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AGILA METODER: Vikten av att balansera stabilitet och flexibilitet för att uppnå organisatorisk ambidexteritet
Umeå University, Faculty of Social Sciences, Department of Sociology.
Umeå University, Faculty of Social Sciences, Department of Sociology.
Umeå University, Faculty of Social Sciences, Department of Sociology.
2023 (Swedish)Independent thesis Advanced level (degree of Master (Two Years)), 20 credits / 30 HE creditsStudent thesis
Abstract [en]

In order to respond to the changing demands of the business environment, organizations need to develop a higher degree of flexibility in relation to the market and prevailing competition. One way for organizations to become more adjustable is to adopt flexible ways of working that promote innovation. A dominant approach for this is agile methods. Although the basic values and principles of agile methods were initially formulated for work processes linked to software development, an interest in integrating the work method into other functions and industries beyond IT has emerged. An integration and usage of agile methods can, however, give rise to paradoxical tensions as it is challenging to combine organizational needs for stability with agile methods' emphasis on flexibility. The balance between stability and flexibility is highlighted as important and is described as organizational ambidexterity. This study aimed to investigate the integration and usage of agile methods in an organizational context and how to balance stability and flexibility to manage paradoxical tensions. To answer the study's purpose, a qualitative method has been conducted with semi-structured interviews within the chosen organization. The data has been analyzed with James March's (1991) theory Exploration and Exploitation in Organizational Learning and Tushman and O'reilly's (1996) theoretical framework Ambidextrous Organizations. The result shows that there are both external and internal motives for integrating agile methods. Furthermore, the study has found central challenges and opportunities linked to the integration and usage of agile methods. Prominent findings show the importance of reaching an organizational consensus and understanding when agile methods are being integrated, making a selection of what agile values and principles have the possibility to actually generate improvements and benefits, as well as applying traditional and agile methods in combination through hybrid models. The result also highlights the importance of balancing organizational stability and flexibility in order to manage paradoxical tensions and achieve organizational ambidexterity. 

Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
2023. , p. 57
Keywords [en]
Agile Methods, Hybrid Models, Organizational Change, Exploration and Exploitation, Ambidextrous Organizations
National Category
Peace and Conflict Studies Other Social Sciences not elsewhere specified
Identifiers
URN: urn:nbn:se:umu:diva-208978OAI: oai:DiVA.org:umu-208978DiVA, id: diva2:1761635
Subject / course
Human Resource Management
Educational program
Master's Programme in Leadership and Organisation
Supervisors
Examiners
Available from: 2023-06-27 Created: 2023-06-01 Last updated: 2025-02-20Bibliographically approved

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CiteExportLink to record
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Citation style
  • apa
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  • de-DE
  • en-GB
  • en-US
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  • nn-NO
  • nn-NB
  • sv-SE
  • Other locale
More languages
Output format
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  • text
  • asciidoc
  • rtf