The Dark Art of Agile Innovation

Agile Innovation has become a bit of a buzzword in recent years, but what does it really mean? At its core, Agile is about being able to respond quickly and effectively to change. It is a mindset, a set of principles and values, and a collection of tools and techniques that enable organizations to innovate more efficiently and effectively. Agile Innovation, therefore, can be viewed as a mindset that encourages innovation in such an agile environment, encourages innovation in an uncertain future-world and/or encourages innovation of an ever-changing output. Tools and processes have sprung up recently (as have experts and consultancies to train us in their usage) to facilitate this desire for Agile Innovation at a corporate level.

But there is a ‘darker’ side to Agile Innovation – let’s call it the “Dark Art” of Agile Innovation. That’s not to mean ‘dark’ in a nasty way, more in the way that it is not easily visible (like Dark Matter!). In other words, a side that is outside of the tools & processes, outside of the training material and outside of the Consultants’ decks. This is because this ‘dark art’ can never really be understood unless it is lived. This aspect of innovation is often overlooked or misunderstood – the soft skills and intuition that come with experience and a creative, imaginative, and adventurous mindset.

Only Entrepreneurs can really understand the dark arts of entrepreneurship – anyone who has never risked entrepreneurship can only read & write about it. Similarly with Innovation and Agile. Only those who have actually experienced first-hand the development & delivery of Products in the strange and wonderful Agile way, and those who have been directly involved in Innovation, can truly understand the dark arts of Agile Innovation.

Readers might be familiar with the phrase (insult, even!): “Those who can, do. Those who can’t, teach” from George Bernard Shaw’s ‘Man and Superman’ (no, not that Superman). I’ve never really understood that phrase in the modern world. I realise it has remained in current usage because it is easy to remember, it’s quite an effective insult (especially if you don’t like teachers) and it’s meaning is never really questioned.

I’ve always believed that those who can’t do, can’t teach – at least not as well as those who can do. In a lot of cases, ‘doing’ something well is a pre-requisite for teaching it, even basically. To paraphrase Liz Free, if you want to teach someone to read, first you have to know how to read. It also helps if you know how to teach (source: https://lizfree.com/2016/09/12/those-who-can-do-those-who-cant-teach/). So, in essence, if you view innovation as a process, then anyone can teach it. If you view agile development as a process, then anyone can teach it. And if you view Agile Innovation as just another process, then anyone can teach it. If we take G.B. Shaw at his word, then this suggests that anyone can do it because anyone can teach it.

And we all know that’s not true.

But let’s take a step back and look at the broader context of innovation in today’s business world. Innovation has always been a critical driver of success in business. But in today’s hyper-competitive and rapidly evolving business landscape, it is more important than ever. Organizations that fail to innovate risk being left behind, while those that embrace innovation have the potential to thrive and grow. Some can even – as we have all seen – appear out of nowhere and innovate the hell out of their sector.

At the heart of this shift is the pace of change. The world is changing faster than ever before, driven by advances in technology, globalization, and shifting consumer expectations. To keep up, organizations must be able to innovate quickly and effectively.

Agile Innovation is a response to this need for speed and adaptability in the Innovation process. What previously might have taken years – and have the luxury of time to do so – must now be either done in lightning quick time (scary for Corporate Executives) or started, validated and abandoned quickly (perhaps even scarier!). But Agile Innovation is not a silver bullet – simply adopting Agile methodologies or tools does not guarantee success. To truly harness the power of Agile Innovation, organizations must embrace the Dark Art – the soft skills and intuition that come with experience and a creative, imaginative, and adventurous mindset.

So, what exactly does the Dark Art of Agile Innovation actually mean? At its core, it is about the human side of innovation – the skills and qualities that enable individuals and teams to innovate more effectively. This includes things like creativity, imagination, and a willingness to take risks and embrace failure (and to fail as quickly as makes sense). It also includes more practical skills, like effective communication, influencing, collaboration, and expectation management.

These skills are not easy to quantify or measure – they are often the product of years of experience and a willingness to experiment and learn. But they are critical to success in Agile Innovation, and they can make the difference between a project that succeeds and one that fails.

Why is the Dark Art so important in Agile Innovation? There are several reasons.

• First, Agile methodologies are inherently flexible and adaptable (that’s what agile means, right?). They are built around the idea of responding quickly to change, and they prioritize experimentation and iteration over strict planning and control. To succeed in this environment, individuals and teams need to be able to think on their feet, make decisions quickly, and adapt to new information as it arises. This requires a combination of experience, intuition, and creativity – the hallmarks of the Dark Art.
• Second, Agile Innovation is often a team sport. It requires collaboration, communication, and a shared vision of success. To build and maintain a high-performing Agile team, it is critical to foster an environment of trust, respect, and psychological safety – all qualities that are part of the Dark Art.
• Finally, Agile Innovation is not just about following a set of rules or processes. It is about creating something new and valuable, something that has never been done before. To do this requires a willingness to take risks, embrace uncertainty, and push the boundaries of what is possible. These are all qualities that are part of the Dark Art – the ability to see the bigger picture, think creatively, and take calculated risks.

…if you’re reading this and thinking “this Agile Innovation thing sounds like fun”…

…you’re right: it is!