9.5 Organise work to facilitate innovative practices and organisational agility
Agility cannot be separated into internal factors, and external - environmental - factors. Much work has to be done on the relationship between the two spheres of planning for agility, nevertheless, the organisational boundaries are an insufficient basis to limit study of, or planning for agility (Rigby, et al 2001:178). Business relationships, individual and team networks with the community and other organisations, and actions by government and other organisations all shape innovative practices and the response an organisation makes to demands to change (Rigby et al, 2001:180-184). As such team innovation and organisational agility must be conceptualised beyond the 'walls' of the organisation.
Environmental attunement refers to the fit between the organisation and the environment. For an organisation to survive it must be compatible with its environment. Environmental factors such as increased competitiveness, interdependence both within organisations and externally and increasing complexity of products and services lead to a need for organisations to have the ability to change.
Changes in the operating environment require realignment. Organisation agility generates this capacity. The need for organisations to develop agility will depend upon the level of change in the environment and the speed with which people and processes can respond.
The implications of a changing organisational environment, where knowledge, complexity and speed of change have increased, is not just for organisations with inflexible, solidified organisational structures or procedures. Environmental turbulence argues for the development of individual and organisational capabilities that permit re-alignment of the organisation while maintaining performance targets.
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