Work without Jobs

Abstract

Many organizations have adopted the agile methodology to transform their mindsets and work processes beyond software development, guided by agile's core values. These prioritize individuals and interactions over processes and tools, prioritize customer collaboration over contract negotiation, and prioritize responding to change over following a plan. Those principles are particularly vital for pivoting to the new work operating system, yet agile process redesign alone cannot overcome the constraints imposed by traditional ways of thinking about jobs. A major consumer goods organization implemented agile, but despite its thoughtful approach to redesigning its processes and even upskilling its employees, the company faced major difficulty in getting its employees to swarm-to collectively work on and actively engage with challenges that spanned job titles or departments. Here, Jesuthasan and Boudreau discuss the principles of the new work operating system.