The Impacts Of Agile Workplace Strategy On Organizational Performance

Background to the Problem

In the modern era, effective management of employees and staff members working in an organization is crucial for long-term growth and sustainability. Nowadays, the competition among firms operating in almost every sector has become so intense that it is no longer easy to sustain in the marketplace (Gordon, McMullin & Adams 2015). The business landscape is also changing at a fast pace, and now companies are required to shape their operations and strategies according to their staff members.  

Businesses such as Ansarada started to promote agile work environment, and this was done with an objective to retain skilled and talented personnel’s within the organization in the long run. Apart from this, agile workplace also encourages innovation and motivates workers to give their best towards the success of an enterprise (Payton 2015). However, it can be critically argued that operating with an agile workspace is not an easy task for businesses as they are required to deal with various issues during the same (Sailer, Pomeroy & Haslem 2015). This can be justified by the fact instead of increasing productivity; the agile workspace has resulted in adversely affecting the performance of staff members.  

The present research proposal will outline the impacts of the agile workplace on the overall performance of the organization. Furthermore, the study will also explore the key ways in which management implement the innovative work environment which will enhance the performance of the organization (Von Schrader, Malzer & Bruyere 2014). The research proposal will consist of four major areas which are background of the study, literature review, problem definition, and research methodology.

The employees working in Ansarada started taking advantage of the flexibilities and facilities provided to them. This can be termed as a factor which resulted in the immediate problem. It can be asserted that instead of enhancing the productivity and performance of employees, the implementation of agile workplace strategy resulted in producing negative outcomes.

Ansarada was looking forward to increasing employee engagement and motivation level through the use of agile workplace strategy. The selected business enterprise implemented a workplace strategy wherein employees were allowed to go and work in a non-conventional manner. At the same time, specific workers were also provided with an opportunity of having flexible working hours.

All these steps were taken to improve the overall productivity and employee’s performance at work. It can be stated that instead of getting enhanced, the productivity started getting hindered as the majority of staff members started taking advantage of the provided facilities by Ansarada. All these circumstances have resulted in the immediate problem.

Summary of Ansarada’s Work Environment

It is expected that the present study will explore the negative and positive effects of the agile workplace on the overall performance of staff members operating in Ansarada. In addition to this, the study will also focus on identification of the key reason why agile workplace strategy fails or become successful. It is also expected that the research will outline the way through which agile workplace strategy can be implemented positively, and employee engagement can be increased in the best possible manner.

• What is the possible way in which management can implement a agile or innovative working environment and can increase the productivity of workers
• What are the corrective measures which can be taken by management in situations when the implemented agile workplace strategy fails
• What are the ways in which management can deal with their new strategy and can obtain desired outcomes

• What are the possible impact of adapting a agile workplace strategy on overall performance of a business enterprise

• To determine and measure the overall impact of implementing a agile work place strategy on areas such as employee productivity and engagement
• To identify whether the agile workplace strategy adopted by Ansarada has been successful or not
• To recommend effective ways through which agile workplace strategy can be implemented in a way that positive outcomes can be achieved along with increase in employee engagement

In the present scenario, the concept of the agile workplace is getting more and more popular among businesses (Coenen & Kok 2014). The main idea of developing agile workplace is to promote flexibility and enhance the overall productivity of staff members. It can be stated that organizations can provide complete freedom to their employees by adopting the concept of the agile workplace.

The frequent changes in external and internal working environment can be termed as the key reason behind growing popularity of agile workplace. The benefit of the agile workplace is that it helps organizations to carry out the best and most effective utilization of workspace (Ramsdal 2016). The rationale behind this is that the agile concept workplace encourages organizations to identify and make best of space which is underutilized. On the other side of this, it can be critically argued that most of the time employee takes advantage of the facilities provided to them and this affects their overall productivity (Kossek & Thompson 2016).  

The concept of agile workplace directly affects the overall performance of employees working in an organization (Mencl & Lester 2014). Furthermore, agile workplace motivates staff members to give their best towards the accomplishment of business aim and objectives. On the other hand of this, agile workplace also assists companies to attract and retain skilled and talented personnel’s in the long run (Christensen & Schneider 2015). In the modern era, top brands such as Google and Unilever have adopted the concept of the agile workplace, and it has helped them to maintain an outstanding reputation of being an employer. Businesses offer flexible work schedule to all staff members and this results in developing a higher degree of satisfaction among workers.

