Enterprise agility – its meaning, managerial expectations and barriers to implementation – a survey of three countries

Abstract

Purpose

The aim of the article is to define the way of understanding of agile in enterprises, to verify the factors limiting agility implementation, as well as to understand what the expectations of enterprise management towards agile implementation are.

Design/methodology/approach

The article uses both literature studies and empirical research. The research was conducted in 2019 in 152 companies located in Luxemburg, Croatia and Poland, which have implemented an agile approach to management.

Findings

In most of the surveyed organisations, agile is understood as a methodology for creating projects or applications. The most common barriers to implementing agile in the surveyed enterprises are culture too deeply rooted in traditional methodologies and the lack of funds to introduce transformations. Growth in productivity and competitiveness and reducing delivery time stand out among the most common expectations of the management of the surveyed enterprises.

Originality/value

The article is in line with the idea of analysing the key factors of a successful agile implementation, which can be a guideline for an enterprise to manage the adoption of agility. The article utilises original research tools, provides comparisons between countries and presents implications for practitioners and researchers.

Citation

Zakrzewska, M., Jarosz, S., Piwowar-Sulej, K. and Sołtysik, M. (2022), "Enterprise agility – its meaning, managerial expectations and barriers to implementation – a survey of three countries", Journal of Organizational Change Management, Vol. 35 No. 3, pp. 488-510. https://doi.org/10.1108/JOCM-02-2021-0061