Balancing autonomy with agility
Lean-Agile governance uses collaborative and decentralized decision making by enabling autonomy and empowerment without losing alignment. However, the question remains as to the limit of autonomy and decentralization to strike the right balance between protecting investments and continuous flow.
Luna, Kruchten, and Moura, in their paper, State of the Art of Agile Governance: A Systematic Review, observed that the level of governance must always be adapted according to the organizational context. The level of governance required to achieve business agility must be balanced and adjusted when needed, considering each organization's particular conditions and timing. Just enough for one organization may be too much for another one. As the authors observed, there is no one-size-fits-all governance.
As demonstrated in the following diagram, governance can be at both extremes:
Figure 11.6 – Different levels of...
