Agile Leadership: Introduction to Change from Coursera

What's inside

Syllabus

Introduction to Change

Agile was born out of necessity driven by a changing business environment. But what triggered this change exactly? This week, you will define change and transformation, and examine change intensity levels and the reasons behind change acceleration. Because change management plays a critical role in helping us successfully transform organizations from traditional to agile, you will be introduced to a brief history and the reasons behind the creation of change management theories.

Agile Leader

Agile leadership is a fairly new concept, and it is typically used in contrast to traditional leadership. This week, you will continue to build the foundational vocabulary for this Specialization by defining a traditional and agile leader and identifying their key characteristics. Are you wondering which one is better? You will be able to answer this question by the end of this week (the answer might surprise you). You will complete the week by analyzing yourself as a leader to understand where you fall on the agility scale. You will be using this assessment in Course 2 to benchmark your personal transformation.

Agile Team

In this module, we will transition into the realm of the team. In order to transform your team, you need to understand the difference between a traditional and agile one. You will learn the definitions and key characteristics of both. You will also be introduced to the role and responsibility of a leader in leading an agile team. You will conclude the week by assessing your team’s level of agility. Similarly to your own assessment, you will be using your team’s baseline assessment to design an agile transformation plan later in the specialization.

Agile Organization

In the last module of this course, we will expand the concepts of traditional and agile to an organizational level. You will learn the definitions and key characteristics of a traditional and agile organization. At the end of the module, you will analyze an organization for its agility. By the end of the last module, you will have a strong foundational knowledge of concepts for the continued journey of Agile Leadership. You will use the three completed assessments when building a comprehensive roadmap for agile transformation as a part of the Capstone course.

Good to know

Know what's good

, what to watch for

, and possible dealbreakers

Explores change management theories, which are essential for successfully transforming organizations from traditional to agile

Provides a strong foundational knowledge of agile leadership concepts

Builds a toolbox of agile leadership skills

Evaluates team readiness for change

Analyzes the agility of an organization and evaluates its ability to respond to change triggers

This course thoroughly assesses your existing capabilities as an agile leader, your team, and the organization

Reviews summary

Agile leadership: principles and best practices

Learners say this course provides a thorough overview of Agile Leadership principles and best practices. Reviews indicate they appreciated the clear and engaging content, which includes real-world examples and practical exercises. The course highlights the key differences between traditional and agile leadership, teams, and organizations. The instructor, Oxana Trotsenko, is praised for her knowledgeable and inspiring delivery. While some reviewers note that the videos are relatively short, many emphasize that the succinct format and interactive elements enhance the learning experience. Overall, students found the course valuable for both its theoretical and practical insights, leaving them motivated to implement agile principles in their own work and organizations.

Enriches the learning experience with practical examples and interactive exercises

"The course is best for beginners to understand agile and traditional organizations and structures."

"This course has detailed information on Agile and mindset as well which is very helpful to learn and adapt."

Features short but informative videos and a succinct format

"The content is so spot on and Oxana does a great job delivering it in small easy-to-understand chunks."

"This is a very succinct introductory course on the history and the necessity of Agile Leadership Methodology."

Emphasizes the distinctive characteristics of agile and traditional leadership, teams, and organizations

"I really enjoyed learning about the differences between traditional and agile organizations."

"This course clearly outlines the key differences between traditional and agile management."

Provides a comprehensive introduction to Agile Leadership

"Great introductory course to Agile Leadership."

"This course is a great starting point for becoming an agile leader"

Led by Oxana Trotsenko, who is highly praised for her engaging and knowledgeable instruction

"Great course so far! Enjoy Professor Trotsenko, she's clearly knowledgeable and keeps the subject matter interesting."

"This course changes my vision of management style and gives progressive approach to improve team and organization work"

Activities

Be better prepared before your course. Deepen your understanding during and after it. Supplement your coursework and achieve mastery of the topics covered in Agile Leadership: Introduction to Change with these activities:

Practice Agile principles in daily work

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Practicing Agile principles in your daily work will help you internalize these principles and make them second nature.

