Using an Instrument to Assess Trust, Knowledge, Learning, and Motivation of Agile Teams

Abstract

Background: Trust, Knowledge, Learning, and Motivation influence the organizational environment of agile teams. Organizational climate surveys can provide concrete evidence of how the process, project activities, people, and culture work in practice. Using assessment climate instruments that do not consider agile values, principles, practices, and roles in a proper context may create difficulties in analyzing possible causes of problems and the execution of corrective actions within organizational climate management. Objective: We present a preliminary evaluation of TACT, which is an instrument to assess the organizational climate of agile teams, comprising four dimensions, Trust, Knowledge, Learning, and Motivation. Method: We planned and executed a case study considering eight development teams from three organizations. We evaluated TACT using open-ended questions, quantitative methods, and TAM dimensions of Intention to Use, Perceived Usefulness, and Output Quality. Results: TACT captured that the product owner's lack of knowledge and experience probably influenced the adverse climate in team trust and that unrealistic deadlines may have generated a lack of team motivation due to an absence of autonomy to plan the iteration. The team leaders reported intention of future use. Contributions and Impact in the IS area: TACT was grounded in scientific literature and industry observations. TACT items regarding Trust, Knowledge, Learning, and Motivation are grounded in the "agile philosophy'' and consider the most common agile practices. At the same time, it allows reflections on the behaviors of the prominent involved roles in agile projects. Based on the evidence gathered, we inferred that TACT captured the organizational climate of the teams correctly and can be used to identify issues better and improve actions aligned with the agile values, principles, and practices while developing Information Systems.