Top Down vs. Bottom Up

Agile Transformation Management vs. Organizational Change Coaching vs. Adaptive Governance Mentoring. The comparison sounds complicated, but it’s not. Because it’s actually about top down vs. bottom up, as you will see.

Agile Transformation Management:

• Definition: A comprehensive process that shifts an entire organization toward agile principles and practices. This involves changing mindsets, structures, and processes to create a more flexible, innovative, and customer-centric organization.
• Scope: Impacts all levels—strategy, structure, culture, and operations.
• Methods: May include introducing cross-functional teams, flattening hierarchies, promoting transparency, and iterative improvement cycles.
• Goal: Enable rapid adaptation to market changes, foster innovation, and improve overall organizational performance.
• Strategy: Top down.

Organizational Change Coaching:

• Definition: A strategic, collaborative process where a coach partners with individuals, teams, or the whole organization to facilitate positive, sustainable change.
• Scope: Focuses on the human side of change—mindsets, behaviors, and relationships.
• Methods: Includes assessment, alignment of goals, action planning, implementation support, and ongoing evaluation. Coaches act as facilitators, not directors, encouraging self-discovery and solution-finding.
• Goal: Build internal capabilities, improve communication and collaboration, and help people navigate transitions effectively.
• Strategy: Top down and bottom up.

Adaptive Governance Mentoring:

• Definition: A mentoring approach that supports adaptive governance—organizational decision-making that is flexible, responsive, and continuously evolving to meet changing environments.
• Scope: Primarily targets leadership and governance structures, but can influence broader organizational culture.
• Methods: Mentors provide tailored guidance, adjusting their support to the mentee’s developmental stage and the specific governance challenges faced. Emphasizes learning, compassion, and bi-directional value.
• Goal: Enhance the organization’s ability to govern itself adaptively, build resilience, and foster a culture of continuous learning and responsiveness.
• Strategy: All levels.

Agile Transformation Management—usually fails because the bottom is not involved.

Organizational Change Coaching—works if the entire organization is involved, i.e., has also been trained for change.

Adaptive Governance Mentoring—works if the entire organization is involved in the change, sees it as meaningful, and therefore wants to maintain it. What does it take? Not least, very good storytelling.