Agility Of Companies Research Articles

How Industry 4.0 supports the strategic agility of companies. A systematic literature review

The aim of the article is to identify and assess the state of knowledge in the field of using and supporting Industry 4.0 technologies for the development of companies' strategic agility. In particular, it is of keen interest how the individual Industry 4.0 technologies selected by the authors support the attributes that contribute to strategic agility. The article uses a systematic literature review (SLR), and strives in a rigorous and reliable manner to organize knowledge of the use of Industry 4.0 technology in the development of strategic agility. The systematic review research procedure consists of a five-stage approach, including: formulation of the research questions and determination of the research objective, selection of the literature sample, evaluation of the identified papers, data analysis and synthesis, and reporting on the results. The applied research method allowed for synthesis and consolidation of the existing scientific achievements in the field of supporting Industry 4.0 technologies in the development of strategic agility in companies, as well as indication of the most desirable directions for further research. Simultaneously, the research results allowed a reasonable context for future research to be defined. The literature clearly indicates a scarcity of papers in the field of linking Industry 4.0 with the agility of companies, as well as a lack of information on the state of research in this area, both in theoretical and empirical terms. There is a noticeable shortage of studies identifying which Industry 4.0 technologies support the development of strategic agility, to what extent and in what aspects.

A New Organizational Agility Assessment Approach Applied in the Logistics Industry

Purpose –Today, the variable and numerous demands from customers, changing market conditions and the depletion of resources have made agile working methods more necessary than in the past. In this study, it is aimed to increase the awareness of the concept of agility in companies and to accelerate the agile transformation processes.Design/Methodology/Approach–In this research study, a newmeasurement scale is developed to assess the current agility levels of the companies operating in logistics sector. The new instrument measures the agility levels of seven business processes for eight components of agility and an aggregated level for company agility score is identified. The detailed questionnaire, which is composed of 51 questions, is applied to 4 companies operating in the logistics sector, differing in size and structure, and their current agility level is evaluated. The weights for business processes and agility component are also defined sector based via Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) during the calculation of the final agility score. Due to the detailed structure of the tool, the results gave opportunity for a detailed analysis of the strengths and weaknesses of the business processes. Hence, custom recommendations could be made in order to improve the agility level of the company.Findings–It is seen that there are common elements like technology and innovation, that are highly effective on agility for every company studied, as well as there are prior elements to be focused that differ with the size and structure of the company. It is also concluded that companies need to be more agile as their operation size increases and they can meet these needs with managers who have an innovative perspective.Discussion–This study has developed its own methodology, its own research tool and recommendations, unlike previous studies in the field of agility. Aiming to bring a new link to the academic chain with these features, this project can shed light on more diverse studies in the field of agility.

How IT Support a Telecommunication Company’s Agility to Respond Changing Market Needs? : Literature Review

The phenomenon of very dynamic and competitive business competition requires every telecommunication company to be adaptive in all changes. Now information technology does not only play a role in supporting business processes. IT is expected to play a major role in supporting the company's agility to adapt to the business environment. Corporate agility can provide various advantages, namely the organization is able to detect changes early and explore various solution options as a decision-making process in creating innovation. This journal provides an effective conceptual model related to how information technology is able to create organizational agility in telecommunications companies. This conceptual model is expected to be a reference for the adoption of information technology in providing a fit impact for the company.

THE EFFECT OF KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT AND ORGANIZATIONAL INNOVATION ON IMPROVING THE LEVEL OF ORGANIZATIONAL AGILITY OF MEGAMOTOR COMPANY

The aim of the present study is to investigate the effect of knowledge management and organizational innovation on Megamotor Company's agility. In order to find out whether there is a relationship between these two variables, a filed research was selected. The time frame of the present study is from February 2017 to July 2018 and the time of distribution of the questionnaire was May 2018. The present study is a part of the field of management and in relation to the effectiveness of the mediating role of innovation and knowledge management on company's agility. 335 people were randomly selected as the ultimate subjects of the present study. Analyzing the obtained data, it was found that there is a meaningful relationship between knowledge management and organizational innovation.

