Qualities and Achievements of Agile Companies

By Dennis McCafferty | Posted 2014-07-28

More than ever, IT professionals are helping their organizations increase agility. For example, they are deploying advanced technology tools to better anticipate business changes and overhaul outdated processes. Beyond that, agile companies are embracing diverse backgrounds and skill sets, while giving their employees and teams the resources and freedom needed to make quick, informed decisions. To determine what separates agile frontrunners from followers, Accenture conducted a comprehensive survey of global senior executives. The resulting report, "Traits of Truly Agile Businesses," covers the deployment of analytics, social media, data sharing and other tech-related functions, in addition to specifics on organizational shifts. It also divides companies into the categories of "leaders" and "laggards." Leaders are defined as organizations that increased sales more than 10 percent in the last fiscal year, while laggards are experiencing sales declines. "Leaders stand apart from other companies on nearly every dimension of agility," according to the report, "from speeding up decision making, to knowing what is strategic and what is operational, to aggressively investing in and using analytics to run their organizations." An estimated 1,300 global C-suite and senior-level executives took part in the research.

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Fast Thinking

51% of leader companies have made organizational changes to accelerate decision making, but only 26% of laggards have.
Digging Deeper

60% of leaders invest in analytical capabilities and tools "to a great extent," compared with just 21% of laggards.
Data Driven

48% of leaders readily share data internally throughout divisions, but only 34% of laggards share data.
Isolated Information

Only 23% of top companies restrict data accessibility to specific corporate functions, but 43% of organizations with declining sales do restrict access.
Customer Appreciation

80% of leaders view their partnering relationships with customers as important to their success, compared with only 54% of laggards.
Reaching Out

64% of high-performing organizations view their partnering relationships with their suppliers as key to their success, but only 43% of companies with declining sales do.
Able Adjustment

39% of leader organizations say it's "very easy" to shift resources to address emerging or critical needs, compared with only 17% of laggards.
Eclectic Skill Set

48% of leaders have changed their senior team to incorporate a broader range of perspectives and skills, but only 25% of laggards have.
Outside Perspective

41% of the top-performing companies—but just 20% of laggards—bring in leadership executives from other industries.
Social Circle

55% of leaders use social media extensively with partners, distributors and indirect channels, while only 28% of laggards do.
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