Toward a More Agile Future

We live in a fast-changing world. But there are still a few certainties (beyond, you know, death and taxes). For example: (1) Failure happens, (2) strategy constantly needs to adapt, and (3) at some point you’re going to have to figure out “agile.” In this issue, we try to bring fresh perspective to all three. We all know that failure is a critical part of a successful business journey. But how can we make sure that it’s really an instructive tool? In “Increase Your Return on Failure,” Julian Birkinshaw of London Business School and Martine Haas of Wharton show that we’re actually not as tolerant of failure as we think. They offer advice, nonetheless, on how to get the most out of it. In “Planned Opportunism,” Tuck professor Vijay Govindarajan describes a process for recognizing impending change and capitalizing on it. The trick is to be sensitive to “weak signals” in the marketplace—early evidence of shifts in demographics, customer tastes, and more. As for agile approaches, many managers are just starting to realize their value—not only for technology development but in a broad range of functions. In “Embracing Agile,” a trio of writers—Darrell K. Rigby of Bain, Jeff Sutherland of Scrum Inc., and Hirotaka Takeuchi of Harvard Business School—show how adopting agile can accelerate growth and improve workflow. But for companies to fully benefit, top executives need to truly comprehend and buy into the system. Though you can’t avoid the turmoil of the business landscape, you can improve your odds of succeeding amid it. We hope this issue will help you do that.

Toward a More Agile Future

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