Some time ago, there was a webinar recorded by VersionOne: How to use SAFe® to Deliver Value at Enterprise Scale Q&A Discussion with Dean Leffingwell).   If you fast-forward to about 23 min, 20 seconds into the recording, you will hear the following statement: “…We don’t typically mess with your organizational structure because that is a pretty big deal…”

This statement somewhere puzzled me.  While graphic representation of SAFe framework is nowhere short of supporting organizational complexity, I was still under impression that organizational design improvements/simplification are included in SAFe teaching.  To me, an ability to influence first-degree system variables, such as Organizational Structure, is critical.  Without this ability, any attempt to improve organizational agility and system dynamics would be short-term and limited.  Even such important second-degree system variables, as organizational culture, values, norms, behaviors, policies, agile engineering practices usually bring limited results if organizational structure remains unchanged.

But then, having great ideas is not enough; organizations need a structured way to manage these ideas and turn them into actionable initiatives. This is where idea management comes into play.

Idea management is the systematic process of capturing, evaluating, prioritizing, and implementing ideas within an organization. It transforms the creative insights of employees, customers, and stakeholders into practical solutions that drive growth and success. 

Businesses increasingly adopt remote or hybrid work models to address contemporary health, safety and lifestyle priorities. Fewer and fewer managers link their employees' performance exclusively to their physical attendance and desk presence.

They have a point — there's convincing proof that granting employees flexibility can boost productivity compared to rigid 9-to-5 schedules. But what does this mean for managers? Can they simply let their teams run wild without any oversight? If attendance is an outdated measure of productivity, should managers completely disregard it?

At my last company, all of my direct reports were with me for at least eight years. We went through a significant portion of our lives together. My team members lost family members, had legal issues and fertility issues, got married, moved and divorced, and I saw it all. I also saw how all these things affected their performance in the office — some were temporary changes, while others were forever.