Images and Metaphors — Finding the Right Agile Organization Design

Feb 20, 2016 | Erika Jacobi

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In today's volatile business environment, companies need be able to react quickly to unforeseen circumstances and to turn challenges into innovative opportunities.   Mid–sized and larger organizations often struggle immensely with finding an organization design that allows them to grow and stay agile at the same time.   Next to the understandable fear of interfering with an established system that has been in place and worked well for so long, there are also oftentimes misconceptions as to what agile really means.

Agile organizations display equal shares of balance and structure

Yes, agile organizations do have a high level of self–organization.   But that doesn't mean they are chaotic.   What is much more prominent in agile concepts is the understanding that there needs to be quite a number of rules and standardized procedures in place.   The current business literature and case studies often stress the novelty (self–organization) and downplay the familiar (structure).   In reality, both are needed to create a healthy balance.

Here are some factors to consider:

1. There is not just one single agile organization design.   There are many.   Therefore, it is about finding the right fit for your organization.
2. If you want to create an agile organization, you need to understand how to strike a healthy equilibrium of stability and agility.

Choosing the right design, and the right way of implementing it for your organization, is as much an opportunity as it is a responsibility.

Using images and metaphors to find the right fit

The beauty of agile designs is that they can be created in many different ways — literally tailored to the individual company.   The issue however, is that with so many choices, it is indeed difficult to find the right fit.   To mitigate this problem, we often ask our clients — after rounds and rounds of data collection and analysis, conversations, and round–tables, etc. — to think of an image, a metaphor, or a symbol that represents their organization.

In many cases, we don't even have to prompt the thought of an image; it simply emerges during the collaboration.   One of our clients modeled their new organization design to resemble the structure of a brain (read SAGE article on this case), another one chose the image of a city, and yet another the design of a tree.

Benefits of images

Images and metaphors help us make sense out of our complex world.   When the mind gets overwhelmed with too many options, images and metaphors serve as a quick snapshot that reminds us of what we consider most important.   An image often becomes the guiding star aligning us with our most relevant goals.

On a more practical level, images can:

1. Show us what the majority of the organization considers important.
2. Help us see the organization's underlying structure.
3. Give us guidance on how to model the structure.
4. Engage an entire organization around that image.
5. Use an image for further processes such as on–boarding or organizational culture development.

What's more: No living system can do without structure and balance; images help us preserve that balance in a natural way.   At the same time, a consistent image reminds us of the reason for the structures in place.   And last but not least, images diminish our fear of the change ahead, because they model the future in the present.

Enough reasons to give images and metaphors a try in your agile organization design?

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About the Author

Erika Jacobi is President and Head Innovation & Business Transformation Specialist at LC GLOBAL^®, a consulting firm with presences in New York City and Munich, Germany.   Her PhD research focuses on the role of narratives in organizational change.

For more information, log on to www.lc-global-us.com or follow their blog CHANGE TALK.