacting with others, feel
meaning. they deliver their work.
regular. safe and understood.
CUSTOMER- COLLABORATI VE
CE NTRICITY SELF- DI RECTI ON EXPER IMENTATION NETW ORKS

Anatomy of an agile employee, intrinsically motivated

The purpose of an agile culture is to be able to respond to the customer almost in real time.
In order to achieve that, people have to be able to pivot quickly.
(Self-direction)
I am curious and interested How an agile employee thinks
I am responsible for the
about customers
outcomes we achieve
(Collaborative networks)
(Experimentation)
Working in a team makes Feedback sooner is better
things better
(Customer-centricity) (Customer-centricity)
Continually engages with Adapts based on customer
the customer feedback and insight
(Self-direction) (Self-direction)
Is autonomous Is reliable & trustworthy
(Experimentation) (Experimentation)
Learns from failure Is open & curious
(Collaborative networks) (Collaborative networks)

Problem solves with others What a great agile employee does Connects to the external world

02 How to foster an agile culture | Symbols & Systems
Agile routines and rituals

Many people associate ‘Agile’ with certain work practices.
These Agile routines or rituals encourage customer centricity, self-
Some of the best known are: direction, experimentation and collaborative networks, however
• Sprints (Defined work periods - usually 2 weeks) – encourages companies that build an agile culture also use other symbols and
customer-centricity and self direction; systems because building an agile culture involves fundamentally
• Sprint planning (Plans the work undertaken within sprints) - shifting the way work gets done.
encourages customer-centricity, self-direction and collaborative
networks;
• Stand-ups / daily scrums (Quick daily team meetings) – Top-down Networks &
encourages self-direction and collaborative networks; hierarchy influencers
• Retrospectives (Assessment meetings) – encourages
experimentation, self-direction and customer-centricity;
• Spikes (Proves a concept within a short period of time) -
encourages customer-centricity and experimentation;
• Kanban/team walls (Work capture and prioritisation method) -
encourages self-direction and collaborative networks;
• Backlogs (Work capture and prioritisation tool) – encourages
self-direction;
• User stories (Encapsulates business requirements into backlog) Controlling resources; Enabling action;
- Encourages client-centricity and self-direction; and silos; and bureaucracy. connections; and
• Design thinking (A process for designing and innovating) – outcomes.
encourages customer-centricity.

02 How to foster an agile culture | Symbols
Symbols of an agile culture... 

where time and money are spent
Testing, failing,
Involving the Regular
Development learning, Connecting
customer Delivery
experimenting
Employees are trained and Continuous improvement is Time is spent talking with
Customers are listened coached in Agile from emphasised: people spend a others –between team
to, and continually Cycles are short: beginning to end – it’s great portion of their time members AND across teams –
invited to participate. ongoing and continuous. testing, providing feedback understanding what they are
implementing, launching, and learning. Individual doing, priorities and resolving
Investment - time and testing and assessing Invest in events, activities feedback is frequent and any blockages rapidly.
money – is made in the and specialised coaches: transparent.
usually happen in two
✓Behavioural experiments; There are shorter and smaller
collection of customer week cycles.
✓Intensive training sessions Companies invest in a ‘failure meetings oriented around
data and testing.
and boot camps; budget’; failure parties; decision-making
✓Leadership programmes. monthly experimentation talks.
CUSTOMER-C ENTRICI TY SELF- DI RECTI ON EXPER IMENTATION COLLABORATI VE NETWOR KS

02 How to foster an agile culture | Systems
“ Under-coaching and under-management – when you have

a very low number of one-on-one meetings with your
manager and a lot of meetings where your manager is
together with you, this means that he/she is not coaching you
correctly nor giving you autonomy to go and make decisions
by yourself in a meeting. If 80% of the meetings you are
having, have your manager together with you, that means
that you are not empowered to make decisions.”
— Leader, Technology company

Systems to enable an agile culture are ones that…
…enable customer-centricity and purpose

…encourage self-direction by empowering
individuals and giving them autonomy
▪ Direct consultation with customers; input early on in processes: ‘co-creation’
and design.
▪ ‘Health checks’ (for psychological safety).
▪ Appointment of ‘customer representatives’.
▪ Teams set their own routines and rituals.
▪ Design thinking to build customer empathy.
▪ Goals/ responsibilities are clearly defined, team determines the
▪ Changing HR, finance, security processes to be customer-oriented.
how.
▪ Investment that supports customer decisions.
▪ Decision-making is decentralised.
▪ Success measured by business outcome & customer experience.
▪ Meetings don’t include three or more layers of the hierarchy.
…facilitate collaborative networks.

