“It is because things are changing so much that we’re talking about agility,” says Murray Johnstone, the global head of succession and development at PA Consulting.

Agility has become a buzz-word for companies that want to attract talent. “Before, the assumption was that you recruited graduates, they moved up through the organisation and they would be there in 40 years’ time. That’s completely changed,” he says.

Andy Cross, the head of organisation and people development at Virgin Atlantic Air-ways, agrees. “It’s not about always responding, it’s about getting ahead as well,” he says. Virgin Atlantic is always trying to work out what its customers want. Cross cites the drive-through check-in for upper class passengers, a service they pioneered. But without talent, he says, there is no agility. “We are looking for a diverse group of people with the right attitude.” And, he adds, the company’s own attitude is hands off. There aren’t any fast-track programmes, for example. “[Fast track] means life suddenly becomes easy. If anything, we should raise the bar if you’re ambitious.”

According to Chris Phillips, the senior director of international marketing at Taleo, a technology company, agility is a “constant cycle”. “You need the right people in the right jobs at the right time. Employers are having to battle harder to recruit and retain the good people and that plays against speed and flexibility.”

Staffing needs constant reassessment. The point is echoed by Johnstone: “As an HR professional, it’s not good enough for me to know HR inside out. I’ve got to be thinking about the context – the market my business is operating in, the clients. It’s future-oriented.”

If that sounds a bit like guesswork, think again. “It shouldn’t be guesswork at all,” Phillips says. “Plans can change, but the key thing is have you got the flexibility to develop your talent pool to reflect those changes?” He gives the example of a firm expanding into Eastern Europe. Staff with relevant skills and locals will be primed. But if the company decides to go to China instead, it should not pose problems. “It’s about having information on employees and candidates, and having a close enough relationship with the business so that you’re able to respond to change,” he says.

Taleo provides talent management software, which Phillips compares to a dating service. It automatically matches people’s skills with the needs of the business, and can help companies to react quickly.

“The bottom line is that [agility] creates opportunities for the firm and [its] people to have variety and challenge,” says John Bailey, the UK head of coaching at KPMG. “The less agile and flexible you are, the less successful you are as an organisation.”

Whatever happens, being agile means never taking your eye off the ball. “This activity is always on. Every day, every hour it features in the company psyche,” Johnstone says.

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