Why Agile Management Congress puts Agile upside down?

I have visited recently few agile conferences and realized, that the hardest questions today are how to initiate mindset change and how to convince top boss toward an agile change. Of course, within constraints imposed by the business environment, which is until now not agile at all. In my book, Agile shouldn’t be about convincing someone. It should be about natural adaptation to significant changes in the external environment. As we immerse into the waters of VUCA ocean, it is clear organizations needs to reinvent themselves entirely to adapt to these changes.

I am launching on 25th November 2019 the Agile Management Congress (AMC) for the 4th time already. I have a mission to address management innovators — game changers and innovative leaders from companies, consultancies and academia to share their practical transformational experience. Working in a small groups, through series of practical mini workshops, case studies, moderated discussions and group work with peers may gain better inside into how agility can help them transform their business or daily routine. It is place of learning from gurus, sharing knowledge with peers, gain new inspiration and ideas with active engagement of the participants! This is not a place to sit, listen and get entertained. There will also be intensive networking in a safe environment.

To ensure intensive group learning, only 40 seats will be available. We will encourage delegates from different industries and different cultural context through different geographical origins and limit numbers of tickets for a single organization or region. Diversity matter.

The main topic for 2019 is “INSTITUTIONAL INVERSION FOR AGILE ENTERPRISE”.

Implementing Agile into organization begins with the change of mindset, company culture and with the definition of success for operations differently. The difference, however, conflict with general perceptions of the industry in today’s world, how an organization should be managed and how management should behave. What are the experiences of those who crossed the abyss?

We plan to cover topics like:

• building an agile culture, dealing with (internal) issues,

• dealing with stakeholders — employees, customers, investors

• people engagement and workplace design,

• role of management in an agile organization,

• recruitment for agility, growth of human capital selecting vs. growing people,

• cross-industry experience and inspirational managerial techniques,

• remuneration for the agile era,

• alternative financial instruments for “control” and forecasting,

• HR aspects of agility, selecting vs. growing people, strategies,

and more.

We want to include engaging program like:

• Debate: In Favor or Against Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe), to present openly what is good, bad or neutral in this prescriptive understanding of Agile. We are looking for delegates who are familiar with the framework and would like to join their side.
• Agile Entrepreneurs: An authentic stories of owners, managers, leaders, who are building their organization beyond the traditional managerial model of vertical bureaucracy, and who found the courage to build organization or functional area differently. Why is the important element here, as the will for sharing experiences. We encourage people from outside IT to also participate.
• Mini-workshops: where delegates can engage with intensive learning exercises in a small group.

4 things that makes Agile Management Congress so unique.

1. Original format: Doing and practical learning rather than listening. Enables top managers to get engaged with Agile through workshops, managed discussions and group learning.

2. Active engagement: mutual learning, sharing stories and experience.

3. Leading tutors and lecturers: mini-workshops run through experienced professionals or peers.

4. Safe environment: organized by managers for managers.

Where: Prague, Czech Republic

When: November 25th, 2019

About author: Michal Vallo builds agile organizations and helps managers to understand agile techniques, benefit from its adoption and consequently radically improve organizational performance. He is agile trainer, coach and manager at Aguarra, founding member of Agilia community and organizer of Agilia Conference / Agile Management Congress.