I'm from Sweden, based in Gothenburg on the west coast. It’s really dark and wet outside now, quite cold as well, but no snow yet—winter is coming here in Sweden.
We started working with agile ways of working when we attended a masterclass in Agile. We realized that there was a new and different way of doing things back in 2009, which completely changed how we worked in our small IT team and how we served our customers from that point onward.
We also created a conference, Agile People Sweden, which became quite well-known, along with a meetup group that has since grown into 12 different meetup groups around the world. Over the last three years, I have been traveling extensively because I wrote three books. The first one is visible on the wall behind me. The second book, The Agile People Picture Book, features 220 visualizations that illustrate all the concepts in an easy-to-understand way. The newest book, The Agile People Principles, is a co-creation project written by 35 Agile People coaches worldwide, with each person contributing a chapter on the principles of Agile People.
That’s a quick introduction from my side. If you have any questions, I’d be happy to answer. I consider myself a hybrid between IT, finance, leadership, and HR. I studied finance at the University of Gothenburg and started my career as an IT project manager at a web company. Later, I transitioned into working with talent management solutions—big, standardized solutions—before moving into product management. I spent most of my career in product management before transitioning to Agile, Agile HR, Agile leadership, and motivation, which are my primary focus areas today.
Currently, we have around 80 Agile People coaches and facilitators around the world delivering my training programs. I have a great network of people with whom I collaborate on partnerships, client projects, and various initiatives. This is a growing market, and people agility is a relatively new topic. I believe it will follow from business agility, as organizations will realize that to increase business agility, they must first focus on their people. Business agility depends on agile people—it’s a fundamental condition for success.
Today, I will give a general presentation on the future role of HR, which I believe is the Agile People Coach. If I can share my screen, I’ll begin my presentation.
Adaptability and the Need for Change
I usually start my talks with Charles Darwin. You all know him for his work on The Origin of Species, and his well-known phrase, “survival of the fittest.” Many people interpret this as meaning "the strongest survive," but that’s not what he actually meant. Darwin referred to the species that can adjust and adapt to changing circumstances as those that will continue to thrive, while those that cannot adapt will eventually disappear.
The same applies to organizations. I’m sure you can think of companies that failed to adapt to change and no longer exist. Take Kodak and Nokia, for example—organizations that couldn’t adapt when the environment changed.
Traditional Management vs. Agile Leadership
Henry Ford once said, “Thinking is the hardest work there is, which is probably why so few engage in it.” This reflects how he viewed people in his company. Ford divided people into workers and thinkers, believing only the thinkers should do the thinking while the workers focused on manual labor. This approach led to the rise of scientific management, also known as Taylorism, which focused on analyzing workflows and improving labor productivity.
At the time, this approach was effective, but it is no longer viable today. In Ford’s era, he was the dominant player in the market, with minimal competition, so standardizing production was enough to ensure success. However, the world has changed, and organizations today must be adaptable to stay relevant.
Another key figure in management theory is Douglas McGregor, who wrote The Human Side of Enterprise in the late 1950s. In his book, he introduced Theory X and Theory Y, which describe two different views of people. Theory X assumes that people are lazy, unmotivated, and only work if they are incentivized or forced through rules and policies. In contrast, Theory Y assumes that people are intrinsically motivated, want to work, and strive to contribute value if given the right conditions.
The way organizations structure management processes depends on their underlying beliefs about people. If an organization adopts a Theory X mindset, it creates rigid policies, strict rules, and micromanagement, leading employees to behave accordingly. On the other hand, a Theory Y approach trusts employees to take responsibility, reducing the need for excessive structure and control.
The Agile People Coach: The Future Role for HR
HR has traditionally focused on compliance, policies, and standardized solutions. However, this must change. HR must become more adaptable, innovative, and customer-centric. I believe HR should lead the transformation toward agility within organizations. HR has been sitting in the back seat for too long—it’s time to step up and show how people-centric structures can create value.
HR controls critical processes such as change management, leadership development, talent acquisition, workforce planning, and performance management. These structures can either hinder or support people in delivering their best work. If HR holds on to outdated, bureaucratic processes, no part of the company can truly transform.
The role of HR should shift from enforcing rules and control to enabling flexibility, collaboration, and continuous learning. HR should work closely with employees to understand their needs and remove barriers that prevent them from performing at their best.
Agile Leadership and the Gardener Metaphor
Leadership must also change. The traditional role of managers, who control performance and dictate tasks, is no longer effective. Instead, leaders should become enablers, removing obstacles that prevent employees from growing and contributing.
A helpful metaphor for agile leadership is that of a gardener. In this analogy, the company is a garden with an overall purpose, such as producing fruit or being visually beautiful. The gardener doesn’t force plants to grow; instead, they create the best possible conditions for each plant to thrive. Similarly, leaders must understand the unique needs of their people, providing them with the right environment, resources, and support to grow and contribute.
Moving from Control to Trust
Agile leadership is built on motivation rather than control. Instead of micromanaging, leaders should focus on setting a clear purpose and giving employees autonomy in how they achieve it. Instead of secretive decision-making, information should be transparent so that employees can make informed decisions.
Final Thoughts and Invitation
Organizations cannot succeed unless they focus on their people first. Business agility is impossible without engaged, motivated employees who are given the right conditions to thrive. Agile leadership and Agile HR must work together to create an environment where people feel empowered to contribute their best work.
We invite you to join the Agile People Community. You can participate in training online, become an Agile People Coach, or simply engage with our resources to help drive transformation within your organization.
To learn more, visit AgilePeople.com. Thank you for your time, and I look forward to your questions.