In addition to this, agile workplace also enhances organization performance by reducing the level of employee burnout during the overload and work pressures. It can be stated that the morale, commitment, and engagement level of staff member increases because of the agile workplace (Gordon 2014). However, it can be critically argued that agile workplace can create obstacles in encouraging team oriented departments within a business enterprise (Sweet et al. 2014). This can be justified by the fact that team meetings cannot be held appropriately as the workers have flexible work schedules. The productivity of staff members can be hampered in situations when employers start carrying out wrong utilization of the facilities and flexibilities provided to them.   

The Management Problem and Research Questions

 The success and failure of agile workplace strategy rely heavily on the way in which the strategy has been implemented by an enterprise. Apart from this, factors such as the size of the organization and the dedication level of employees also play a vital role in success or failure of agile workplace strategy (Fletcher 2017). A company can fail to obtain desired results from the agile workplace strategy in case if the workers do not have a clear understanding of their job roles and responsibilities. The core to the success of agile strategy can be termed as the collaboration of each member involved in the project. In addition to this, clarity of information sharing is also essential in making agile workplace strategy successful.

Lack of education in both employer and workers can be termed as another reason why agile workplace strategy fails. Training and development program must be carried out so that great deal of support can be acquired in development and implementation of agile workplace strategy (Cooper & Baird 2015). At the time of implementing agile working environment, organizations are required to carry out several changes within their overall structure and workplace. Furthermore, employees’ resistance to change in such situations can directly fail the entire agile workplace strategy.

Traditional organization culture, lack of commitment from both employer and employee, lack of motivation and core competencies can be termed as some other factors which result in failure in the strategy (Sherehiy & Karwowski 2014). On the other side of this, lack of team alignment is considered as the most common factor responsible for creating obstacles in making agile workplace strategy successful (Harris & Harris 2016). Businesses are required to identify all these factors and develop effective action plans to deal with the same.

 The most important characteristic of the agile workplace is that it offers complete freedom and flexibility to staff members. People working in an organization are provided with the freedom to choose their seat and individuals whom they wish to work with (Wright 2017). The benefit of this strategy is that it encourages more interactions among staff members and thus, contributes a lot to the overall growth and development of a business enterprise.

On the contrary of this, it can be argued that adoption of the agile workplace is not an easy task and businesses are required to take care of various factors. To implement innovation or agile workplace strategy, companies are required to emphasize on encouraging more collaboration among employees (Cannon 2017). Apart from this, organizations are also needed to recruit champions which can assist in implementing the desired strategy in the best possible manner. The role of these champions will be to ensure that staff members accept the changes and at the same time, they remain motivated.

Literature Review

To carry out successfully implementation of agile workplace strategy or innovations, businesses can also take assistance from the external experts the present in the industry (Boehm & Dwertmann 2015). The rationale behind this suggestion is that experts will provide the management with adequate knowledge about the things which need to be considered while implementing the strategy.

It is also suggested that employers should share the floor plans of new workspace with all the staff members. In addition to this, adoption of wayfinding tools within the workplace is also crucial to make the agile workplace strategy successful.

The wayfinding tools can be highly effective regarding finding out space for meeting, co-workers, and unoccupied desks. It is essential for the managers to develop proper understanding and knowledge about the new model for carrying out work and operations (Baker 2017). Open floor plans should be encouraged and implemented with an objective to carry out a more effective flow of news and information within the workplace.

Open floor plans are also treated as the best possible strategy to develop an agile workplace. Apart from this, instants collaboration within all staff members can be encouraged by making use of whiteboards within the office premises (Nettleton et al. 2016). To carry out the successful implementation of agile workplace strategy, corporation from all the staff members is essential.      

The section of research methodology includes a specific research plan that helps the researcher in carrying out the entire study in a systematic manner. Moreover, in simple terms, research methodology is considered as a way to solve the research problem. Hence, it can be called as a science that studies how research work can be scientifically completed. In this section, researcher emphasizes on searching for knowledge to enhance the validity of research work. In a research proposal, the section of methodology includes all those approaches and tools that will be undertaken to reach towards the outcome of the study.

It not only enhances the scope of research but also it leads to constructs different meaning about the research aspects. The main aim of including the section of research methodology is to discover answers to research questions through focusing on scientific procedures. Thus, emphasis on research tools promotes the development of logical aspects while thinking about different terminologies. Therefore, along with all these research aspects, the focus will be laid on limitations and ethical facets.

