Workforce Agility

What is workforce agility?

Workforce agility is an organization’s ability to be flexible and adaptable to changes. An agile workforce can quickly respond to shifting economic and market conditions, technological advancements, and other unexpected events.

Common characteristics of an agile workplace are employees’ ability to be proactive, collaborative, and innovative in the face of challenges and disruptions. Amid the rapid rise of AI, technological advancements, and globalization, organizations need workforces that can quickly pivot in response to changes to help them stay competitive.

5 examples of agility at work

HR teams are influential in helping organizations create an agile workforce. Here are some common examples of how workforce agility can be applied in different industries:

Example 1: Cross-training employees

In addition to their main tasks and responsibilities, employees can be trained to perform another job so they can step into that role if needed. Cross-training employees improves flexibility, productivity, and skill sets, helping an organization quickly adapt to changes and shifting demands.

Example 2: Flexible work arrangements

Providing hybrid or remote work arrangements, as well as flexible work hours, can accommodate diverse employee needs. Flexible work arrangements can also increase productivity and responsiveness to changing business needs. For instance, a remote work model that works across different time zones can support market expansion.

Example 3: Reskilling and upskilling programs

About 1.1 billion jobs will be transformed by technology by 2030. To stay agile, organizations must continuously close skills gaps by investing in reskilling and upskilling employees to avoid disrupting their business operations by emerging technologies, changing customer demands, and market shifts.

Example 4: Agile performance reviews

Workforce agility requires agile performance management, which involves regular check-ins, frequent feedback, and continuous learning. When employees receive constructive input about their performance regularly, they are more likely to be more engaged and equipped to deliver positive business outcomes.

Example 5: Predictive analytics

HR teams can use predictive analytics to proactively address workforce trends and forecast issues with employee engagement, talent management, performance, and more. You can create targeted strategies to enhance workforce agility, such as increasing retention, improving hiring decisions, and closing skills gaps.

The benefits of workforce agility

Fostering an agile workforce comes with certain advantages, including:

• Faster response to change: An agile workplace has a flat organizational structure, allowing teams more autonomy to make decisions amid unexpected events. 
• Improved collaboration and innovation: Increased autonomy inspires teams to share ideas and perspectives more freely, leading to greater innovation.
• Better talent attraction and retention: Workplace agility drives continuous development, which attracts and retains top talent who value learning opportunities.
• Increased productivity: An agile workforce’s emphasis on flexibility, collaboration, and cross-training facilitates more efficient work practices and better resources.
• More responsive to disruptions: Agile workforces handle changes more efficiently, as they are better equipped to pivot during unexpected events quickly. 

The challenges of workforce agility

In addition to maximizing the benefits of workforce agility, you must also support your organization in understanding and handling the challenges of an agile workplace, such as:

• Resistance from management: Leaders may struggle to accept the flat structure of an agile workforce. You must present the benefits of workforce agility clearly to gain buy-in.
• Dependent on employee skill level: Not every employee is ready to dive into an agile environment. You must identify skills gaps and prepare staff to adopt agile work methods; targeted training may be needed to achieve this.
• Investment in tech tools: Workforce agility needs the right tech tools (e.g., agile project management software and workforce automation) to be effective, which may require significant financial investment.
• Maintaining standards: Maintaining exact standards can be challenging in a fast-moving agile workplace. You must establish guidelines to balance agile practices and organizational standards.

How HR can implement agility in the workplace

When it comes to implementing agility in the workplace, HR professionals play a pivotal role. Here are some ways in which you can support its adoption and success:

Create flexible roles

Design flexible job roles and project-based teams that can adapt to shifting business needs, market conditions, and strategic priorities. These roles must be flexible enough to make cross-training employees easier. You should also communicate to employees the fluidity of their roles, making it clear in job descriptions and performance expectations.

Support internal mobility

When employees have the opportunity to cross-train and learn the skills of other positions, HR teams can build a strategic talent pipeline to drive internal mobility. This approach can help you fill new roles more quickly, with fewer resources needed for onboarding and strategic learning and development (L&D).

Invest in technology

While your company must have the right tech to support agility, the right HR tech is also crucial. For example, HR analytics and workforce planning tools, learning management systems (LMS), and agile performance management software can help you make data-driven decisions, identify skills gaps, and support continuous learning.

Adopt an agile performance management approach

The traditional annual or quarterly performance management approach may not work as well in an agile workplace. Instead, you may need to support managers in engaging in team-based goal setting, skills-based assessments, frequent check-ins, and continuous feedback (e.g., 360-degree feedback).

Promote a continuous learning culture

Agile employees need continuous learning opportunities to develop their skills. In addition to structured training programs, consider methods like job rotation, peer learning, mentorship, and cross-functional project initiatives that can increase employees’ capability to succeed in an agile workplace.

HR tip

If you are considering implementing agile work practices, start with small pilot programs. Begin with high-performing teams to evaluate their ability for collaboration, cross-training, and adaptability to change. You can use this data to assess skills gaps and spot other needs before rolling out agile ways of working across the organization.