…facilitate learning and experimentation.
▪ Compelling narrative from leaders, to communicate purpose.
▪ Frequent team check-ins, such as stand-ups. ▪ Teams work in sprints, frequently iterate and course-correct.
▪ Use of collaborative tools: video-conferencing, Office 365, Yammer. ▪ Retrospectives encourage learning “What can we do better?”
▪ Shared targets across team and network of teams. ▪ Frequent experimentation and data-driven decision-making: A/B
▪ Budgets support dynamic teams with evolving customer driven priorities. testing (optimisation and experimentation).

We will only be truly agile when we.

“If people are still assessed on
…”change HR processes, finance “HR, finance and risk don’t change
traditional measures such as profit
processes, security processes, the because the idea of giving up
they can’t really be made ready for
way the business invests and control of those systems is
or incentivised to be agile.”
prioritises that investment.” rightfully, probably quite worrying.”
(Leader, Professional Services
(Leader, Telecommunications (Leader, Media company)
company)
company)

03 Troubleshooting:
Top 8 cultural challenges
The path to building an agile culture is not
straightforward. We share common traps along with
tried-and-tested solutions and ideas for course
correction if you lose your way.

03 Troubleshooting: Top eight cultural challenges
“ I think that sometimes when you do Agile transformation,

especially in non-software organisations, you can
accidentally be really disrespectful and you can just come
in with a framework and push it on people and then you hear
things like, ‘I have too many meetings, we are just doing this
for the sake of it.’ If you don’t have line of sight into the
broader transformation and what your leaders are going
through, you can’t build trust – trust in the broader change,
trust we are all in it, trust your leaders are walking the talk.”

Challenge 1: Why is agile so hard to implement?

Perceived reality: agile is a panacea and will fix our cultural problems.
“Do I trust that individual

Organisations that build to make decisions I’ve
“People learn faster when
successful agile cultures always had to make?” […]
allowed to make mistakes. our effort is to educate
Organisations are not set
spend time up front
those people that they
up to make them.” creating a foundation of have to let go”.
(Leader, Financial Services trust and (Leader,
company) de-stigmatising failure Telecommunications
company)
Solution: Create a strong cultural foundation before implementing agile.

Challenge 2: This is causing more change than I expected…

Perceived reality: Implementing agile is just like every other change.
Customer-
Internal focus
“The biggest challenge is that centricity
it takes time… it is not an agile is a very different way
of thinking and working
instant thing. You can’t just
Command and few of the organisations
turn on a switch and it Self-direction
& control that we spoke to felt that
happens, and everyone takes a they had fully mastered the
different amount of time to transition to an agile culture.
adopt it. People need to hold Many were grappling with
Perfectionism Experimentation tensions resulting from new
their nerve and ride it out”
and different ways of
(Leader, Financial Services
working – these tensions are
company)
reflected here.
Mechanistic Collaborative
(silos & bureaucracy) networks
Solution: Recognising and actively managing the tensions that agile can create
in your organisation will help you manage resistance.
Challenge 3: We have some of the behaviours of an

agile culture so why aren’t we agile?
Perceived reality: We are strong on a few of the agile patterns of behaviour so we have an agile culture.
Outcome Risk: Delivering value.

Customer centricity Self-direction Collaborative
Experimentation Behaviour risk: Activity is focussed around internal
networks processes and targets.
Outcome Risk: Adaptability; realising value sooner.

Collaborative
Customer-centricity Self-direction Experimentation Behaviour risk: Work gets done but it is slow and there are
networks bottlenecks.
Outcome Risk: Adaptability; realising value sooner.

Collaborative
Customer-centricity Self-direction Experimentation Behaviour risk: Same mistakes are made; plans do not pivot
networks and move; low innovation.
Collaborative Outcome Risk: Adaptability; realising value sooner, delivering value.

