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More Agile Through Resilience

August 29, 2023

8-minute read

In a dynamic world where requirements change as quickly as the code we write, two concepts are at the heart of our success: agility and resilience. Our Agile coaches shed light on the synergies between these two concepts and how resilience helps teams and organizations stay resilient and achieve long-term success.

When we look back on the past few years, we realize that they have been fraught with crises. The pandemic, the war in Ukraine, and the climate crisis have all had an impact on our lives. Aside from global crises, some of us have certainly also faced many more personal crises—conflicts, losses, accidents, illnesses, major problems of all kinds—that demanded more from us than we had in terms of resources or coping strategies. The good news is, we’re still here and staying the course. That means we’ve shown a great deal of resilience. We’ve been resilient and adaptable, have overcome our crises, and have learned a thing or two along the way. This article could end right here—q. e. d.

But perhaps it would be wise to take a closer look and become more aware of exactly what resilience is.

Before we get started, here’s a quick note: Building resilience isn’t about avoiding crises (because that’s impossible) or being invulnerable. Resilience doesn’t arise in a vacuum, but rather through dealing with crises, stress, and developmental challenges—and it’s about regaining our original level of functioning.

Resilience: The Ability to Cope with Crises and Uncertainty

Resilience is the ability to cope with crises, setbacks, and uncertain situations and to emerge from them stronger. Resilient people accept reality, are solution-oriented, build strong networks, believe in their self-efficacy, and focus on the future and their values. These qualities are of crucial importance in a world characterized by VUCA—volatility, uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity. Resilience is not limited to the individual level. A team or an organization/company, for example, can also be resilient.

Team Resilience

In a team context, resilience means that the entire team develops the ability to work together to overcome crises and uncertainty. Resilient teams are characterized by clear communication, strong bonds among team members, and the ability to resolve conflicts constructively. They can adapt flexibly to change and develop innovative solutions. In addition, resilient teams have five key dynamics:

Psychological safety: Taking risks without feeling insecure or embarrassed
Reliability: trusting that everyone on the team will complete high-quality work on time
Structure & Clarity: Clear Definition of Goals, Roles, and Implementation Plans
Significance of the work: Is what you're working on personally important to you?
Impact of Work: The work that is done matters

Organizational Resilience

At the organizational level, resilience is about making the entire organization resilient to crises and uncertainty. Organizational resilience requires a clear vision and goals that are shared by all employees. It involves the ability to anticipate and respond to risks and opportunities in both the internal and external environments. A resilient organization has an effective leadership culture that enables it to remain successful even in uncertain times. It fosters a culture in which values and attitudes are shared that promote adaptability and agility. In addition, it relies on knowledge sharing, learning from experience, and building resources to adapt quickly to changing environments.

How does resilience contribute to agility?

By definition, agility refers to the ability to adapt quickly to change and respond flexibly to new demands. This approach is relevant in various areas, whether in project work, business management, personal development, or sports. Agility emphasizes the need to continuously adapt and respond quickly to changing situations, which is of great importance in a complex world. The definitional similarity or connection to resilience is already quite evident. However, it becomes clearer when we take a closer look at the key components of resilience and see how they contribute to fostering agility:

Acceptance and Adaptability: Resilience begins with accepting reality, even—or especially—when it is marked by uncertainty or unpredictability. The ability to accept means acknowledging reality and being able to understand it. Acceptance explicitly does not mean approving of everything that happens. Rather, it is what makes it possible to adapt to change—whether on an individual level or in professional contexts—because it allows for a more objective and holistic perspective. In an agile environment that can change rapidly and is characterized by volatility and uncertainty, the ability to accept—and thus to adapt—is invaluable.

Solution-Oriented Thinking and a Focus on the Future: Resilient people have a solution-oriented mindset and look toward the future. They actively seek ways to deal with challenges rather than dwelling on the past. These qualities are also crucial in teams and organizations and are reflected, for example, in agile Scrum formats such as the retrospective or the planning session.

The purpose of the retrospective is to reflect on and continuously improve the collaboration and performance of an agile team. The goal is to acknowledge the positive aspects and identify the things that did not go as well. The focus is on self-reflection and finding opportunities for improvement. Participants work together to develop concrete actions to optimize the team’s way of working. The retrospective promotes team communication, transparency, and continuous adaptation to change.

During the Sprint Planning meeting, the team decides which tasks to include in the sprint and how they should be carried out. The goals for the sprint are also established during this meeting. The meeting helps clarify the upcoming work and ensures that the team has a shared understanding of the tasks and goals.

Overall, both the retrospective and the sprint planning serve to increase the efficiency and effectiveness of agile teams. The retrospective enables continuous improvement, while sprint planning lays the groundwork for planning and executing the upcoming work.

Networks and Relationships: In times of crisis, strong networks and relationships are crucial. Resilient individuals, teams, and organizations can draw on these networks to mobilize support and resources. In agile teams, the ability to build relationships is essential for becoming a high-performing team. This focus on networks and relationships serves, on the one hand, to bring in expertise as a resource for the team when needed, and, on the other hand, to resolve conflicts within the team and create synergies. At the organizational level, too, this focus on networking serves, for example, to reflect on and influence the organization’s relevant environments and to share knowledge and information.

Values and the Experience of Meaning:

Values are of crucial importance in a world characterized by complexity, as they provide clear guidance. They serve as a compass and act as guidelines that align decisions and behavior with personal or shared beliefs and principles. Values define the identity of individuals, teams, and organizations and shape their culture. Clear and actively practiced values build trust and serve as the foundation for decision-making and conflict resolution. They foster motivation and commitment and significantly influence the success and sustainability of people, teams, and companies. Scrum, as an established agile working method, is a highly values-oriented approach and is based on the values of commitment, focus, openness, respect, and courage.

Conclusion: Resilience as the Foundation for Agility in a Complex World

Resilience forms the foundation upon which agility is built. In a world characterized by VUCA—volatility, uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity—resilience and agility are inextricably linked. Resilience empowers individuals, teams, and organizations to successfully navigate times of crisis or simply complex environments, even amid uncertainty and change. It is the answer to the demands of a constantly changing world where agility and adaptability are of crucial importance.