Scaling Agile Research Articles

Can Learning Agility Predict Students’ Academic Burnout During Distance Learning

Various new academic challenges faced by students during the distance learning period lead to vulnerability in academic burnout. This condition requires them to become agile learners to be able to face various challenges in new learning situations. This study aims to determine the role of learning agility on students’ academic burnout during distance learning. The online survey provided quantitative data from 210 students taking distance learning. The Learning Agility Scale and the Maslach Burnout Inventory-Student Survey (MBI-SS) were used to measure student learning agility and academic burnout, respectively. The results show that learning agility is a significant predictor of academic burnout, so the higher the learning agility, the lower the level of academic burnout. Furthermore, the difference in the length of study did not affect learning agility role on students’ academic burnout. The implication and limitation of this study are discussed in this article.

Development of Workforce Agility Scale for Academic Staff: Validity and Reliability Studies

Development of Workforce Agility Scale for Academic Staff: Validity and Reliability Studies

Analyzing current Challenges on Scaled Agile Development of Physical Products

Agile development has successfully established itself for coping with VUCA conditions on a team level. Furthermore, in developing cyber-physical systems or mechatronic products, the collaboration of multiple teams is often necessary. This necessity to scale contrasts with the paradigm of agile development from which additional challenges arise. The study examines the current challenges in scaling agile product development, characterized by scale-related challenges and physical constraints. This paper provides an empirical investigation to address these challenges. This publication shows that product development's top challenges are synchronization, coordination, resource allocation, and dependencies between different organizational units. It is determined that the challenges in the non-scaled environment also apply to scaling; however, substantial differences in their dependencies exist. Furthermore, an attempt to explain differences in scaled agile software development using comparative analysis is given. It becomes apparent that challenges such as production setup or physical limitations are non-existent.

A Systemic Approach to Evaluating the Organizational Agility in Large-Scale Companies

This paper presents action research to analyze an approach for assessment of the alleged agile transformation. This approach was implemented at AK Bars Digital Technologies, an IT spin-off of one of the largest banks in Russia using the Scaled Agile Framework. The approach is based on the Goal-Question-Metric approach, non-invasive measurement collection, and systemic analysis. It uses data from several different sources, including interviews, code repositories, user ratings in the play stores, and templates for agile assessment. The effectiveness of the approach is subjectively validated by the adoption of the proposed recommendations by the banks’ senior management. Details are provided on the approach, the required effort from the side of both those assessing and of the people being assessed and the results. The final part of the paper is devoted to the discussion of its generalizability and the plan for future experimentation and refinement.

Development of Organizational Agility Scale in Higher Education: A Validity and Reliability Study

To become third generation university, higher education (HE) institutions must compete, create value for internal and external stakeholders, and adapt to changing market conditions. The concept of organizational agility (OA) refers to a dynamic organization that can sense the change imposed by internal and external elements, routinely implement change, and has the capacity to learn continuously. Based on this concept, this research aims to develop a scale to discover the perceptional evaluations of academic and administrative staff of public universities in the context of OA, and thereby to establish an OA framework for public universities. The research was carried out in psychometric design. The resulting Organizational Agility Scale in Higher Education was pilot tested and administered to 893 academic and administrative staff from 10 public universities in Istanbul. The principal components analysis with varimax rotation supported four dimensions. Through confirmatory factor analysis, four-factor structure was found to be at acceptable level. Four dimensions of the scale (strategy and staff-oriented organizational design, internal stakeholder orientation, cooperation with external stakeholders, support for innovation) focus more on human side of higher education institutions and less on change management and responsiveness, compared to business agility. The findings imply that institutional and national efforts are needed to form a strategy and stakeholder-oriented organization design for universities. A separate OA framework should be constructed for private universities to reach a more holistic understanding of Turkish HE and to compare public and private higher education institutions and to discover how Turkish HE system can be more agile and responsive in national and international contexts.

