Ontology - an introduction

Most people think of cancer when they hear about 'Ontology'; it sounds similar to 'Oncology'. Oncology is the study and treatment of tumours, so most cancer cases fall under the Department of Oncology. If you are a logophile, another similar-sounding word is Oenology, which is considered the study of wine and winemaking.
The word logophile is for a person who loves words, from the Greek 'Logos' for words and 'Philos' for love. Ontology is a branch of philosophy concerned with the study of "being," derived from the words 'ont' being (Greek) + 'logy' study (English) - 'ontologia' (modern Latin) - ontology (current). It is a study of the nature of 'being' itself.
Understanding the nature of 'being' is essential, especially if you are working on bringing agility to your organization and focusing on 'being' agile rather than 'doing' Agile. Ontology is also used for another recent branch, which is employed in Computer Science, Artificial Intelligence, and information science to show the properties of a subject area and how they are related by defining a set of concepts and categories that represent the subject.

This article focuses on creating awareness about the existence of the original branch of philosophy that deals with the study of the nature of 'being' itself.
The study of humans can be done from different perspectives: Human beings as a species, biological nature, physiology, anatomy, anthropology, social, psychological, neuroscience, spiritual, and philosophical dimensions. Ontology is also one such dimension in which to look at human beings.

the "being"
To understand 'being', you need to know about two more branches of philosophy - epistemology and phenomenology.
Epistemology, or the theory of knowledge, is the branch of philosophy concerned with knowledge. Epistemologists study the nature, origin, scope of knowledge, epistemic justification, the rationality of belief, and various related issues. For example, you can attend a "Becoming an Effective Leader" course. That leaves you only with the 'knowledge' and not the 'being' of an effective leader.
The next branch that helps understand ontology and being is Phenomenology, which is the philosophical study of the structures of experience and consciousness. While the theoretical underpinnings might look overwhelming initially, understanding ontological concepts is relatively straightforward since they can be experienced directly. Unfortunately, most of our current hiring practices are focused on (despite doing skill and competency assessments) the person demonstrating the knowledge and experience about that particular role rather than the person's ability to be that role.

All human beings can recognize their state of being. You may be happy, sad, angry, usual, or excited. We usually associate the state of being with emotions or feelings, but your state of being is more profound than just your emotions or feelings. Your state of being influences your emotions and feelings and, thus, your behaviour. But human beings are the most intelligent species, and they have the ability to demonstrate inauthentic behaviours; that is, a person might be sad but can still come across as joyful. If you pay close attention, you might be able to sense that inauthenticity.

Human beings have a wide range of 'beings' in which they express themselves. They are usually described as emotions like "being happy," "being sad," "being angry," "being enthusiastic," and so on. Being is not just the emotional state but much more than that; it is a combination of mental state (attitude and state of mind), emotional state (feelings and emotions), physical state (body sensation), thoughts, and thought process (logic and memory). It keeps changing its state from moment to moment. The state of being is also influenced by the mindset (frame of reference) and worldview (model of reality), which the current Agile literature focuses on.
You can do a thought experiment.

Ask yourself, "Who am I being right now?"

and answer aloud by starting with "I'm being ______."

Start now - Close your eyes, take a deep breath, and do the exercise.

Can you see the difference and experience your being?

Only human beings can be aware of their being through self-awareness and concessioners. A daily practice of mindfulness and meditation helps develop your self-awareness. That, in turn, will help you access and alter your ways of being. The ability to shift your ways of being can bring you high performance and the ability to create impactful results.

References:
Being Agile – Ontological Perspective - Blog by Raghavendra Mithare, April 2017
Werner Erhard: The Transformation of a Man, Biography by William Warren Bartley, III. The book was published in 1978 by Clarkson Potter
Heidegger: A Very Short Introduction Book by Michael Inwood. Oxford University Press.