“How we operate matters more than how we organize” says the latest industry report from the joshbersin company. The Operating models indeed have a huge impact on the value organizations deliver. The time-tested operating models with robust processes, hierarchy, and optimization focus may bring stability, however those may not be flexible to adapt to the rapidly changing business environment. Modern agile operating models center around products, customer experience and value. Those help organizations to innovate and gain a competitive advantage eventually leading to a learning and collaborative culture that fosters an agile mindset.

 Through our experience and research of being a part of “Agile Operating Model Neighborhood” at Tata Consultancy Services, we would like to present the levers of an organization’s operating model that shape the thinking to bring agility. We would discuss how organizations produce outstanding outcomes such as product launch time reduction from a year to 3 months, revenue growth of 15%, operating profit growth 22% and so on.

We would like to take you through three important levers such as flexibility in organization structure design, minimizing dependencies to maximize flow and centering their models around purpose (as described in TCS’ Growth and Transformation framework Business 4.0). For each of these levers, we would discuss examples of organizations where it worked or failed, why this lever was used, how it was implemented and its benefits and influence on nurturing an agile mindset.