Independent in the age of agility—squaring the circle on business jargons

Agility, as a dictionary definition, has been a fixture within the space of commercial creativity as long as I’ve been in it, and no doubt long before I even got on the scene. With time and the significance of digital, the expectation of being agile has intensified so much that it’s transformed from an adjective to a noun and is a well-referred to process methodology, manifesto included.

I loved agility in its pure sense before I knew it was a thing. It was one of the reasons I went out on my own, and it became one of the founding principles of our ways of working. I could see clients were seeking more transparent and vibrant partnerships, and with a smaller and independent team, we could operate more collaboratively, nimbly and responsively. We even went as far as calling ourselves.

Accompany to express our desire to genuinely work alongside.

For many of our clients, being independent and agile has been a big drawcard and we’ve built a reputation as a team player. Start-ups love it as it compliments their product development style and enables us, the brand creators, to work actively and in partnership with their product team, a cycle of integrated exploration, iteration and development. Surprisingly, many large businesses have found this process style compelling, particularly as they tire of the slow, convoluted systems and layers of large, established, and networked agencies.

Over time we have sought and developed relationships with other independent businesses and talent who share our spirit for working in this manner when a network effect is critical to client scope and delivery. Independence means we are not affiliated with specific companies and can bring together businesses and people who are genuinely the best fit for the project and purpose. Dexterity in choreography of partners is often accompanied with swift mobilisation and absolute process commitment. Independents are led by business owners with real skin in the game.

Being independent suits agility, and agility suits independence. But even being independent can’t shield you from certain flaws and faults of the eagerness for prompt progress and outcomes, especially if speed to market is critical on a project.

With a focus on doing things at pace and incrementally, a mindset of ‘a’ solution may materialise rather than ‘the’ solution. In an always-on approach, real-time to step back and think about things deeply can be an anomaly. Yet, during years of creative practice, I have found that there can be a benefit of time away from a problem to help solve the problem.

To demonstrate agility, certain aspects of good practice may be short-cut or forgone. This is amplified further by an independent’s reliance on self, where one can feel compelled to please, rather than serve. Here two things particularly come to mind - ensuring that appropriate project preparation and planning (problems defined clearly, audiences understood, scopes specified, ambitions and opportunities detailed) is undertaken at the beginning no matter how keen everyone is to get into things. And secondly, that no matter where you are in the process, to keep an eye out for the big picture and continually bring to the table new perceptions, alternatives and non-considered concepts. Creativity shouldn’t reign just because it’s been simmering through the process.

 Creating a culture of collaboration inspired our independence. Our autonomy and self-sufficiency have fostered working with people and organisations equally and openly, flexibly and energetically. Agile may be a buzzword, but teaming up is enduring.

Linda Jukic is the founder and executive creative director at The Accompany Group based in Sydney.