Insights and Advice for Enabling More Efficient and Sustainable Construction

Agility And Adapting To Change In The Modern World

April 19, 2022
6 mins read

The only thing we can be certain of is change. The world is moving forward at a rapid pace – making the business landscape difficult to predict and prepare for. So, as an organisation, it is crucial to be agile. You must be able to adapt quickly to change as it comes in order to be successful.

As we’ve seen with large events like the Coronavirus pandemic, you never know when you’re going to be hit with a sudden major change, and you should  always be prepared  for it.

Follow this guide to understand agility and adapting to change in the modern world, and how you can improve your organisational agility through sophisticated technology.

Understanding Agility and Change

Today’s business landscape is increasingly volatile. Technology is changing and developing at a rapid pace. As such, it can be tricky for businesses to make decisions now that they know will still be relevant in the future.

This is why agility and adapting to change in the modern world is so important. A major part of success today comes down to how you’re able to navigate changing markets and make strategic decisions when a change is necessary.

In construction, there are various agility challenges around planning, resources, and asset management. Construction businesses need to understand how to balance risk and opportunity in the market. Agility is all about making the most of market opportunities, and being able to quickly change the elements of your business to open up new possibilities.

To achieve long-term success in practically any industry today, businesses need to adopt a mindset of flexibility and planning for the unknown. They need to be ready to adjust to new changes and possibilities as and when they arise with as little disruption as possible.

5 Ways to Improve Organisational Agility

1. Prepare for the Unknown

Nobody can predict the future, but one thing we can all be certain of is that change is always imminent.

Businesses need to be prepared to accept and face the unknown. This is something that should be reflected in the company’s technology.

Businesses must look towards software solutions that provide a wide variety of functionality. While you can’t prepare for a specific future event, you can make sure you’re ready to adapt and respond to a major change at a moment’s notice.

2. Realise the Value in Software Developments

Software that delivers value at a long-term stage is not ideal for business agility. Instead, businesses should look towards tech solutions that offer a fast return on investment.

Understand the value that the software will help you achieve, and fit this into a reachable timeframe. This will allow you to reap the benefits of the software and achieve a positive ROI before you might have to make a change. 

3. Shared Information and Collaboration

It’s not only technology that might limit a business’s functions. It’s also the skills and knowledge that exist within that organisation.

In order to prepare for change and increase agility, organisations should emphasise sharing knowledge and skills. Instead of only relying on one person for specific tasks, their knowledge should be diffused across the organisation.

To do this, you need to have software that facilitates collaboration and enables teams to better understand the strategic goals that they need to all work towards. This makes it easier to understand and adapt to changes as they occur.

4. Changing Customer and Supplier Relations

Digital transformation has changed a lot of things, including the way consumers approach and engage with businesses.

Organisations need to be open to offering digital channels to connect with their customers. Customers expect information 24/7 and want to be able to reach businesses whenever they need to.

To prepare for change and better accommodate agility, organisations should focus on using technology to optimise both consumer and vendor relationships.

5. Changing Work Culture

Technology isn’t only changing the way consumers and suppliers deal with an organisation, it also changes the organisation’s internal operations.

This could include new work policies, like remote working or even the event of four day work weeks.

An important part of agility is welcoming new internal processes and practises. The new generation of workers expect to do things differently. Your organisation should be ready to adapt if it’s going to keep up.

Conclusion

Agility should be a key requirement for any business that hopes to achieve long term success. Having the right software solution is key.

At RIB CCS, our systems are built to be agile and adaptable to change so that you can better plan for the future. Our solutions have evolved over nearly 40 years to meet the changing needs of the construction industry.