How consultancies evolve agile mindsets and cultivate their own agile transformation

This research examines how consultancies evolve agile mindsets and cultivate their own agile transformations. It identifies methods that are effective in initiating and embedding agile change and factors that influence the change to agile endeavours. This study also builds on identified literature gaps. For one, research on agile change and consultancies has focused solely on consultancies’ liaising with clients so that insights with respect to their own change endeavours are missing. Previous research has also lacked a thorough differentiation of agile adaption; both scientific and practice literature have widely ignored the differing needs of agile maturity in different consultancies and the general need for purposeful adjustments of agile change approaches to their respective cultural contexts. This study begins with chapter 1 that outlines the research topic, aims, questions, and objectives as well as the methodology and methods of data collection and analysis. Chapter 2 then introduces the main concepts of this research, namely change management, agility, and organisation cultures. Chapter 3 follows with an outline of the epistemology, methodology, and methods that jointly form the implementation plan. Chapter 4 then provides case study reports and cross-case analyses. Chapter 5 finishes with a meaningful interpretation and highlights contributions to science and practice. Data was collected from three multi-site, maximum-variation cases, which totalled 14 participants over a time of five months. Data collection methods included document analysis, focus groups, and surveys. Data analysis included case reports to provide a thick description of each case, participants’ interactions, and types of communications as well as each case’s subjective interpretations of agility and implications for agile change practices. The data analyses concluded with thorough cross-case analyses, which examined each case’s differences and similarities. This study primarily found that personal networks can be mindset-changing by enabling individuals to evolve and stabilising social systems. The research also found that the underlying organisation design acted as a mediating factor that either hindered or supported cultural change to agile efforts