Agile transformation for business teams within New Zealand organisations : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Masters of Business Studies in Management at Massey University, Albany, New Zealand
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Date
2020
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Massey University
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Abstract
Agile leverages long-held business principles such as customer centricity, quality, lean thinking and continuous improvement, and complements these with a new mindset based around innovation, risk-taking, speed, adaptability and iteration. This New Zealand (NZ) based study elaborates emerging theory that agile values and practices, originally the domain of technology, can scale effectively into non-technical teams leading to positive and transformational business outcomes. The study determined that exposure to agile is ubiquitous across NZ organisations and many non-technical workers already demonstrate agile values and practices informally, often in response to the failure of traditional ways of working. Very little resistance to agile was identified in business teams and new capability emerges as a natural and logical progression, fundamentally based around the value of people and teams, not technical processes or techniques. The greatest business challenges identified were lack of management support – often due to poor knowledge - and a reluctance by leaders to truly empower teams. Other key challenges were insufficient resourcing of cross functional squads, the time required to adjust to new ways of working, the challenge of shifting organisational culture and mindset, and insufficient training and communication. The single most important success factor is allowing agile to evolve slowly via a tailored and adaptive approach, followed by strong top-down leadership, creating an environment which encourages risk taking and learning from ‘failing fast’, building an organisational culture based on agility, and clarity of overall vision, strategy and objectives. The main benefits are faster delivery of increased customer value, improved product quality, and highly flexible and adaptive teams focused on short-term priorities and goals. Other key benefits include improved communication across the organisation, more effective collaboration between business and technical teams, and significant improvements in worker’s engagement and motivation. However, benefits are largely anecdotal and qualitative therefore further empirical and quantitative research is recommended to prove an explicit link between agile and the achievement of organisational strategies and goals.