Klaus Leopold
Bio
To be clear, Klaus Leopold, is not an official supporter of Evolved; no support should be assumed. At the same time, we think curious people should be aware of their work.
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**Summary:**
Klaus Leopold is the creator and leading author of the Flight Levels model, with major works including *Flight Levels: Leading Organizations with Business Agility*, *Rethinking Agile*, and *Kanban Change Leadership*. His books and articles provide actionable frameworks and real-world examples for achieving true business agility by connecting strategy, coordination, and operations across organizations.
## Books
### 1. **Flight Levels: Leading Organizations with Business Agility**
**Authors:** Klaus Leopold, Siegfried Kaltenecker
**Description:**
This foundational book introduces the Flight Levels model—a practical, open-thinking approach to achieving business agility across organizations. Unlike standardized scaling frameworks, Flight Levels helps leaders, managers, and subject matter experts realize improvements at multiple levels: operational, coordination, and strategic portfolio management. The book details the essential building blocks (horizons, core activities, Flight items, Flight routes), guides readers through preparing and executing Flight Levels initiatives, and explains how to connect and optimize multiple Flight Levels systems. It provides actionable advice, real-world examples, and tips for designing, coordinating, and continuously improving organizational flow and strategy.
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### 2. **Rethinking Agile: Why Agile Teams Have Nothing to Do with Business Agility**
**Author:** Klaus Leopold
**Description:**
In this concise and provocative book, Klaus Leopold challenges the common misconception that forming agile teams alone leads to business agility. Drawing on real-world stories and sharp analysis, he exposes the pitfalls of “agile silos” and ineffective scaling attempts. Leopold introduces the Flight Levels thinking model as a solution, showing how true business agility requires connecting strategy and execution across the entire organization. The book debunks agile myths, critiques the “team trap,” and provides a blueprint for integrating agility into business strategy and culture. It is praised for its humor, practical insights, and ability to shift both mindset and practice.
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### 3. **Kanban Change Leadership: Creating a Culture of Continuous Improvement**
**Authors:** Klaus Leopold, Siegfried Kaltenecker
**Description:**
Co-authored with Siegfried Kaltenecker, this book explores how to combine change management principles with Kanban practices to foster a culture of continuous improvement. It offers actionable frameworks for introducing and sustaining Kanban in organizations, addressing both human and technical aspects of transformation. The book is filled with practical tools and case studies for leaders and practitioners aiming to drive lasting change and agility.
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### 4. *Practical Kanban: From Team Focus to Creating Value
Author: Klaus Leopold
Description:
Practical Kanban provides a hands-on, experience-based introduction to using Kanban for knowledge work. Klaus Leopold explains Kanban’s principles, practices, and benefits with real-world stories, practical advice, and clear illustrations. The book covers visualizing work, limiting work in progress, managing flow, and implementing continuous improvement. Leopold addresses common pitfalls and offers guidance for evolving Kanban systems to create more value at the team and organizational level. This book is highly recommended for practitioners looking to move beyond theory and apply Kanban effectively.
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## Books
### 1. **Flight Levels: Leading Organizations with Business Agility**
**Authors:** Klaus Leopold, Siegfried Kaltenecker
**Publisher:** Leanability, 2024
**ISBN:** 978-3985993002
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### 2. **Rethinking Agile: Why Agile Teams Have Nothing to Do with Business Agility**
**Author:** Klaus Leopold
**Publisher:** Leanability, 2018
**ISBN:** 978-3947487002
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### 3. **Kanban Change Leadership: Creating a Culture of Continuous Improvement**
**Authors:** Klaus Leopold, Siegfried Kaltenecker
**Publisher:** Wiley, 2015
**ISBN:** 978-1119019701
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### 4. *Practical Kanban: From Team Focus to Creating Value
Author: Klaus Leopold
Publisher: Leanpub
Publication Date: 2015
ISBN: 978-3903205000
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## Key Articles & Resources
### 1. **Flight Levels: A Short Introduction**
**Authors:** Klaus Leopold, Siegfried Kaltenecker
**Publisher:** Flow Sphere, 2024 (PDF)
**Description:**
This booklet provides a concise, entry-level overview of the Flight Levels model. It explains the five core activities (visualizing the situation, creating focus, establishing agile interactions, measuring progress, implementing improvements) and the three levels (operational, coordination, strategic portfolio management). The guide is designed for both newcomers and experienced practitioners, offering the latest thinking and practical steps for applying Flight Levels in diverse contexts[3].
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### 2. **Flight Levels in Action**
**Author:** Klaus Leopold
**Platform:** Agile Academy, 2020
**Description:**
In this article and presentation, Leopold demonstrates how to improve organizations at different levels using the Flight Levels model. He outlines the three levels—operational, coordination, and strategic portfolio management—and shows, with practical examples and slides, how Flight Levels can be implemented to align teams, enable cross-team collaboration, and connect strategy to execution[7].
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