WeBlog
  • Agile Trends
  • People & Organization
  • Tech & Digital
  • Transformation & Change
  • EN
    • FR
    • EN
    • NL
No result found
View all result
Discover Wemanity
WeBlog
  • Agile Trends
  • People & Organization
  • Tech & Digital
  • Transformation & Change
  • EN
    • FR
    • EN
    • NL
No result found
View all result
Discover Wemanity
WeBlog

Agile Marketeer for the Future Is Flexible, Customer Obsessed and Facilitating

Marc Nieman by Marc Nieman
3 years ago
in Agile Trends
Reading time: 5 mins read
Picture of people working representing agile marketeer

Agile marketeer. The term is everywhere in the marketing world. Self guiding teams, multi disciplinary teams, disappearing management –what is the future role of the Marketing Manager?

And what does Agile exactly mean for a marketing department?

Marc Nieman, Agile coach of Wemanity, has supported multiple organizations in their agile transition over the past 2 years He shares his vision on the marketing discipline and the role of the Agile marketeer in future proof organizations.

Marketer: the guardian of the customer experience

In an Agile organization the customer is at the center. The goal is to create, support and communicate relevant customer experiences, in close cooperation between all disciplines within the company.

“The only two functions that add value are marketing and innovation” is not a new statement, but according to Nieman more relevant than ever before.

Today it’s all about the core of the marketing discipline; putting the customer and his/ her needs first.

To achieve this an Agile culture is a crucial prerequisite. Successful marketers always think about customer value and fulfil a pivotal role in an Agile organisation: bringing the voice of the customer into the company. They understand the customer and ensure they are heard throughout the company. All activities the company undertakes should be focused on the customer, delivering customer value and providing solutions which solves the customer’s problems. Unfortunately, this is often not (yet) the case. Because employees are busy following internal rules and procedures, it’s the responsibility of the marketer to involve and inspire the entire organisation in customer obsession which means developing and maintaining world class customer experiences involving all colleagues.

Specific customer needs must be addressed by all parts of the organization

Inspired by the marketer everybody should (want to) understand what the customer wants or needs. In order to fulfil those needs we need to match the right people and expertise in multi-disciplinary teams. These teams go across boundaries of existing departments, which no longer serve their purpose as parts of a hierarchically organized company. In an agile environment teams are defined based on client needs, that set clear goals and work on solutions in short iterations. The old school annual planning, with details defined for 12 months ahead is no longer relevant.

Such a team, responsible for example for a product launch, may consist of marketers, IT specialists, sales, marketing and customer service professionals. Another important role is fulfilled by the insights experts to bring the voice of the customer into the team is his or her needs, desires and feedback on the services delivered and designed.

Each team is responsible for (a part of) the customer journey. So, we shouldn’t speak of agile marketing, when the marketing department is “agilized”. If an organisation wants to adopt an agile mindset we’ll break down silo’s and start collaborating in teams which contain professionals from all relevant disciplines.

From marketing manager to Product Owner

Working in these self-organizing teams has a fundamental impact on the role of the traditional marketing manager. Agile means assigning responsibility as low as possible, e.g. in the teams, which means the role of (middle) management changes from command & control style management to a facilitating role.

Related post:  Agility helpt een excellente Customer Experience (CX) te creëren

Managers need to:

  • Give teams the tools and means they need to function at their optimum.
  • Facilitate knowledge sharing and personal / professional development.

Some (marketing) managers may become product owners. A key role that determines the priorities for the teams. They do this by continuously communicating with all relevant stakeholders and define what needs to be done first to deliver maximum customer value. The PO also protects the team from unfounded ad-hoc requests from “external’ stakeholders. But the current marketing manager can become a professional in a certain field or focus on facilitating the team(s). As guardian of the customer experience this role may fit very well with the needs of the organization.

Dispersed expertise versus sharing knowledge

When marketers are parts of these teams working on specific touchpoints and no longer work in one functional department; how do they share knowledge and experiences in their field of expertise?