Customer-centricity Self-direction Experimentation
networks Behaviour risk: Silos, lack of information and resource sharing.
Solution: Start with and leverage your strengths but find the underpinning beliefs and behaviours that will unlock ALL of the agile
patterns of behaviour for your organisation. It is only by unlocking all the patterns of behaviour that you can become truly agile.

Challenge 4: I’ve implemented agile… it doesn’t work.

Perceived reality: agile routines alone will change the culture.
TRAPS: TIP S:
Agile as a set of tools VERSUS Agile as a mindset
Focusing on processes and rituals. Focusing on beliefs and mindsets.
Trying to implement Agile by focusing on the rituals Instead of trying to “do” Agile, try to
alone can, paradoxically, lead to greater rigidity and “be” agile. This will create the right
less space for empowerment and experimentation. mindset and help agile stick.
Solution: agility is more than a set of rituals… it is a mindset.

“ We needed to give ourselves permission to

experiment with and be agile about how we would
apply agile.”

Challenge 5: I am struggling to scale agile

Perceived reality: If it works in one area we can scale it to the enterprise.
Implementing agile in pockets may lead When you implement agile enterprise-wide:
to a number of challenges:
✓ Role modelled in all parts of the organisation.
x Inconsistent role modelling. ✓ Organisation-wide symbols that enable
alignment and a common language.
x Inconsistent messages.
✓ Organisation-wide systems can be aligned.
x Processes are not aligned.
✓ Collaboration is created across different
x Disconnect between teams.
functions.
✓ Learning is shared organisation-wide.
The existing culture will make it difficult
for agile to flourish. agile becomes a mindset and part of the culture.
Agile is an evolving way of working. It has proven successful in pockets but fewer stories of enterprise agile transformation.
Solution: Think enterprise from the start – engage leaders at the top in the mindset of agile.
Challenge 6: My business is hyperactive

Perceived reality: Everyone is busy, focussed on multiple priorities, but we aren’t moving forward - agile doesn’t work.
agile team activity

“agile is done badly when it is done in the
absence of goals - if you don’t have that
lighthouse you are just running in the weeds’ -
being very fast and iterative but making no
progress. Clear markers of success are key.”
Client problem Organisation problem Societal problem
(Leader, Media company)
we are solving we are solving we are solving
Solution: agile must include outcome thinking (design thinking; customer-centricity) otherwise attention goes to the
most urgent, though not necessarily most important activity.
“ Leaders need to take a view on the world - where

things are going and have a clear and compelling
narrative - link the individual, organisation and society
as a whole.”
— Leader, Professional Services company

Challenge 7: We will lose control and FAIL if we adopt agile

Perceived reality: We are a regulated business/ we have always worked this way - we can’t give up control.
The traffic light vs. roundabout is a perfect

analogy to explain how moving to agile
TRAFFIC LIGHT does not involve abandoning all controls. It ROUNDABOUT
is the difference between command and
control and self-management.
VERSUS
A traffic light dictates to the driver when to stop and when to go
whereas a roundabout hands control back to the driver, but is
designed to manage risks. In this system, people make the decision
when to stop and when to go based on the drivers around them. This
requires more responsibility as well as more visibility of others’ actions.
Solution: Loosen control without losing control.

Challenge 8: People won’t step up

Perceived reality: It is too hard to get people to take responsibility here.
Any situation can be looked in two ways: above “That was probably a learning.
the line and below the line. We started off with just the
goal and then we realised that,
When above the line an individual believes that in
actually, guardrails needed to
any situation, they have a choice about how they be part of that set-up. […]
respond – response-ability. When below the line Then people truly are
individuals involves blame others for their situation empowered and feel like they
- avoid, deny, defend. An agile culture makes it can get on.”
(Leader, Telecommunications
safe to stay above the line. Being above the line company)
drives individual accountability and opens the
door to learning and solutions.
Solution: Set a framework for action: a clear framework and guardrails that encourage people to
take responsibility and find what they can control in any situation (think above the line).

04 Implementing an
agile culture
Your essential toolkit – top tips for leaders, a checklist
for building an agile culture, a roadmap of the typical
journey, and a quick-fire current culture assessment to
help you get started.

