Here at MyST Technology Partners we've used the word to describe content services that are flexible. But after a bit of research and commentary from Phil Wainwright, I have a broader perspecive of agility. At the second annual Agile Business Conference, one of the five basic things that attendees will learn is how applications continue to become easier to build as the adoption of standardized, component-based systems and services reduce development effort and increase integration with existing applications and business processes. The mantra of this conference is best stated by Bill Davidow, author of The Virtual Corporation: "To the outside, it will appear almost edgeless, with permeable, continually changing interfaces. From the inside, traditional offices, departmental and operating divisions will be continually changing."
This scenario will play out in most technology circles as well, and the advent of Web services and XML standards will lead the way for revolutions in information management. But this trend is not just about businesses and information systems - it's about people too. How do you create an agile workforce, or an agile executive team? I'm not an expert in business management, but my gut tells me that it has a lot to do with creating a learning organization - a business tilted in favor of just-in-time learning skills. This suggests a strong capacity for reflection and team learning, and the ability to develop shared visions and shared understandings of complex business issues. Perhaps the agile business is largely dependent on information systems like weblogs, refined content channels, and information objects that can be easily associated with virtual and physical things. | 