ASSESSMENT OF ORGANIZATIONAL AGILITY: ADAPTATION AND VALIDATION OF THE SCALE FOR APPLICATION IN TURKEY

Purpose- Organizational agility is a critical dynamic capability necessary for organizations that compete in today’s rapidly changing business conditions. In the literature, there are multiple perspectives to draw the borders for an organization’s ability to be agile. Although Organizational Agility is a well-established concept in studies executed in U.S. and Europe, researches performed in Turkey still lack focus on agility dramatically. In order to fill this gap, this study is intended to adapt and validate the measurement scale of Lee, Sambamurthy, Lim and Wei (2015) to be used for companies operating in Turkey. Methodology- Lee et al. (2015) formed a 12-item scale to measure the components of organizational agility which are “proactiveness”, “radicalness”, “responsiveness” and “adaptiveness”. Items to measure these components are translated into Turkish and reviewed for clarity, comprehensibility and risk of ambiguity by the linguistic professionals and academicians in the field. Finally, the scale is tested on a sample of 320 employees in managerial positions of companies that are operating in Turkey. Findings- 12-item scale is tested through exploratory factor analysis to check for any differences in the items’ distribution between the components of the construct. Four factors are formed parallel to the original scale representing proactiveness, radicalness, responsiveness and adaptiveness. As a consequence of very close factor loadings under two different components, one item from the adaptiveness factor is removed. The reliability values of all factors were above the necessary thresholds in the literature. In order to confirm the results of the EFA, AMOS is used for the confirmatory factor analysis and the results showed a very high model fit. Subsequently, discriminant validity and convergent validity tests are executed showing satisfactory output with no errors. Conclusion- The results show that the scale of Lee et al. (2015) can be used to measure the organizational agility of companies in Turkey. For their future studies, researchers can execute these scales on managerial level employees (since organization-wide information is required) to assess the levels of four dimensions of organizational agility. Keywords: organizational agility, proactiveness, radicalness, responsiveness, adaptiveness JEL Codes: M10, M16, M19

A Reference Model Based on Agile Values, Principles and Aspects of Scrum, XP and Kanban to Foster the Adoption of Agility in Industry

Currently, there is a broad range of software development agile approaches mainly based on the values and principles defined in the agile manifesto (AM); however, in many cases, their implementation is carried out informally and without being aligned with the values and principles stated. In practice, practitioners and consultants may lose sight of the AM recommendations, which could jeopardize the companies’ agility; therefore, applying an agile approach does not make a company agile. In this article, we present a reference model called AgilityRef, which allows practitioners to support the understanding and implementation of the values and principles of the agile manifesto in the software development processes of a company, this, through twenty-two aspects defined from relations established between principles and values described in the AM and processes elements described in Scrum, XP and Kanban. The evaluation of AgilityRef was carried out through a focus group where its completeness, understandability and suitability were evaluated. Our findings suggest good enough acceptance by professionals and consultants who evaluated the proposal. The proposed reference model seems to allow professionals and companies to improve the understanding and implementation in practice of the concept of agility in their companies’ software development processes, thus, minimizing the subjectivity and error of their process adoption, implementation, evaluation and articulation with the principles and values of the agile manifesto.

Talent Risk, Company Agility, and Competitive Advantage in Asian Automotive Industry

Several Asian countries today face talent risk and talent shortage especially in engineering- and technology-related fields within high-tech industries such as automotive component manufacturing and automobile industry. This situation can lead to the loss of competitiveness and business sustainability. Limited automobile companies have strategies to cope with talent risk, which involves increasing workforce agility and enables the companies to quickly adapt themselves to disruptive changes. Those companies can reduce the impact from negative consequence of people risk. In this context, this study investigated the relationships between talent risk, competitive advantage, and agility in the Asian automotive industry. The data collection was collected from 12 automobile companies in Thailand, Malaysia, and Indonesia. The analysis was delivered in two phases; a quantitative step was the data collected were subjected to confirmatory factor analysis and simple path analysis; and a qualitative step as the results were confirmed through in-depth interviews with executives and managers. The study revealed that talent risk has a positive relationship with competitive advantage and agility mediates the relationship between talent risk and competitive advantage. Our findings imply that the Asian automotive industry should focus on building an agile workforce to reduce the impact of talent risk on competitiveness.

