Measuring the Agile Mindset on Individual, Team and Organizational Levels - Results of an Empirical Study

Abstract

In recent years, agility has become an increasingly relevant aspect of practitioner approaches as well as research on organizational endeavours. While techniques are often in focus, governance aspects as well as mindsets are hypothesized to be more effective aspects or agile organizing, however. As of today, there is little quantitative empirical research aimed at illuminating agile mindsets, and non that aims at mindsets of temporary teams or entire companies. This article presents the findings of a study conducted in a major German IT services company. 79 valid results obtained from 500 polled operative employees allow for the quantitative analysis of agile mindset concepts introduced by Miler and Gaida. Multiple methods like PCA, cluster analysis and SEM were used to explore into the potential structure of the agile mindset on individual, team and organizational levels. This article adds knowledge to the still much unexplored concept of organizational agility and concludes to propose future research for making use of the obtained insights in longitudinal, temporary settings. It is the first study to present factor as well as principal component analysis, and structural equation modelling for a concept that was up to then largely unexplored and subject to qualitative research at most.