Becoming Agile

An in-depth example of The Agility Factor in actionBecoming Agile: How the SEAM Approach to Management BuildsAdaptability illustrates the process of becoming an agileorganization. Reflecting the principles presented in The AgilityFactor, readers are taken on a real-world journey oftransformation and change. This short-format case study of theFrench company Brioche Pasquier highlights how one organizationsuccessfully implemented the principles of agility using thesocio-economic approach to management, detailing each step of theprocess and describing how every decision brought the goal closerwithin reach. Readers get inside the heads of decision makers togain insight into how tough decisions were made, how newimportant, and flexible management tools were implemented, and howthe necessary changes ultimately benefitted both the organizationand the people who made it work. From overarching policy today-to-day procedure, the story provides a clear example of how anagile organization is developed, giving readers a foundation uponwhich to implement similar changes in their own organization.Smart companies understand the importance of agility, butidentifying where and how to initiate those first steps often leadsto paralysis by analysis. This case study allows readers to learnfrom an organization that got through the inertia and put theprinciples of agility into action, with incredible results.* Understand how the principles of agility can be implementedusing a specific intervention strategy* Tailor those principles to suit any organization* Calculate and convert the "hidden costs" of traditionalorganizational design into flexible, value added activities* Formulate and execute an actionable agility strategyBig changes require a deep understanding of the problem at handand a viable plan for steering the organization in a betterdirection. By seeing how it's been done before, organizations cantake a proven approach and tailor it to their specific needs. Forthose tasked with formulating the agility strategy, BecomingAgile: How the SEAM Approach to Management Builds Adaptabilityprovides invaluable insight.

Foreword viiPreface xiiiAcknowledgments xv1 One Vision, Two Perspectives: Agility and the Socio-Economic Organization 1Purpose of the Book 4Agility and Performance 8A Socio?]Economic Theory of Organizations 23Overview of the Book 322 The Beginnings of Agility at Brioche Pasquier 37BPG and the SEAM Methodology 40The Initial Improvement Process at BPG 44BPG's Agility 663 The Brioche Pasquier Group Goes Global 75Chapter Overview 77Act 1: Internationalizing the Sales Function 80Act 2: From International Sales to International Production 82Act 3: From International to Global 89Assessing BPG's Agility 96Summary 1124 Implementing Agility and SEAM: Recommendations and Implications 113A Comparison and Integration of Agility and SEAM 113An Agility Implementation Framework 117Reflections on Becoming Agile 134Conclusion 141About the Authors 145The Research Sponsor Organizations 149The Center for Effective Organizations (CEO) 149The Institute for Socio-Economic Organization Research (ISEOR) 150The Center for Leadership and Effective Organizations (CLEO) 151Index 153