Browse courses on Agile Principles

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Implement Agile rituals in the workplace
Use Agile tools and templates
Encourage team collaboration and communication

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Career center

Learners who complete Agile Leadership: Introduction to Change will develop knowledge and skills that may be useful to these careers:

Agile Coach

Agile Coaches improve the agility of a team. They help businesses evolve and become more agile. An understanding of Agile Leadership can be helpful in achieving this. This course introduces key agile leadership concepts. By the end of it, you will build a toolbox that will help you evaluate and create a baseline for yourself as an agile leader.

See salaries and explore the career path for Agile Coach

Business Analyst

Business Analysts may take part in Agile Transformation initiatives. This course provides an understanding of Agile Leadership concepts. It also helps you analyze a team's readiness for change and an organization's ability to respond to change triggers. These skills are useful to Business Analysts.

See salaries and explore the career path for Business Analyst

Change Manager

Change Managers help organizations transform from traditional to agile. This course introduces a brief history of change management theories. By the end of it, you will have a strong foundational knowledge of concepts for the continued journey of Agile Leadership, which is helpful to Change Managers.

See salaries and explore the career path for Change Manager

Enterprise Architect

Enterprise Architects may be responsible for the Agile Transformation of an organization. This course provides an understanding of Agile Leadership concepts. It also helps you analyze an organization for its agility. These skills are useful to Enterprise Architects.

See salaries and explore the career path for Enterprise Architect

IT Manager

IT Managers may lead IT teams through an Agile Transformation. This course provides an understanding of Agile Leadership concepts. It also helps you analyze a team's level of agility. These skills are useful to IT Managers.

See salaries and explore the career path for IT Manager

Organizational Development Manager

Organizational Development Managers help organizations improve their agility. This course introduces key agile leadership concepts. By the end of it, you will build a toolbox that will help you evaluate and create a baseline for yourself as an agile leader.

See salaries and explore the career path for Organizational Development Manager

Process Improvement Manager

Process Improvement Managers may help organizations become more agile. This course provides an understanding of Agile Leadership concepts. It also helps you analyze an organization for its agility. These skills are useful to Process Improvement Managers.

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Project Manager

Project Managers may lead Agile projects. This course introduces key agile leadership concepts. By the end of it, you will analyze to what degree an organization is agile, and evaluate its ability to respond to change triggers. These skills are useful to Project Managers.

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Quality Assurance Manager

Quality Assurance Managers may need to adapt to agile methodologies. This course introduces key agile leadership concepts. By the end of it, you will build a toolbox that will help you evaluate and create a baseline for yourself as an agile leader.

See salaries and explore the career path for Quality Assurance Manager

Software Development Manager

Software Development Managers may lead Agile development teams. This course provides an understanding of Agile Leadership concepts. It also helps you analyze a team's level of agility. These skills are useful to Software Development Managers.

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Systems Analyst

Systems Analysts may be involved in Agile Transformation initiatives. This course provides an understanding of Agile Leadership concepts. It also helps you analyze an organization for its agility. These skills are useful to Systems Analysts.

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Technical Architect

Technical Architects may be responsible for the Agile Transformation of an organization's technical stack. This course provides an understanding of Agile Leadership concepts. It also helps you analyze an organization for its agility. These skills are useful to Technical Architects.

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Technology Manager

Technology Managers may lead Technology teams through an Agile Transformation. This course provides an understanding of Agile Leadership concepts. It also helps you analyze a team's level of agility. These skills are useful to Technology Managers.

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Team Leader

Team Leaders are responsible for leading teams. This course provides an understanding of Agile Leadership concepts. It also helps you analyze a team's level of agility. These skills are useful to Team Leaders.

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Vice President of Engineering

Vice Presidents of Engineering are responsible for the engineering organization. This course provides an understanding of Agile Leadership concepts. It also helps you analyze an organization for its agility. These skills are useful to Vice Presidents of Engineering.

See salaries and explore the career path for Vice President of Engineering