A Reference Model Based on Agile Values, Principles, and Aspects of Scrum, XP and Kanban to Foster the Adoption of Agility in Industry

<p class='IJASEITAbtract'><span lang='EN-GB'>Currently, there is a broad range of software development agile approaches mainly based on the values and principles defined in the agile manifesto (AM). However, in many cases, their implementation is carried out informally and without being aligned with the values and principles stated. In practice, practitioners and consultants may lose sight of the AM recommendations, which could jeopardize the companies’ agility, therefore, applying an agile approach does not make a company agile. In this article, we present a reference model called AgilityRef, which allows practitioners to support the understanding and implementation of the values and principles of the agile manifesto in the software development processes of a company, this, through twenty-two aspects defined from relations established between principles and values described in the AM and processes elements described in Scrum, XP, and Kanban. The evaluation of AgilityRef was carried out through a focus group where its completeness, understandability, and suitability were evaluated. Our findings suggest good enough acceptance by professionals and consultants who evaluated the proposal. The proposed reference model seems to allow professionals and companies to improve the understanding and implementation in practice of the concept of agility in their companies’ software development processes, thus, minimizing the subjectivity and error of their process adoption, implementation, evaluation, and articulation with the principles and values of the agile manifesto.</span>

Managerial Effectiveness in the Implementation of Quick Response Manufacturing (QRM) to Increase Business Agility

Purpose: The competitive and variable business environment forces organizations not only to flexibly adapt to changes, but also to predict them. A desirable capability of an organization is agility, understood as the ease and speed with which companies can reconfigure, redesign and adapt their processes in order to respond to the needs, threats and opportunities. QRM is a management concept that focuses on time as the key factor in competitive manufacturing. The objective of this article is to analyze the effect of QRM implementation on key business agility characteristics. Design/Methodology/Approach: The research methods used to accomplish this goal are literature studies and questionnaire surveys using the agility attributes matrix. Based on literature studies as well as the conducted interviews, a model of the effect of QRM implementation has been developed. Findings: The results obtained show that QRM implementation definitely has an impact on all areas of the company's agility. Practical Implications: The article brings several valuable pieces of information and provides practical tips. The results may be taken advantage of by entrepreneurs. They constitute indications for selecting competition instruments during the crises. Originality/Value: The previous studies on Quick Response Manufacturing (QRM) were conducted in various dimensions, while there is no research linking this method to business agility. It is the first such research.

One thousand interviews

How customer insights keep one company agile, and challenge these data scientist to stay ahead in an ever-changing world.

Engaging with complex environments: why agility involves more than running hard

This article addresses the notion of 'agility' that has recently become very prominent in management practice and research. While part of the concept's popularity derives from the consulting discourse, agility has also been considered a necessary remedy for coping with increasingly complex environments where the traditional strategy of running hard is no longer sufficient. Nevertheless, definitions and practices still tend to concentrate on the aspects of speed and acceleration. In this research note, I trace the origin of the agility concept, introduce a definition that focuses more on decision-making, and develop a model that identifies four critical agility dimensions: identity, capabilities, mindset, and leadership. This model enables analysis of a company's agility based on personal and organisational evaluations and helps to advance the desired future state of adaptability and flexibility responsive to fast-changing environments. Finally, I suggest how the model can be further developed by industry, country, and functional extensions.

Engaging with complex environments: why agility involves more than running hard

This article addresses the notion of 'agility' that has recently become very prominent in management practice and research. While part of the concept's popularity derives from the consulting discourse, agility has also been considered a necessary remedy for coping with increasingly complex environments where the traditional strategy of running hard is no longer sufficient. Nevertheless, definitions and practices still tend to concentrate on the aspects of speed and acceleration. In this research note, I trace the origin of the agility concept, introduce a definition that focuses more on decision-making, and develop a model that identifies four critical agility dimensions: identity, capabilities, mindset, and leadership. This model enables analysis of a company's agility based on personal and organisational evaluations and helps to advance the desired future state of adaptability and flexibility responsive to fast-changing environments. Finally, I suggest how the model can be further developed by industry, country, and functional extensions.

Exploring Dimensions of Managing Change for Achieving Organisational Effectiveness: A Case Study of Odisha Power Transmission Corporation Limited (OPTCL)

Vibrant environments recognised by technical, economic and political change increasingly require company agility among organisations. The successful management of change is crucial to any organisation to survive and succeed in the present highly competitive and continuously evolving business environment. Organisations, therefore, need to develop the ability to manage and adapt to change. This paper focuses on how managing change has contributed towards organisational effectiveness (OE) in the state owned power utility service organisation by drawing data through employee's survey. The empirical findings suggest that the variables like diagnosis, strategy formulations, implementation, top-down approach and communication, review of change are considered as some of the significant attributes that contribute towards performance enhancement and quality improvement for achieving OE.

