Agile HR: what it is and 6 tips on how to implement it

Have you ever heard of Agile HR?

The search for methods that make internal processes faster and leaner should run through every department of an organization, including Human Resources.

In that sense, the equation “agile methodologies + HR” can deliver very satisfying results for the company at different levels.

Want to know how? Keep reading to find out what Agile HR is, the benefits it can bring to your business and 6 tips on how to implement it in your company. Here are some of the points we will cover:

1. Implement the agile methodology gradually;
2. Align Agile HR with the company’s strategic planning;
3. Promote feedback cycles with employees;
4. Value multidisciplinary work;
5. Flatten hierarchical structures;
6. Practice transparency.

We will also show:

• Differences between Traditional HR and Agile HR;
• Agile HR metrics you need to monitor:
  • Employee satisfaction;
  • Turnover;
  • Retention;
  • Time to recruit and hire.
• 7 book recommendations on the subject;
• 3 Agile HR courses to help you specialize.

What is Agile HR?

First, let’s recall the Agile concept.

It is a methodology created to optimize software development. To do so, it breaks tasks into smaller parts, promotes clear communication among everyone involved and makes constant improvements.

Agile also places a strong emphasis on the user’s experience and satisfaction.

Bringing that concept to the Human Resources department, we can define Agile HR as a way of running the work with more agility, efficiency, transparency and collaboration.

This approach grew out of the Agile HR Manifestoopens in a new tab. Simpler and faster, the methodology recognizes the strategic value of the department and aims to run processes in a less bureaucratic and more proactive way.

The principles of Agile HR

A few basic principles help explain its characteristics. They are:

• Help employees develop and be happy in the workplace;
• Encourage employees to embrace change and adapt to it when necessary;
• Build a network of capable, independent and collaborative teams;
• Offer the support teams need to do their work;
• Foster employees’ personal growth;
• Draw out employees’ full potential;
• Keep employees motivated and comfortable using their skills.

Differences between Traditional HR and Agile HR

There are considerable differences between Traditional HR and Agile HR. First, the agile methodology for HR places more value on collaborative networks and believes that teamwork can produce better results.

Traditional HR, on the other hand, is tied to rigid, vertical hierarchical structures.

According to the Agile HR manifesto, this methodology values transparency, unlike the traditional method, which tends to favor secrecy around information that could easily be shared with employees.

Employees are no longer seen only as inert tools. Unlike the Traditional HR approach, the goal is to understand each employee’s individuality and identify what can be done to make them happier, more satisfied and more engaged.

Employees are recognized and valued for who they are and what they feel.

Data is another important weapon for Agile HR, and People Analytics can be a great ally here. Learn more about it in this video:

Benefits of Agile HR: why implement this methodology in your company?

Implementing Agile HR can be a major competitive advantage for companies.

Through agile practices, it is possible to organize processes better, gain more clarity about the department’s demands, anticipate needs and improve the employee experience.

Instead of waiting for a demand to hire new employees and only then going after talent, a company with Agile HR can foresee that scenario and act more proactively and less reactively.

Another advantage of using agile methods in Human Resources is the chance to shorten the execution time of certain processes. This has a positive impact on the quality of deliverables and on team productivity, which also leads to lower costs and higher revenue.

Scrum is one of the agile methodologies and it can also be adapted for HR. Do you know it? This video can teach you a little about it:

6 tips on how to implement Agile HR in your company

As you have seen so far, Agile HR contributes significantly to the way a company handles its human resources.

If you want to implement it in your company, here are 6 tips to help you.

1. Implement the agile methodology gradually

Start by using agile practices in small teams and processes. Test, validate and refine the methodology to gradually expand its use across HR.

2. Align Agile HR with the company’s strategic planning

The agile methodology used in HR needs to be aligned with the organization’s strategic planning. That way, the implementation of Agile HR will be more effective.

3. Promote feedback cycles with employees

Encourage a culture of continuous feedback to drive continuous improvement in HR’s day-to-day work. Meet at least once a week to inform employees about their performance and align expectations.

