Morrisons recent sale of Kiddicare raises questions about whether more honestly expressed opinions could make retail more agile.

Those of you who practise pilates or yoga will understand the benefits they offer are manifold. They go far beyond toe-touching agility and right to your very core. You walk taller physically and mentally, while feeling both energised and calm.

When we talk about establishing a competitive edge in retail, these are some of traits that we hope to instil in our teams and our culture.

Operational efficiency – process and structure – has to be at our core but beyond that we need speed, endurance and good reflexes too.

In short, we need to be agile to take advantage of new opportunities and the vagaries of the high street. We need pilates for business.

One of the exercises will involve cutting red tape and streamlining the processes that can stall decision-making, stifle creativity and smother entrepreneurial thinking.

Another will focus on changing mindsets, and that has to start in the boardroom if it’s to flow down through the company.

I recently read about a radical policy adopted by the head of a Seattle hospital: total honesty. Prompted by the death of a patient – a tragic consequence of a human error – every employee is encouraged to report any problems they see and to do so without fear of repercussion.

More honesty might have saved a few chief executives from shareholder assaults

Jacqueline Gold, chief executive, Ann Summers

Previously staff had been reluctant to snitch, for fear of getting colleagues into trouble. Similarly nurses would have been reluctant to highlight doctors’ errors, as it would have meant going over their heads. All that has changed, to the point where staff whistle-blow themselves.

This paradigm shift moved them from a culture of blame, hierarchy and cover-ups to one that’s transparent, solution-focused and where responsibility is shared.

Being proactive reduced complaints, lawsuits and insurance premiums too, saving millions in the process. I think there are lessons here for every organisation.

Of course the consequences aren’t quite as grave in retail as they are in the medical profession but a little more honesty might have saved a few chief executives from some brutal shareholder assaults.

Surely someone must have thought the Kiddicare deal was a bad one when Morrisons spent £70m on the business three years ago, only to sell it for £2m last month, writing down £163m in the process. If they did, they kept quiet.

Sadly it’s often too easy for staff to perpetuate the status quo, even if inside they’re bursting with great ideas or eager to seize an opportunity when it presents itself.

So if agility and honesty are the watchwords for retail advantage you’ll have to do more than just touch your toes. You might also have to get used to hearing that “yes, your bum does look big in that” when you do.