The Effect of Employee Agility and Self-Efficacy on Innovative Behavior at Work

In order for organizations to remain competitive and successful in the contemporary business environment, one of the fundamental prerequisites is innovative behavior of employes. Therefore, research analyzing the organizational and personal factors of this behavior is relevant, in which increasing attention is paid to the agility of employees. In general, agility can be described as a person’s ability to adapt quickly and efficiently to normal or new work situations, accept changes and respond appropriately to them. The study aimed to determine the relationship between employees agility, self-efficacy, and innovative behavior in the organization and to evaluate the mediating role of self-efficacy for the relations between agility and innovative behavior. The cross-sectional survey was conducted in the sample of 172 employees. 78% of them were women, the average age of the participants was 33.8 years. Scales measuring employee agility, innovative behavior and self-efficacy were applied in the study. For this study, a Lithuanian employee agility scale consisting of twenty items was prepared. The results were processed using correlational, regression, and mediation analysis. Main results: firstly, more expressed employee agility and self-efficacy predicts their higher involvement in innovative behavior, and secondly, self-efficacy acts as a mediator for the relationship between agility and innovative behavior. The importance of the employee’s personal characteristics – agility and self-efficacy – in predicting innovative behavior was confirmed, and the role of self-efficacy as a mediator for the relationship between agility and innovative behavior was revealed. Theoretical and practical implications of the study results are discussed.

Development and validation of the leadership learning agility scale.

Learning agility is key in the selection and development of future leaders. However, prior research has failed to clearly conceptualize learning agility and to empirically clarify its dimensions. We developed the Leadership Learning Agility Scale (LLAS) by using a combination of both deductive and inductive approaches and established scale development and validation procedures. We administered the LLAS among three independent samples of workers and leaders (N = 907; N = 196; N = 219). Our results indicate that our 18-item LLAS measures the willingness to learn from social experiences, and the drive to apply those lessons in new and challenging leadership roles, and comprises a Developing Leadership, Seeking Feedback, and Developing Systematically dimension. Furthermore, the LLAS showed adequate internal consistency. Leadership learning agility was positively related to achievement motivation, extraversion, and conscientiousness but unrelated to openness to experience. We provided a new scale to measure leadership learning agility that can be applied in both research and practitioner settings.

Agile Beyond Teams and Feedback Beyond Software in Automotive Systems

In order to increase the ability to build complex, software-intensive systems, as well as to decrease time-to-market for new functionality, automotive companies aim to scale agile methods beyond individual teams. This is challenging, given the specifics of automotive systems that are often safety-critical and consist of software, hardware, and mechanical components. This paper investigates the concrete reasons for scaling agility beyond teams, the strategies that support such scaling, and foreseeable implications that such a drastic organizational change will entail. The investigation is based on a qualitative case study, with data from 20 semi-structured interviews with managers and technical experts at two automotive companies. At the core of our findings are observations about establishing an agile vehicle-level feedback loop beyond individual teams. (I) We find that automotive OEMs aim to decrease lead-time of development. (II) We also identify 7 strategies that aim to enable scaled-agile beyond teams. (III) Finally, we extract 6 foreseeable implications and side-effects of scaling agile beyond teams in automotive. By charting the landscape of expected benefits, strategies, and implications of scaling agile beyond teams in automotive, we enable further research and process improvements.

Scaling Agile Company-Wide: The Organizational Challenge of Combining Agile-Scaling Frameworks and Enterprise Architecture in Service Companies

Many organizations have embraced agile methods. Studies show a trend of large-scale application of agile frameworks company-wide. Emergent architecture design as part of an agile approach is effective at the project level but causes issues when services need to interact seamlessly at the enterprise level. Enterprise architecture (EA) can provide such coherence. Combining the scaling agile methods with EA is challenging. However, such a combination could benefit from the flexibility that agile approaches offer and provide the consistency and long-term focus that EA pursues. This article uses the longitudinal case study research to explore how organizations can effectively govern Agile and EA in large-scale agile transformations. Our case analysis shows that methods for scaling Agile do not provide sufficient guidance to properly handle the transformation from existing EA practices to an Agile EA combination company-wide. We propose how EA can be applied effectively in large-scale agile transformations despite the two seemingly conflicting approaches of Agile and EA. Based on our findings, we propose a conceptual model for future research that incorporates factors that take EA into account in the governance of agile-scaling frameworks. Our findings extend current literature on coordination mechanisms between architects and agile teams in large-scale agile transformations, thereby balancing emergent and intentional architectures.

The development and psychometric properties of the Learning Agility Scale for pre-service teachers

ABSTRACT Learning agility is a relatively novel concept and has the potential to be considered an important characteristic of an effective teacher. Thus, a scale to measure it might be beneficial especially for selecting and recruiting teachers. Based on this notion, the purpose of this study was to develop a scale to measure the learning agility of pre-service teachers. Two independent participant groups took part in the study: 311 pre-service teachers in the exploratory phase and 252 pre-service teachers in the confirmatory phase. Exploratory factor analysis revealed that 15 items had significant loadings under five factors explaining 54.64% of the total variance. Confirmatory factor analysis indicated an acceptable fit. Convergent and divergent validity were also established. It was concluded that the Learning Agility Scale is a promising instrument to assess the learning agility of pre-service teachers, which paves the way to making more informed selections among teacher candidates during the recruitment process.