04 Implementing an agile culture
“ So the question you have to ask is are you building a

wall? Or are you building a cathedral? Because
they’re going out and they’re doing something, as
opposed to building something that they may not see
the end of. That cathedral thinking, that’s the
principle”.
— Leader, Financial Services company

02
Top 5 tips: Our advice to leaders…

Where to start to create an agile culture
FOCUS PAY AT T E N T I O N
Collectively focus your Become masters at encouraging
energy on a few key things. agile behaviour & discouraging
SHADOW OF the behaviours that you want to
move away from.
THE LEADER
Look at yourself first – your

own habits and ways of
thinking are shaping the
S E T S TA N D A R D S behaviour of others around
Set your aspiration about how you. S TA R T S M A L L
work will be done and clearly The easiest way to change a habit
communicate that. Don’t is to partner a new behaviour with
tolerate less. an existing activity. Small routines
that infiltrate your business can
catalyst change.

02
Checklist for building an agile culture
We have aligned
We understand our symbols and systems to Our leaders are agile We have created
current agile culture an agile culture culture role models new habit patterns
We have identified where We have identified and Our leaders clearly articulate We have set new standards
we are making good changed the key symbols our purpose. and ‘guardrails’.
progress on an agile culture. that will make the biggest
impact on agile working. Our leaders have shifted We have created a
We know what blocks agile their behaviours and beliefs. movement.
working. We have introduced new
processes and routines. Our leaders set clear We have shifted collective
We have identified the root behavioural expectations beliefs.
causes of blockages and We have identified and through their own example –
what needs to change. changed a few key systems by being role models. We connect with customers.
that will make the biggest People demonstrate
We have created a impact on agile working. Our leaders empower personal responsibility.
measurement baseline. people to step forward and
take accountability. We enable collaboration.
Our leaders value learning We have built a safe

from failure. environment for people to
test, trial, and learn.
We give feedback.

02
An agile culture roadmap

Creating an agile culture
Q1 Q2 Q2 Onwards Q3 Onwards
ASSESS YOUR A G I L E C U LT U R E LEADERS AS AGILE AGILE

C U LT U R E PLANNING ROLE MODELS A C T I V AT I O N
Target culture visioning: Culture planning team: Individual and team focus: Building momentum:
Agile for your organisation. Learn to be influencers of change. 360°, 1:1 advisory, observation, Agile narrative; activating
team workshops, micro-learning, champions, role models and
Qualitative & quantitative research Culture plan: peer coaching, behavioural influencers.
Focussed systems & symbols to program, toolkits.
Focussed blueprint for change accelerate change. Behavioural Programmes
Mindset & behaviours shift.

This report has been made possible by the generous contribution of academics, This report would also not have been possible without the analysis, ideas,
practitioners and passionate experimenters from around the world including: critique and contribution of many members of the Walking the Talk team in
particular:
• Alison Orsi, Andrew Burrows, Edward Hatch, IBM
• Amanda Lambert, Three • Amanda Fajak
• Brian Marshall, Ashridge • Ana Bergamini
• Daan van de Kamp, Booking.com • Connie Ristic
• Harriet Molyneux - Hotspot Movements • Danielle Dikoko
• Natal Dank - Agile HR • Danielle Spencer
• Natalie Bage, Lloyds • Hugh Davies
• Oluwashayo Tinuoye, Anne Marie Zeghers, ING • Jerome Parisse-Brassens
• Rachel Higham, BT • Liz Stanley
• Richard Wright, Citibank • Natalia Kavourinou
• Stefano Frota, Nikolay Trandev, Microsoft • Shannon Strasser
• Tony Scotte, Schroders • Steve McLay
• Tracey Waters, Sky
• Vikram Jain, JCURV
Thank you all for your incredible insight and generosity.

Walking the Talk: Who we are
Contact us to find out more about how culture

Walking the Talk is a world leader in helping transformation and management can help you achieve
your business goals:
clients align their culture with their strategy
to deliver business results. hello@walkingthetalk.com  
Head office: +31 (0) 20 520 6872  
Europe: +44 (0) 207 100 6999  
Our proven methodology creates powerful
Asia Pacific: +61 2 8310 5285  
culture transformations that leave Latin America: +55 (11) 932 500 683  
organisations with lasting culture leadership www.walkingthetalk.com
and culture management capability. This is the possibility that awaits you.
The Walking the Talk Team
Simply put, we make culture do-able.

