In his best-selling book, “David and Goliath: Underdogs, Misfits, and the Art of Battling Giants”, Malcolm Gladwell puts a new slant on the centuries old tale of how a small boy, with no military experience, miraculously slays a battle tested warrior. The biblical narrative of David and Goliath is generally accepted as the story of how an underdog defeats a favored opponent.

Gladwell, however, suggests that in this interaction, Goliath, not David, should have been considered the underdog. Goliath is much larger than David, and he is covered from head to toe with body armor. In a full scale battle of foot soldiers, Goliath’s size and armor would in fact give him an advantage. The battle with David is however, a one on one confrontation. And, Goliath’s size makes him less nimble. His armor slows him down. In this battle, Goliath’s strengths become weaknesses. David on the other hand, is small in stature and unburdened by body armor. He uses his agility and quickness as an advantage and as a result, slays the giant.

The story of David and Goliath may well be a metaphor for today’s training organization. Large slow moving training teams that are weighed down by heavy processes cannot defeat the challenges posed by today’s business.  The battle is no longer a confrontation of foot soldiers where the more resources and process and standards give the training organization an advantage.

In order to move at the speed of business and slay the “training giants” learning professionals must eliminate administrative overhead, employ flexible and dynamic processes and embrace change. Agile methodology provides a framework for this to happen.

To learn more about Agile Methodology for training programs, pick up a copy of my book here.