Applying Agility with Success in a Low-tech Sector
Author
Reithofer, Birgit
Term
4. term
Publication year
2018
Abstract
Agilitet – forstået som fleksible, iterative arbejdsmetoder udviklet i softwarebranchen – er blevet populær langt ud over IT. Mange organisationer vil gerne arbejde agilt, men medarbejdere uden for IT kan have svært ved at forstå, hvad det kræver, og om det giver mening i deres hverdag. Denne undersøgelse ser på, hvordan en offentligt ejet virksomhed kan bruge agilitet med succes i en lavteknologisk sektor. Casen er en offentligt ejet affaldshåndteringsvirksomhed i Hjørring. Data stammer fra semistrukturerede interviews med direktøren for Danish Waste Association, virksomhedens CEO, fem afdelingschefer og to medarbejdere i innovationsafdelingen. Spørgsmålene byggede på litteratur om agilitet, viden om affaldssektoren, en drøftelse af høj- og lavteknologiske sektorer samt virksomhedens profil og strategi og blev tilpasset den enkelte interviewperson. Derudover udfyldte CEO’en, afdelingscheferne og de to innovationsmedarbejdere en tjekliste om deres opfattelse af virksomhedens nuværende agilitet. Formålet var at undersøge forskelle i opfattelser på ledelsesniveauer og forskelle mellem, hvad man gør i praksis, og hvad man mener, man gør. Resultaterne viser, at agilitet ikke er en hurtig løsning, man bare kan ”tænde for”. Til gengæld er den bredt anvendelig: Med mindre justeringer kunne virksomheden følge alle tolv agile principper i et vist omfang, uanset branche og ejerform. Succes afhænger især af et fælles mindset og en delt forståelse af, hvad agilitet betyder i praksis. Interessant nok praktiserede virksomheden allerede meget af agiliteten uden at kalde det det, hvilket tyder på, at agilitet ikke kun kan indføres ovenfra, men også kan opstå naturligt ud fra lokale behov og fortolkninger.
Agility—understood as flexible, iterative ways of working that originated in software development—has spread well beyond IT. Many organizations want to adopt it, yet employees outside IT often struggle to grasp what it involves and whether it fits their daily work. This study explores how a publicly owned company can use agility successfully in a low‑tech sector. The case is a publicly owned waste management company in Hjørring, Denmark. Data came from semi‑structured interviews with the director of the Danish Waste Association, the company’s CEO, five department heads, and two staff members from the innovation department. Questions were based on literature on agility, knowledge of the waste sector, a discussion of high‑ versus low‑tech contexts, and the company’s profile and strategy, and were tailored to each interviewee. In addition, the CEO, department heads, and the two innovation employees completed a checklist about their perception of the company’s current level of agility. The study compared perceptions across management levels and looked for gaps between what people think they do and what they actually do. The findings show that agility is not a quick, push‑button solution. However, it is broadly applicable: with minor adjustments, the company could follow all twelve agile principles to some extent, regardless of industry or ownership type. Success depends on mindset and a shared understanding of what agility means in practice. Notably, the company was already acting in agile ways without labeling it as such, suggesting that agility can emerge organically from local circumstances and sensemaking, not only be imposed from the top.
[This abstract was generated with the help of AI]
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