S5E7: Decision making - the unseen critical lever in Agile transformation at scale - with Dr. Erik Lenhard from BCG

“I see OKRs as something that is probably overhyped. For me, however, it is most important that organizations understand the principles and the rational behind OKRs. What is really meant by that and not only the grammar but really the thinking and the value that comes by Outcomes.” - Dr. Erik Lenhard With today’s guest Dr. Erik Lenhard we talk about the 3 dimensions of agile transformation: New structures, New ways of working and New ways of decision making. He shares why the principles of agile working are becoming even more important and why they need to be demystified. Agile transformations do not only take time and require new leadership approaches, but above all entail a cultural change. We also discuss why it is non-negotiable to define the “WHY” for a successful transformation. Leaders need to make sure why a change is necessary, how the Outcome of the change is going to be measured and where the journey leads the organization. At the same time, not only leaders need to communicate and lead the change, but need to change their leadership styles as well. A survey conducted by BCG with over 10.000 managers states that 67% are not happy with their decision power. Dr. Erik Lenhard is Partner and Director in the Munich Office of the Boston Consulting Group (BCG), member of the Technology Advantage and part of the leadership team for the Global and European Agile and Software business. Together with a colleague he is leading BCG's Agile at Scale business in Europe, having supported more than 25 organizations across industries in their agile journey. He joined BCG in 2012 and has more than 15 years experience in agile methods, large scale agile transformation and major aspects related to Enterprise Agility. Prior to working at BCG, Erik was heading the Management Information Department at Kabel Deutschland and worked as Manager at Solon Management Consulting. He earned a PhD in National Economics and a Diploma in Business Computer Science from the Technical University of Darmstadt and the London School of Economics. Moreover, he is a certified Scrum Master, Product Owner, Agile Coach as well as SAFe certified. Where to find Erik: LinkedIn BCG Where to find Johannes: LinkedIn Resources mentioned on the show: Books - When more is not better by Roger L. Martin Podcast - Digi Kitchen Podcast Article - Implementing Enterprise Agility for Artificial Intelligence by Erik Lenhard This Podcast is a product by Workpath.