Professionals from all key fields will meet regularly to do just that in sessions as part of Guild. Marketers will discuss the latest developments on for example consumer needs, SEO or channel relevance.

To truly work as a team employees need to master more than just their own field, and become “T-shaped” professionals. Next to their core competence they will need to understand and be able to do carry out tasks historically done in for example IT and analytics departments, creating the technology savvy and still creative marketer of the future.

The marketer of the future: flexible, multi skilled, customer obsessed, facilitating

In today’s disruptive business environment (global competition, technology, customer’s expectations) the traditional organizational structure has served its purpose. An Agile culture and structure provides the right mix of flexibility and focus. Activities that provide value for the customer always have the highest priority. The long-term customer experience strategy and design provide the framework in which budgets and activities are applied in an iterative environment to create and deliver maximum customer value. Marketers are the linking pin between the customer and the organization and must take the lead in driving the necessary change in culture and structure. While marketing and innovation may be the only two functions truly adding value, they will only succeed when working closely together with their colleagues in HR, technology, finance, sales, account management, customer service and insights.

The idea of Agile is simple, but to actually truly embrace the agile values and principles in our daily work is incredibly difficult. It means a fundamental paradigm shift and chance in behavior in all layers of the organization.

So where to start?

Break down the walls in your organization, identify what your customers expects from you, assemble a team of skilled professionals and start experimenting. It won’t be easy and it will take time but before you may expect it you’ll see improved employee satisfaction, new ideas brought to live and higher customer satisfaction.

Go deeper in your reflexion by reading this article.

ShareShareTweetSend
Marc Nieman

Marc Nieman

Related posts

What is the 4Cs Map and how to apply it to keep your teams engaged?
Agile Trends

How to Keep Your Teams Focused With the 4Cs Map [with template]

Learn how to use and apply the 4Cs Map to your meetings and capture your audience's attention! As a Trainer,...

2 months ago
Arie van Bennekum on 20 years of Agile Manifesto
Agile Trends

Arie van Bennekum on 20 Years of Agile Manifesto: What Does the Future Hold?

20 years ago in a ski resort in Utah, seventeen people met to talk, ski, relax, and try to find...

2 months ago
Picture of a trophee with stars representing the STAR model
Agile Trends

How to Prioritize and Focus on Values in 4 Easy Steps

Prioritization, whether we like it or not, is something we have to deal with every day. Do I buy that...

7 months ago
Agile Transformation: Why Management Implication is Needed
Agile Trends

Agile Transformation: Why Management Implication is Needed

In order to be more efficient in a complex environment or to improve team morale, thousands of companies are taking...

11 months ago
Next Post
People forming the letter "W" for Wemanity, European's largest Agile community with Jurgen Appelo

How Jurgen Appelo joined Europe's largest Agile Community

2 people looking at their computers, representing users doing usability tests

Keep Calm, and Do It Yourself — an Easy Guide to Run a Usability Testing Session

Comments 1

  1. Pingback: Customer Experience : From Idea to Reality. Agile Is the Key! - WeBlog

Recommended

Picture of a desk with torn post-its representing the concept of eating your own dog food

The Meaning Behind Eating Your Own Dog Food

October 16, 2015
Interview, on the Other Side of the job interview Table

Interview, on the Other Side of the job interview Table

July 13, 2018
2 people standing in front of a White Board, visualizing a workflow with post-its. It represents the most up-to-date information, or documentation

The Power of Visualisation over Documentation

October 9, 2017
Into an Agile Transformation Journey: the Assessment Phase

Into an Agile Transformation Journey: the Assessment Phase

October 8, 2020

Categories

  • Agile Trends
  • People & Organization
  • Tech & Digital
  • Transformation & Change

Categories

  • Agile Trends
  • People & Organization
  • Tech & Digital
  • Transformation & Change

Join our community and receive our newsletter.

Rejoignez notre communauté et recevez nos dernières actus.

Sluit je aan bij onze community en verkrijg onze newsletter.

No result found
View all result
  • Agile Trends
  • People & Organization
  • Tech & Digital
  • Transformation & Change
  • EN
    • FR
    • EN
    • NL