Correlation between experiences of clinical nurses in the COVID-19 pandemic with learning agility and readiness level for future pandemics.

Aims and objectivesThe study aimed to determine the impact of clinical nurses' experiences during the COVID‐19 pandemic on their learning agility and readiness for other future pandemics.BackgroundIt is important that nurses have high learning agility so they can successfully adapt their experience to COVID‐19 and other pandemics that may occur in the future. This will positively affect the readiness of nurses to fight against possible future pandemics.DesignThe study is cross‐sectional, descriptive, correlational research.MethodsThe study was carried outby data collection from 383 nurses. Data were collected via online survey using social media. The study methods were followed by the STORBE guidelines.ResultsThe average score of nurses on the Marmara Learning Agility Scale was 4.07 ± .030. The level of readiness of nurses for new pandemics was 96.1%. Positive but weak correlations were found between the effect of nurses' experiences in the COVID‐19 pandemic with their readiness for potential future pandemics and their learning agility.ConclusionsIt was observed that nurses have high learning agility, gained experience during the COVID‐19 pandemic and these experiences affected their readiness for other potential future pandemics.Relevance to clinical practiceHealth institutions to develop learning agility to support career management, manager selection and performance improvement for clinical nurses.

A Study on the Reliability and Validity of an Employee Agility and Resiliency Scale

A Study on the Reliability and Validity of an Employee Agility and Resiliency Scale

A taxonomy of scaling agility

Driven by environmental uncertainty, many organizations today attempt to achieve agility at scale. However, given the variety and complexity of these efforts, there is currently a limited understanding in terms of their most relevant configurations, especially over the process of change. Based on an iterative taxonomy development approach grounded in design science, we present a taxonomy to structure, configure, and update scaling agility. The resulting multi-dimensional classification system offers an integrative view on elements only selectively considered in prior research. While offering a conceptual anchor for further research, we also provide specific configurations covering three different stages of scaling agility.

Benefits realisation in an agile environment

Success frameworks from an information systems and project perspective include benefits realisation as a measure of success. Research highlights benefits are not realised resulting in low IT project success rates. Benefits realisation intrinsically forms part of agile as benefits are delivered frequently to customers resulting in higher success rates. What is not known, is to what extent organisations, that are scaling agile, are implementing benefits realisation management to improve the success rates of their IT projects. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with nine experts from organisations that adopted a scaled agile framework. The results show that benefits realisation is performed unsystematically, and the success of IT projects is attributed to the agile approach and not to BRM. Twelve principles were identified to facilitate agile BRM and ultimately improve project success. This article provides new insights into the BRM debate through its novel approach of linking agile, BRM and project success.

The Relationship of Information Management and Organizational Agility: An Application on the Banking Sector

The purpose of this research is to examine the relationship between information technology capability and organizational agility on the banking sector, which needs to adapt to environmental changes in the fastest way. The descriptive method was adopted in the research. The population of this research is all banking sector employees. A total of 170 banking sector employees participated in the research. Within the scope of the research, Organizational Agility Scale developed by Sharifi and Zhang (1999) and Knowledge Management Performance scale, which was brought to the literature by Lee, Lee and Kang (2004) but redeveloped by Çetinkaya (2011), were used. The obtained data were analyzed via SPSS. According to the analysis results, the dimension with the highest average among the sub-dimensions of the organizational agility scale was the “competency” dimension. “Responsiveness” is the sub-dimension with the lowest average. In the knowledge management scale, the sub-dimension with the highest average is “knowledge production”; the sub-dimension with the lowest average was “information sharing”. The results of the regression analysis showed that the "knowledge sharing" sub-dimension of the knowledge management scale was over the "flexibility" sub-dimension and the "competency" sub-dimension of the organizational agility scale; on the “speed” sub-dimension of the organizational agility scale of the “information gathering” sub-dimension of the knowledge management scale and; Finally, the "knowledge production" sub-dimension has a statistically significant and positive effect on the organizational agility scale's "response" sub-dimension.

