Agility Coaching Helps Global Company Attract Tech Talent

Training the Managers of a Leader in Consumer Transaction Technologies

How do you position your company to attract the modern tech workforce so highly desired in this day and age?

One way is to open a gleaming new global headquarters near a tech hotbed featuring the technology and tools to support the changing nature of how, when and where work is done. This is just what a world leader in consumer transaction technologies has done, with a new 750,000-square-foot headquarters in midtown Atlanta, complete with state-of-the-art amenities for its employees.

And when it comes to embracing modern work styles, there has been an equal push to adopt and mature its Agile technology expertise. According to CIO.com, “Agile is key to helping attract and retain the next generation of engineers and developers, because the principles of the methodology dovetail with millennials’ intrinsic motivation.”

CIO Mandate: “Become More Agile!”

This was the command from the CIO to the entire organization.

According to Scrum.org, “Becoming an Agile organization is a profound transformation that requires senior leaders, middle managers, and Agile team members to change the way they organize their work, manage that work, and measure the results of the work. Agile teams cannot do this on their own; they need help from the entire organization.”

Nine-Month Coaching Engagement Moves the Maturity Needle

Motion Recruitment was brought in to help move the needle forward with a nine-month Agile Coaching engagement.

The primary goal was to coach existing teams and move them to a higher level of maturity. The secondary goal has been to assist with their various initiatives centered around increasing their Agile maturity.

“Prior to Motion coaching, I didn’t realize how immature we were,” said Rafael T., IT Director. “We didn’t have the right coaching internally and we had not properly prepared the organization for transformation.”

Motion Agile Coach Tony Shawver said he put forth significant effort in coaching and training managers on how to lead these teams. And to help them, “embrace Agile instead of being afraid of it.” Shawver added that it was key to help them lead teams that are decentralized and self-managing while still maintaining transparency in their progress.

Coaching Leaders as well as the Teams

“Ask yourself, do managers know how to operate in this world? In Agile coaching, coaching leaders as well as your team is important. Today’s modern workforce carries significant influence. They have different views on many things including ways to work. Aligning with their perspectives is key to attracting and retaining the best talent,” said Shawver.

So far, Shawver has worked with 10 teams within the business applications group; creating formal assessments for five of them.

“Previously, I didn’t know how to keep the team on track and ensure the work was moving forward; I was feeling I had lost control of my team. I now have tools I can leverage to help the team,” said Rafael T., IT Director.

It seems safe to say they are becoming the transformed Agile organization that the CIO called for.