Business agility and diffusion of information technology

Abstract

While agility has recently attracted considerable attention in studies of systems development and management of information technology (IT), there is limited recognition within the information systems discipline of the important impact agility has already had on organizational studies in general. The extensive literature on agile development approaches has, for example, few or no links to the considerable literature on organizational agility that has developed since the Agility Forum was founded at Lehigh University in 1991 (Dove, 2001). The purpose of this special issue is to bridge this gap and to create a strong foundation for continued studies of the relationship between business agility and the diffusion of IT into organizational contexts. We believe this to be a timely purpose as organizations rebalance their IT infrastructure and portfolio of IT innovations in preparation for the future. Business agilityBusiness agility is a relatively new paradigm painted as a solution for maintaining competitive advantage during times of uncertainty and turbulence in the business environment (Sharifi & Zhang, 2001). An agile mind is defined by Merriam-Webster online (2005) as having a quick, resourceful, and adaptable character. So, agile organizations respond quickly, they are resourceful, and they are able to adapt to their environment.Quickness is about the speed with which the organization can respond to customer requests, market dynamics, and emerging technology options. This includes the time to sense relevant events, the time to interpret what is happening and assess the consequences for the organization, the time to explore options and decide on which actions to take, and the time to implement appropriate responses (Haeckel, 1999). Resources are about the capabilities that are available within the organization including people, technology, processes, and knowledge. Resources can be both tangible and intangible and they provide the basis for doing business and for instantiating change (Haeckel, 1999). Adaptability is about how well the organization responds to changing demands, threats, or opportunities. This requires the ability to learn as well as flexible processes and products that can be reconfigured without extensive additional costs (Haeckel, 1999; Dove, 2001).Agility is concerned with economies of scope, rather than economies of scale (Dove, 2001). Where lean operations are usually associated with efficient use of resources, agile operations are related to effectively responding to a changing environment while at the same time being productive. The idea is to serve ever-smaller niche markets and individual customers without the high cost traditionally associated with customization. Agile organizations are not only capable of successfully implementing change; they are nimble, capable of responding quickly and gracefully to both expected and unexpected events in their environment. The

Dynamic Capabilities and Project Management in Small Software Firms

“…The relationship between company structure and internal project management is complex, and fast moving SW SMEs struggle to match their structures and practices to a turbulent environment [18,19,21,26]. Our study of Adapt shows how dynamic capabilities at the company level can lead to increased pressure on the project managers in a small software company, which ultimately challenges the company's ability to respond to changes in the company and its environment.…”

“…These companies are trying to cope with a dynamic and sometimes turbulent environment in which they are struggling to make a living and at the same time, they are trying to improve their professional practices [17]. There seem to be no simple answers to the challenges facing these software companies, but we know that the relationship between agile internal processes and the structure and management of the company as a whole is complex [18,19].…”

Adapting to uncertain and evolving enterprise requirements: The case of business-driven business intelligence

“…Lee [16] argues that supply chains should strive to be agile, adaptive, and aligned, and proposes methods to achieve each characteristic in the supply chain domain -e.g., deferring decisions to take advantage of latest market data, as practiced by apparel companies such as H&M and Zara. Agile enterprise ideas and concepts can also be found in the manufacturing industry, e.g., [17], while several studies looked at the role of IT in business agility, e.g., [18]. However, these studies have not considered the mutual iterative adaptation between business and IT.…”

The Mobile Agility Framework: An Exploratory Study of Mobile Technology Enhancing Organizational Agility

“…One such strategy that was developed in response to the turbulent business environment is agility. Being agile can help organizations respond to challenges and opportunities in a timely manner [28] and improve organizational performance [39]. But to reach a desirable level of agility, one needs to understand the mechanisms of agility at work.…”

“…Key to each manufacturer's response is having the capability to turn the change into an opportunity. Manufacturers can attain this capability by integrating the business components of their organizations [17] or by simply having flexibility in areas such as manufacturing, people, and the organization [28]. Having attained this, the agile manufacturers are equipped to create opportunities out of changes.…”