Employee Response towards Effects of Change and Change Management: A Study in Power Sector of Odisha

Vibrant environments recognised by technical, economic and political change increasingly require company agility among organizations. The successful management of change is crucial to any organisation in order to survive and succeed in the present highly competitive and continuously evolving business environment. However, theories and approaches to change management currently available to academics and practitioners are often contradictory, mostly lacking empirical evidence and supported by unchallenged hypotheses concerning the nature of contemporary organisational change management. The purpose of this study was to explore the characteristics of change process and their impact on performance of an organisation and to identify the culture of an organisation that is more favorable to institutionalising strategic thinking beyond efforts of individual effort or change process.

Changing the Way People Think

BCS, The Chartered Institute for IT, spoke to Özlem Yüce, Agile Transformation Lead at Maersk Line, about the company's agile transformation.

Communities of practice: keeping the company agile

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to provide managers, researchers, and consultants with insights into the ways communities of practice (CoPs) simultaneously support organizations' product refinements (their knowledge exploitation and alignment thereof to today's business demands) and the search for and discovery of new products (knowledge exploration and adapting it to changes in the business environment).Design/methodology/approachThe research design is based on a four‐year longitudinal case study of five CoPs within a specialty chemicals division of a multinational company. Primary (interviews, direct observation) and secondary (internal documents) data were collected and analyzed, resulting in several findings on the role of CoPs in supporting organizational ambidexterity by simultaneously exploiting existing knowledge (aligned to the current business) while exploring new knowledge (adaptive/reactive to business environment changes).FindingsThe main conclusion drawn from the study is that supporting organizational ambidexterity involves switching between different degrees of managerial involvement in CoPs, namely “aligned” and “adaptive” modes. Alignment results in knowledge exploitation that supports “product refinements”, while the adaptive mode leads to knowledge exploration that supports the “search &amp; discovery of new products”.Research limitations/implicationsThe findings are based on a single case study of a firm that used CoPs successfully to support product refinements and search for new products across its R&amp;D teams. Hence, generalizing these results would require analyzing additional cases.Practical implicationsThe paper provides managers with practical recommendations on how to align CoP dynamics with an organization's specific needs to simultaneously exploit and explore new knowledge. On the one hand, CoPs require a great deal of autonomy to generate a search for and discovery of new ideas or knowledge. On the other hand, managers can and should steer CoP activities when their alignment to business and product refinement is required.Originality/valueThe data, approach, and analysis are all original. This paper enriches existing theory as it fulfills an unexplored gap between CoPs and organizational ambidexterity. In this respect, CoP and organizational ambidexterity theories are all enriched.

A fuzzy QFD approach to achieve agility

In modern business environments, agility is advocated as the fundamental characteristics for competitiveness. Little research, however, exists which provides integrated methodologies suitable to be practically adopted to enhance agility of companies. This paper presents an original approach, which, by linking competitive bases, agile attributes and agile enablers, aims at identifying the most appropriate enablers to be implemented by companies starting from competitive characteristics of the related market. The approach is based on the quality function deployment (QFD) methodology, and, in particular, on the house of quality (HOQ), which has been successfully adopted in the new product development field. The whole scaffold exploits fuzzy logic, to translate linguistics judgements required for relationships and correlations matrixes into numerical values. An illustrative example, grounded on data available in literature, is proposed and discussed to show the application of the tool developed.

Agile manufacturing: A management and operational framework

Manufacturing companies are now operating in fast-moving commercial environments where unanticipated threats and opportunities are the order of the day. Agile manufacturing in such environments means understanding the environment and being flexible, cost effective and productive with consistent high quality. Each company will respond in a different way to deploy its own agile characteristics. This paper describes research that tackles the problem of identifying what characteristics constitute agile manufacture and proposes a framework for evaluating and developing agile manufacturing. Manufacturing enterprises involve people, organization, technology, processes and information, and no commonly accepted practical reference framework exists to investigate, analyse and evaluate the ability to deal with change. The research is based on a wide-ranging review of agile manufacture and manufacturing architectures. From this review, a conceptual agile manufacturing model was developed and used in a study of 18 manufacturing companies. Subsequently, a framework for analysing and developing a company's agile characteristics is described. The paper concludes by discussing three case studies in detail and proposing the key characteristics of agile manufacturing.