Agility has shaped the way we work for over two decades, evolving itself alongside the rapid acceleration of change. This relentless pace has propelled us into a world demanding continuous adaptation and growth.
Yet, there exists a state even more profound: fluency. This is the moment when principles and practices become second nature, seamlessly blending into our DNA. Fluency goes beyond frameworks and methodologies—it’s the natural rhythm of mastery in action.
During a concert at New York’s Lincoln Center, the violinist Itzhak Perlman faced an unexpected challenge: a string on his violin snapped.
Given his childhood battle with polio, which necessitates the use of leg braces and crutches, retrieving a new violin or replacing the string would have been a time-consuming process.
Instead, Perlman chose to continue playing with the remaining three strings, delivering a breathtaking performance that showcased his resilience, creativity, and mastery.
Reflecting on the experience, he remarked, “Sometimes, it is the artist’s task to find out how much music you can still make with what you have left.”
This inspiring story is a profound lesson, an example of what meant transforming constraints into innovation, demonstrating that true mastery is not only about studying and practicing but, when executing, remaining adaptable with the ability to thrive under pressure.
The word fluency has always inspired us. For us, it means being focused and moving in unison with what surrounds you, ensuring that every action is in sync with the context. It’s about flowing with minimal effort while simultaneously creating the greatest possible value.
This journey toward fluency is very much reflected in the Japanese concept of Shu-Ha-Ri, which describes the stages of learning: from disciplined adherence to the rules (Shu), to adapting and innovating upon them (Ha), and finally to transcending them entirely (Ri), where mastery leads to effortless creation.
Shu-Ha-Ri: The Path to Fluency
It describes the stages of learning for any novice striving to become a master.
- In Shu, the first stage, the learner focuses on disciplined adherence to the rules, faithfully following the guidance of a teacher or the framework. This phase is about absorbing the fundamentals, practicing with diligence, and resisting the temptation to deviate.
- In Ha the learner begins to adapt and innovate upon the rules. Having internalized the basics, she starts to explore variations, questioning and personalizing the practices to suit her context. This is a stage of experimentation and growth.
- Finally, in Ri, the stage of mastery, the learner transcends the rules entirely. The discipline is no longer a set of instructions to follow but becomes ingrained in her very nature.
This last is where true fluency lies—when mastery transforms into a way of being.
In Ri, we completely depart from the forms, open the door to creative technique, and arrive in a place where we act in accordance with what our heart/mind desires, unhindered while not overstepping laws – Seishiro Endo Shihan
Flow within Value
Fluency in an organizational context mirrors and can be compared to this evolution. It’s about moving from rigidly following frameworks to seamlessly applying principles in a way that generates continuous value.
Fluency thrives when individuals and teams achieve a state of flow, where work becomes deeply immersive and highly productive. This Flow State, as Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi described in his book Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience, is when the challenge of the task matches the skill of the individual, creating an experience so fulfilling that nothing else seems to matter.
A state in which people are so involved in an activity that nothing else seems to matter; the experience is so enjoyable that people will continue to do it even at great cost, for the sheer sake of doing it – Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi
In the past I have already written on this amazing and fascinating state; you can find the posts here:
- Flow@Scale 1^ Part: How to speed up your Agile-Digital Transformation
- Flow@Scale 2^ Part: Prepare your Agile teams for scaling
However, reaching that state and thus fostering fluency, organizations first need to concentrate on simplicity: delivering value but doing less, as the 10th principle of the Agile Manifesto states: Simplicity–the art of maximizing the amount of work not done–is essential.
Simple and Straight to the Point
Simplicity isn’t about doing less for the sake of doing less; it’s about doing less, better. It’s the difference between producing numerous features that “could” be useful and delivering only those that actually create impact.
simplicity supports the creation of flow within teams. When people aren’t burdened by unnecessary approvals, redundant processes, or excessive multitasking, they can maintain focus and achieve higher levels of productivity. By embracing simplicity, organizations reduce cognitive load on their teams, allowing them to concentrate on high-value tasks that contribute directly to customer outcomes.
Does this activity bring us closer to our goals, or is it just legacy inertia?
Leaders play a pivotal role in this. Achieving simplicity actually requires leadership discipline and a commitment to prioritization.
Leaders must actively eliminate distractions, avoid any unnecessary work and create an environment of clarity, transparency that facilitate focus. This, in turn, supports a culture of fluency, where teams move naturally, with precision and flow, toward meaningful objectives.
Simplicity is not a passive removal of tasks—it’s a deliberate, thoughtful act of refinement,
which allows teams to work with greater freedom, impact, and clarity
Flow@Scale
Imagine a 4x100m relay race. Each runner is a master in their discipline—highly skilled, fast, and trained hard to reach perfection. But mastery alone isn’t enough to win.
The hand-off of the baton is where races are won or lost. The transition requires precision, seamless coordination and simple rules to follow.We think this concept is a powerful metaphor for fluency in organizations.
Each team or department is like a runner, but true flow happens only when the baton – the value – moves smoothly from one to another. The baton represents the product, service, or outcome being delivered to the customer. Importantly, value doesn’t reside with the runner—it resides in the baton.
Hence, the focus shifts from individual excellence to collective flow. Like in the relay, organizations that master the baton pass—ensuring smooth, uninterrupted transfers of value—are the ones that ultimately win the race for customer satisfaction.
Trust@Scale
There’s a powerful enabler for reaching Flow@Scale that is Trust. Without trust, even the most optimized processes face delays, bottlenecks, and breakdowns during moment of value transition between teams.
When trust is present, teams collaborate and cooperate confidently, they share information openly, and avoid blame. People are concrete, and not afraid of taking responsibilities on their shoulders, without waiting for approvals . This obviously accelerates flow, eliminates friction. Trust empowers speed. Isn’t that simple?
No, not at all.
It all starts with psychological safety—allowing people to admit mistakes and raise risks without fear of blame. It also requires clear roles, shared goals, and transparent communication.
When the baton is passed from one runner to another, the athletes trust each other completely
Call to Action
How close are you and your organization to achieving fluency? Are you fostering an environment where mastery, flow, and innovation thrive?
Take a moment to reflect: what steps can you take today to transform your organization?
Content: Human-Generated Inputs + AI Processing
