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An in-depth example of The Agility Factor in actionBecoming Agile: How the SEAM Approach to Management Builds Adaptability illustrates the process of becoming an agile organization. Reflecting the principles presented in The Agility Factor, readers are taken on a real-world journey of transformation and change. This short-format case study of the French company Brioche Pasquier highlights how one organization successfully implemented the principles of agility using the socio-economic approach to management, detailing each step of the process and describing how every decision brought the goal closer within reach. Readers get inside the heads of decision makers to gain insight into how tough decisions were made, how new, important, and flexible management tools were implemented, and how the necessary changes ultimately benefitted both the organization and the people who made it work. From overarching policy to day-to-day procedure, the story provides a clear example of how an agile organization is developed, giving readers a foundation upon which to implement similar changes in their own organization.Smart companies understand the importance of agility, but identifying where and how to initiate those first steps often leads to paralysis by analysis. This case study allows readers to learn from an organization that got through the inertia and put the principles of agility into action, with incredible results.* Understand how the principles of agility can be implemented using a specific intervention strategy* Tailor those principles to suit any organization* Calculate and convert the "hidden costs" of traditional organizational design into flexible, value added activities* Formulate and execute an actionable agility strategyBig changes require a deep understanding of the problem at hand, and a viable plan for steering the organization in a better direction. By seeing how it's been done before, organizations can take a proven approach and tailor it to their specific needs. For those tasked with formulating the agility strategy, Becoming Agile: How the SEAM Approach to Management Builds Adaptability provides invaluable insight.
List of contents
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
Summary
An in-depth example of The Agility Factor in action Becoming Agile: How the SEAM Approach to Management Builds Adaptability illustrates the process of becoming an agile organization. Reflecting the principles presented in The Agility Factor, readers are taken on a real-world journey of transformation and change.