Scaling Agile Adoption Motivators from Management Perspective: An Analytical Hierarchy Process Approach

Agile methodology has been noted as the mostly used method for software development over the past few years. This methodology guarantees the rapid delivery of software products with lower cost and greater customer contentment. The adoption of agile methods was initially applied in the software development industry for single, small project teams following the principles of Agile Manifesto. The intense need of the time is to identify from management perspective the motivators that can be focused on to adopt agile methodologies in large-scale projects. Therefore, the main purpose of the study is to develop from management perspective a priority-based taxonomy of motivators that helps in scaling agile methodologies in large-scale projects. The taxonomy is developed in two steps. In the first step, data are collected from a survey and open literature. In the second step, the analytical hierarchy process (AHP) is implemented on the collected data that produced the proposed priority-based taxonomy of the motivators. With the help of AHP model, the 21 motivators of successful project management are categorized into four main categories, i.e., “organization management,” “team,” “customer and technology,” and “process.” Furthermore, the AHP analysis is used to rank the motivators and their respective categories in order of their importance. The findings of this study are further reviewed and validated by the agile experts in other organizations. The proposed priority-based taxonomy of motivators can be used as a handbook that gives guidelines on scalability of agile methodologies to large projects, which helps in successful management of large-scale projects.

Applying Behavioral Science to Agile Practice Evolution

ABSTRACTEarly agile practices developed by trial and error and are retained “because they work.” The fact that certain approaches work well in agile realization of products and services is not accidental – it is rooted in the study of psychology, sociology, and human performance. For example, the “ideal agile team size” of 7 plus or minus 2 not only works but is supported by psycho‐social theories such as the Ringleman effect, social channel capacity and short‐term memory limitations. Examples of similar relations between behavioral science and agile patterns abound – preferred planning horizons, methods of estimating effort and approaches to scaling agile all relate to our understanding of human behavior individually and in groups. This article will explore such relationships with the intent to provide agile practitioners with information about the underpinning of practices, and social scientists with examples of how their work contributes to the improvement of agile practices.

Assessing the construct validity of the Career Agility Scale for measuring adult workers’ digital era adaptive readiness

The study assessed the construct validity of the Career Agility Scale (CAS) in a sample of financial, legal, and human resources services employees. The participants were 290 employees (female = 46%, black = 63%; mean age = 38.58 years, SD = 9.34 years) from South Africa (70%), Zimbabwe (15 %), and elsewhere (United Kingdom, Germany, Netherlands, India, Malaysia) (15%). Confirmatory factor analysis yielded evidence on the convergent and discriminant validity of the three-factor structure of the CAS: technological adaptivity, agile learning, and career navigation. These findings suggest career agility is a high prospect construct for assessing proactive adult career adaptivity attributes in the digital age.

A framework for modeling structural association among De‐Motivators of scaling agile

AbstractUsage of agile methods for software development has increased in recent times. Rapid delivery of software products is ensured by these methods with less expense and high user gratification. Application of these methods on a large scale causes many De‐Motivators or challenges as initially these methods were aimed at those developmental teams that worked on small scale. However, no effort has been made yet to hand out the various correlations among the challenges. To fill the space, the Interpretive Structural Model (ISM) approach is used to reconnoiter the correlations among the De‐Motivators regarding Scaling Agile Software Development Methodologies (ASDM) from the management perspective. Creation of a framework for structural modeling association among the De‐Motivators is the aim of this study. To attain the goal, a hybrid methodology was applied based on a Systematic literature review (SLR), empirical survey, and ISM. First, we pointed out 15 De‐Motivators of Scaling ASDM from management perspectives through SLR study. Second, with the help of 59 experts from different countries, a questionnaire survey was conducted to empirically examine the correlations among the detected De‐Motivators. Further, correlations among the challenges are discovered with the usage of ISM through review of the panel, and they accomplish the categorization through CrossImpact Matrix Multiplication Applied Approach.

Building and Codifying the Strategic Agility of Handball Coaches from the Players’ Point View

The importance of the study lies in the extent to which the trainer possesses strategic agility and employs itin his training work. The problem arises in the study of the strategic agility of a handball coach. Researchobjectives: Building and applying the scale of strategic agility for handball coaches from the players’point view, as well as setting standard levels for the scale of strategic agility of handball coaches from theplayers’ point of view, and the researcher used the descriptive approach in the survey method because it ismore appropriate for the objectives of the research and the nature of the problem. The research communityconsists of the Iraqi handball premier league players for the season (2019-2020) of (140) Player, and all theresearch sample was deliberately chosen. The researcher concluded building and codifying the strategicagility scale for handball coaches from the players ’point of view. The research sample was distributed overfive levels of the strategic agility scale for handball coaches from the players’ point of view. Therefore, theresearcher recommends adopting the scale designed for coaches, a tool for measuring the trainers’ possessionof strategic agility.