Development of an Organizational Agility Assessment for Government and Nonprofit Organizations

Abstract

To keep pace with constant change in the environment, organizations must broaden their sight by finding new ways to carry out their work. Based on literature review, we developed an organizational agility model and the Government Organizational Agility Assessment (GOAA) for use with government and nonprofit organizations. Over a two-year period, the GOAA was administered to eight units within separate government and nonprofit organizations, resulting in a sample of 1,119 participants. Reliability exceeded acceptable levels for each GOAA scale, and content validity was demonstrated through grounding in the literature. Use of the GOAA is discussed as an evidence-based tool that organizational consultants can use to make a case for change and provide a framework that organizations can use to become more agile. Limitations and suggestions for future research are discussed.