This article originally appeared on Forbes.

In the late 1990s, as the Age of the Customer was in full bloom, it was clear that the old ways of working were no longer going to cut it. The strain was especially felt with software development projects, which were becoming a major investment area for organizations.

In 2001, the Agile movement suggested a new way of approaching that work more efficiently. Focusing more on working closely with the client, embracing change, iterating and experimenting with a minimal viable product was needed to rapidly deliver a better customer experience. It quickly became a standard and was adopted widely as increasingly more companies thought of themselves as software companies. Other functional areas of the business started to also apply that thinking to how they can deliver with agility.

As we celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Agile Manifesto, we are living in a drastically different world. The digital revolution has decimated entire industries and forced wholesale transformations. Agile remains an important part of the equation, but a highly fluid, shape-shifting and fast-moving future needs a distinct mindset — one that can diverge or converge at a moment’s notice.

This is where the “future-fit” mindset comes in. Scientifically, the Future Fit Leadership Academy defines a future-fit organization as “one that in no way undermines — and ideally increases — the possibility that humans and other life will flourish on Earth forever.” This may sound daunting, but it essentially means that a company is guided by social and environmental consciousness, and this mindset drives how the company operates. As a co-author of the “Manifesto for Future-Fit Organizations,” I’ve found that companies need to build on Agile practices by focusing on the following four goals:

1. Foster a collaborative culture

In a fast-forward world, the focus is to drive real productivity inside the organization by building a stronger network with the outside world. This means creating a deep connection with the community of employees, customers, partners, academia and governments, and nurturing those relationships on an ongoing basis.

A future-fit culture is not how individual teams get work done with the customers of today, but rather how the organization must scale to be a responsible corporation that delivers on short- to long-term goals. A thriving community is one that is rich in diversity and inclusivity, and influences and inspires a progressive organization to deliver on new improvements and innovations.

2. Build innovative systems

Future fitness is augmented by building systems that support environments conducive to innovative thinking and that empower people to operate free of disruptive command and control structures. Community interactions should happen naturally with whatever means of communication feels right in the moment given the constraints, whether it is online or in person.

Future-fit organizations measure progress based on the value that is generated for stakeholders through innovative solutions while taking into consideration strategic alignment and market relevance, as well as environmental, social and governance impacts. Building the plane while flying means that reflection and learning happen instinctively, and a new course is set as needed to ensure the organization continually takes advantage of future opportunities.

3. Discover opportunities

Future-fit organizations look to build a strategic portfolio of impactful innovations that help future-shape the business while simultaneously running it. Looking around the corners to identify blind spots and explore opportunities means constantly developing insights through a discovery process that factors in emerging trends, regulations and governance. Community interactions give rise to new thinking and work methodologies that help the organization achieve its mission.

4. Create alternate futures

Seeking change is the mantra, and this is accomplished by proactively surveying emerging trends and technologies to develop sustainable value that is mindful of societal impacts. Being able to go fast when needed and then slow down when warranted requires discipline. Being future-fit is not a sprint, but rather a mix of 100-meter dashes and ultra-marathons that need to be carefully planned and executed over time, or delivered with great agility, depending on the situation. Persistence in innovating for the future means that changemakers are looking ahead to ensure ongoing creativity, adaptivity and resilience while delivering on the business that matters today.

A freeform organization looks to adopt the future-fit mindset to become predictive and maintain a relentless focus on driving the next paradigm shift. There are plenty of possible futures for those who adopt future-fit values in the way they live and work, and the principles as the guiding light to shape the world around them.



Ludwig Melik

CEO at Planbox and author of the Future-Fit Manifesto. I help organizations build a sustainable culture of innovation. Follow me on Twitter or LinkedIn.