DO YOU NE ED HELP TO DEVELOP AN
AGILE CULTURE ?
Wa lk in g th e Talk h as to ol s a n d met ho dolo gies t o he lp y ou
d ev e l op a n agi le mi nd-s et.
Do you want to… We can support you by…

=
Understand what is blocking your progression to

Agile Culture diagnostic - Discover, CCI.
an agile culture, and what levers you need to pull.
Build a culture plan towards agility, realigning

Culture Planning Process.
processes, systems and symbols.
Develop your leaders as role models of agile. Leading by Example program.
Key mindset programs, i.e. Accountability

Embed specific behaviours in your organisation.
program, Speak-up program.
Visit www.walkingthetalk.com to learn more.


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Agile Culture

So what have we learnt?

This is the possibility that awaits you.

01 ©Walking the Talk, Ltd, 2019 All rights reserved

How to foster an agile culture: agile

Troubleshooting: Top eight cultural challenges

Toolkit: Implementing an agile culture

01 ©Walking the Talk, Ltd, 2019 All rights reserved

Where is your organisation?

Have you have adopted Agile ways of

In particular section 2 & section 3 Section 4 will be the most

01 ©Walking the Talk, Ltd, 2019 All rights reserved

01 ©Walking the Talk, Ltd, 2019 All rights reserved

Delivering Realising value

Customers have ever increasing Organisations do not want to

01 ©Walking the Talk, Ltd, 2019 All rights reserved

Focus on BE-ing agile Vs Do-ing Agile

01 ©Walking the Talk, Ltd, 2019 All rights reserved

So what is an agile culture?

Culture is the patterns of behaviour that are

01 ©Walking the Talk, Ltd, 2019 All rights reserved

Deep dive: defining an agile culture

For each pattern of behaviour we:

01 ©Walking the Talk, Ltd, 2019 All rights reserved

Deep Dive: How Customer-centricity drives outcomes

01 ©Walking the Talk, Ltd, 2019 All rights reserved

Deep Dive: How Self-direction drives outcomes

There is a focus on empowering people at all

01 ©Walking the Talk, Ltd, 2019 All rights reserved

Deep Dive: How Collaborative networks drive outcomes

Dynamic teams form and dissipate around specific

Connectivity with others matters and is more

01 ©Walking the Talk, Ltd, 2019 All rights reserved

Deep Dive: How Experimentation drives outcomes

It involves moving away from a right/wrong view

01 ©Walking the Talk, Ltd, 2019 All rights reserved

Agile culture blueprint: agile culture definition on a page…

AD A PTAB ILI TY; D E LI VE RIN G VAL UE FO R CU STO ME RS ;

Customer-Centricity Self-direction Experimentation Collaborative Networks

Continuous customer Course correcting. Forming connections.

BE Belief: Belief: Belief: Belief:

01 ©Walking the Talk, Ltd, 2019 All rights reserved

Here we get practical about the leadership behaviours,

01 ©Walking the Talk, Ltd, 2019 All rights reserved

“ When you are dealing with teams of people,

01 ©Walking the Talk, Ltd, 2019 All rights reserved

Culture is created by the unspoken messages

Behaviours Symbols Systems

01 ©Walking the Talk, Ltd, 2019 All rights reserved

Rewire your leadership behaviours and mindset

“From a culture perspective I find that a lot of leader

01 ©Walking the Talk, Ltd, 2019 All rights reserved

Anatomy of an agile leader, harnessing the power of teams

Working in a team makes (All mindsets)

things better I believe in people

(Collaborative networks) (Collaborative networks)

01 ©Walking the Talk, Ltd, 2019 All rights reserved

When employees are led by agile leaders in an agile culture,

01 ©Walking the Talk, Ltd, 2019 All rights reserved

Anatomy of an agile employee, intrinsically motivated

(Collaborative networks) (Collaborative networks)

01 ©Walking the Talk, Ltd, 2019 All rights reserved

Agile routines and rituals

01 ©Walking the Talk, Ltd, 2019 All rights reserved

How to foster an agile culture: agile 

Symbols of an agile culture... 