Introducing Agile to The Indian Army
The Intent
With twenty-four years in the Indian Army (Infantry and Army Aviation) and two years in the corporate environment, it has been my earnest endeavour to synthesise my learnings in service and deliver high-quality content to my clients as part of Leadership Tribe. What I deliver in my training, they are sourced from active combat situations in my postings and deployments as a counter-terrorism specialist, a combat helicopter pilot and a trainer in Organisational Behaviour at the College of Defence Management.
I have effectively incorporated military leadership and team performance lessons in my sessions as an Agile trainer, Coach, Facilitator and Consultant. Needless to say, my sessions on Agile focus on agility as a mindset, respecting the human element, developing cross-functional competencies, operating in VUCA situations and handling conflict scenarios; areas I have been trained and have consistently performed during my service in uniform.
It came as a pleasant surprise when I was invited to introduce ‘Agile’ in an Army base to explore possibilities of adopting new ways of working and thinking into their existing culture. It was now time to introduce new ways of ‘being’ and ‘doing’ to the very organisation which shaped me to what I am today. It was also an opportunity to ‘give back’ something of value.
The Approach
The Indian Army is an organisation steeped in legacy. Customs, traditions and ethos that have been fiercely guarded against external influences and lend themselves to a culture of high performance and selfless service. However, like any adaptive entity, it needs to embrace change to make itself relevant to a dynamic environment. I saw an opportunity to introduce Agile from an ontological approach. Emphasising more on the primacy of Agile as a ‘mindset’ and the need to acknowledge the importance of the human ‘being’. Using a psychological approach, the aim was to enlighten the participants (Senior Officers), to the art and science of “Being Agile”. The day-long engagement was more on discovering the various facets of the human mind and exploration through shared learning. It was a welcoming change to witness willful participation by the officers (despite the existing hierarchal influence that was present in the room) and the creation of a psychologically safe environment by none other than the Commandant himself.
Does the Military Need Agile?
The military works from the ‘ground-up’ with a core philosophy of building resilient teams responding to any situation or circumstance. They function under numerous processes and procedures that need revalidation and revision. Legacy habits need to be shed and new ways of thinking and operating need to be factored in. Management practices need are looked and substituted with more practical frameworks that are easy to adopt, flexible, responsive and consistent. Agile fulfils in these areas by contributing the following merits:
- Awareness on why any change/transformation can truly be manifested when stakeholder interest is driven from the very top
- Inculcating the true spirit of the Agile Mindset ushers in greater agility in the way things are done.
- Agile frameworks (Kanban, Scrum) implementation into existing processes and procedures.
- Change Management from a more enabling perspective by adopting the Agile way of ‘Being’.
- Facilitation and Coaching are skills that augment the efficiency of leadership (everyone is a leader here). Training to be an Agile coach and facilitator opens up new vistas for officers to address complex man-management issues much more effectively.
- Brings in a fresh perspective and creativity to problem-solving, especially issues that are sourced from human interactions.
How we Benefit?
Leadership Tribe in its relentless pursuit to push the domain of Agile as a Mindset into significant ‘Non – IT’ environments have leapt faith by engaging with the officers of the Indian Army. The willingness of the officers of the Army to know more from us about ‘Being Agile” and the opportunity to adopt an Agile Mindset has been a significant milestone in our journey so far. It is an engagement of mutual benefit where Agile will be fostered in its true form. Our learning from this initiative will be ploughed back into our programs thereby enriching the learning experience of our clients.
