Working with AI
AI will of course be a tech innovation that will be with us for the foreseeable future, and, as with all tech developments, it is likely that, in the long term, we may feel overwhelmed by what it can do and underwhelmed by the positive impact it will make. In the short term however, organisations will have to learn how to adapt, how to pivot, and how to use this new technology to their advantage, without being impacted in a negative way. Experimentation, learning as we go along and business agility organisational competences—that’s what’s needed!
A society of societies
We are learning more and more about climate change, about degrading bio-diversity and social disruptions. As a society of societies, we are increasingly moving into uncharted territories ‘Complex’, or ‘Chaotic’, or perhaps even ‘Confused’ (according to the domains in the Cynefin model ©). We are facing what’s known as ‘Wicked Issues’ — social or cultural problems that are difficult, or even impossible, to solve, due to incomplete or contradictory knowledge, the involvement of many people and opinions, an interconnected nature with other problems and a large economic burden.
We believe that our kids are growing up in a better world than we did, but can we sustain that? The uncertainty is causing anxiety. Strong leaders with simple solutions emerge. However, what we really need is probing, experimentation, transformation, motivated by aspirations of a better world for our kids. Motivated by our love for the world, instead of love for money. World agility. Will 2025 help us to see the first steps in that direction? Wouldn’t that be great? Or will we first need to fall even further down the cliff in the year ahead?
Opinions and facts
Opinions are at least as important as facts, or so it seems. Which opinions and facts will dominate in 2025? In 2024, we have seen the “Agile is dead” opinions on many platforms, with just as many viewpoints on ‘What is agile?’ or ‘How to reimagine agile’. There are facts, for example in our own Insights Report and in the Business Agility Institute’s report, and there are tools that allow you to get real data. These provide a clear way forward, but do not get the attention they deserve, because social media often presents opinions as facts or as better than facts. Wouldn’t it be great if, instead of having a war on words, we actually focused our energies on helping organisations to become the best they can be, even in a rapidly changing environment?
Agile Business Awards 2025
We trust our Agile Business Awards presentations this year will provide more evidence of successes through hard work in business agility. We will also of course be combining our learnings in this year’s Insights Report. The report will contain facts, not opinions. It will also include real cases for everyone to learn from and then base their opinions on.
If agility is about experimenting and learning, will the way we learn change in 2025? Will it need to change? In general, the way people and organisations learn might not change, but the range and quality of learning opportunities will.
Competences
The usage of AI might be reducing our ability to think critically. Usage of learning platforms and simulations on the other hand, might be helping us to learn more deeply, especially when also accompanied by the social aspects of learning in groups, in cohorts and benefiting from the diversity of different viewpoints. Learning is about understanding, about practising, not (only) about knowing. It’s about developing competences, as organisations and as individuals. If you look ahead this year, which competences do you need and how are you planning to develop them?
Looking ahead
2025 will be a great year for business agility. Why? Because “Agile” needs to pivot, and because what has been working in the past might no longer work in the future. Because adaptiveness, experimenting, and a focus on competences for individuals and organisations is more needed than ever. 2025 will provide great learning opportunities. Some experiments will fail, thereby allowing us to learn. Some will succeed, providing more insights. It might not be a smooth journey, but no learning journey ever is!
Caveat: We have not looked into a crystal ball… We’re all about experimenting and learning. So, let’s get this experiment out, let’s learn! And what do we want to achieve? People and organisations joining up to create more value for people, for customers and for the organisational ecosystem. We trust that the inspiration of this article will help to create that value.
As John F. Kennedy famously said: “One person can make a difference, so everyone should try.”
Let’s help each other to learn in 2025!
Please note blogs reflect the opinions of their authors and do not necessarily reflect the recommendations or guidance of the Agile Business Consortium.