Giving or receiving feedback is challenging for most people. This video can help you in those moments:

4. Value multidisciplinary work

Multidisciplinary teams are essential to Agile HR. Different perspectives and experiences help find more effective, creative and faster solutions.

5. Flatten hierarchical structures

Prioritize collaboration over rigid, vertical hierarchies. Allow professionals at different levels to contribute suggestions and points of view.

This practice helps create a lighter, more harmonious organizational climate.

6. Practice transparency

Be transparent when communicating results, new practices and the goals employees are expected to reach.

That way, employees gain clarity about what is expected of them and feel more confident.

Agile HR metrics you need to monitor

To get good results from implementing the agile methodology in HR, it is important to track a few essential metrics.

Here are some HR indicators that will help you gain more control over individual and collective performance and make better decisions.

1. Employee satisfaction

Employee satisfaction is an indispensable metric for Agile HR. Through surveys, you can assess how satisfied employees are with the company.

You can, for example, send questionnaires that employees answer anonymously. Ask them to rate different aspects of their experience at the company.

2. Turnover

Turnoveropens in a new tab is a performance indicator that measures the relationship between dismissals and new hires.

When turnover is very high, it can signal employee dissatisfaction or poorly executed recruitment and selection processes.

To calculate turnover, simply apply the following formula:

• Turnover = total number of employees who left / total number of employees at the start of the period analyzed x 100

3. Retention

Retention is an Agile HR metric that measures how long, on average, employees stay on the company’s payroll after being hired.

The higher the retention, the better for the company. That reduces the costs of recruiting, selecting and training new employees.

4. Time to recruit and hire

This indicator shows how long it takes, on average, to hire new talent for the company.

To calculate this metric, consider the interval between publishing the job opening and signing the contract.

By analyzing this data, you can identify ways to shorten recruitment and selection time, which also minimizes the damage to team productivity caused by understaffing.

7 book recommendations on Agile HR

If you want to go deeper into the agile methodology for HR, here are 7 book recommendations on the approach:

1. Agile HR: Deliver Value in a Changing World of Workopens in a new tab
2. Agile People: A Radical Approach for HR & Managers (That Leads to Motivated Employees)opens in a new tab
3. HR and the Agile Organizationopens in a new tab
4. RH Ágil, Mais humanos e menos recursos: O desafio da gestão de pessoas nas organizações do século XXIopens in a new tab (in Portuguese)
5. Ágil do Jeito Certoopens in a new tab (in Portuguese)
6. SCRUM: a arte de fazer o dobro do trabalho na metade do tempoopens in a new tab (in Portuguese)
7. Designerhs para um novo mundo, Como transformar o RH em designer organizacionalopens in a new tab (in Portuguese)

Agile HR courses to help you specialize

If you want to enrich your résumé and specialize in Agile HR, we searched for online courses on the methodology and found 3 options, all in Portuguese:

1. RH Ágil, Os segredos do sucesso das equipes exponenciais de recursos humanosopens in a new tab
2. RH Ágil: Estratégia ou Sobrevivênciaopens in a new tab
3. RH Ágil: free online course (Unova Cursos)opens in a new tab

So, is it clear what Agile HR is? Are you convinced of the benefits this method can bring to your company?

Follow the tips we shared here and implement the agile methodology for HR in your company to optimize processes, boost employee performance and speed up decision-making.

Agile HR metrics in Stratws

Agile HR depends on up-to-date data and a decision routine. Satisfaction, turnover, retention and time to hire only guide the team when each one has a target, an owner and a deadline.

In Stratws, these indicators live in one place, with a target and a traffic-light status for each, tied to the company’s strategic planning. Results meetings are recorded with decisions, owners and deadlines, and each agreed action becomes an action plan tracked through to completion.

That puts two tips from this article into practice: aligning HR with strategic planning and practicing transparency. More than 800 companies trust their management to Stratws, across more than 20 sectors of the economy.

Talk to a specialistopens in a new tab