The research design is a type of a study which uses diverse measures to collect and analyze data according to the defined research problem. Thus, research design comprises a set of methods through which the overall process can be carried out. The categories of research design are descriptive, causal and exploratory. The research design is included in the research work as it aids in getting appropriate answers about the research questions. In the present case, the researcher will be selecting exploratory design as that seeks to generate hypothesis through investigating a specific set of data with different variables.

The Impacts of Agile Workplace Strategy on Overall Performance

The design will also be used since through this, new aspects of the research work can be identified, and it can be included to enhance the suitability of the research work. Further, this also allows the researcher to make valid conclusion through the collected data. According to research hypothesis, exploratory design improves the knowledge of researcher on a specific topic. However, it lacks statistical strength; therefore it cannot be used to draw the appropriate conclusion. As per the design, the concept needs to be critically checked so that it can be implemented suitably in the study. It is also useful in collecting secondary data through emphasizing on published sources and materials. Data can be collected through informal discussions, formal, structured interviews and case studies.   

Research approach is the way through which data can be collected through different sources as per the requirements. Typically, it is considered as a plan that comprises diverse steps such as data collection, data analysis and interpretation. Therefore, according to the nature of the research problem, specific approach will be undertaken in the research (Mackey & Gass 2015). Research approach can be classified into two types such as deductive and inductive and in the present research work; deductive approach will be selected because it requires selection of hypothesis as per the existing theory.

Further, it also allows the researcher to develop strategy to test the hypothesis. Thus, it will allow the researcher to get reasoning from specific to general aspects. It can be explained through the means of hypothesis which can be attained through conducting the study in detailed manner. Researcher will also use this approach because it gets started with expected pattern that is tested according to the observed aspects. Logical data can be acquired through the application of deductive approach; hence researcher will be selecting the specific one for the subsequent research.

Data collection is an essential part of the study in which data is collected to carry out the entire research work. To grab data, the researcher needs to emphasize on different sources as that also enhances validity and reliability of subject matter. Data collection is split into two categories such as primary and secondary sources. Both the sources use different processes to grab data about the subject matter (Silverman 2016). Data collection plays a crucial role in a study; therefore for this aspect researcher will be focusing on primary and secondary both the sources. This can increase the validity and reliability of research study. The section of data collection depicts that researcher has accessed varied sources to get the study done. This not only increases quality of the study but also it specifies that developed aspects of the research work.

Factors that Influence the Success of the Strategy

The primary source includes survey, case studies, and observation and this also requires face to face communication between researcher and participants. Primary data will be considered as it is the most useful source through which fresh and unused data can be grabbed for the research procedure. Under primary source, the survey will be carried out to involve participants in the research work, and they will be provided questionnaire. Through emails, the questionnaire will be given to the managers so that they can fill their responses in an appropriate way. In the present study, managers of Ansarada will be selected as participants. Primary data will contribute in enhancing validity and reliability of the collected data through comparing with different dimensions.  

Secondary data involves researching web pages, articles, and books for the purpose of specifying the feasibility of the subject matter. In the present case, the researcher will be focusing on the secondary source, and under that books, journals and varied articles will be accessed (Smith 2015). Thus, the process of desk study will be considered in the present research. The abundance of data is available on secondary sources; hence suitable conclusion can be made accordingly. It includes borrowing of research material from different sources. These sources are effective regarding including only reliable and valid data. Previous studies, books, articles, and magazines will be considered while researching about the content.  

Sampling is the process through which a few people can be selected from the entire population to participate in the research study (Flick 2015). The categories of sampling are probability and non-probability sampling. In the present case, the researcher will be emphasizing on random sampling method to select participants on a random basis. Sample size for the study will be 20 managers of Ansarada.

• While collecting data from different sources, researcher has to ensure that only valid and suitable sources are being used.
• Information about the participants should not be disclosed under ethical values.
• Consent from participants are also required to be collected under ethical domain.  

• Time was the major limitation of the study as most of the sites were inaccessible.
• Researcher also faced financial constraint as a fixed amount was given to carry out the entire study.

To complete the research proposal, researcher will prepare a specific budget of 50 Euro in which all the expenses will be carried out. The details will be depicted in the below section.

References 

Baker, T 2017, A New Psychological Contract for Managing Agile Performance. In Performance Management for Agile Organizations, Springer International Publishing, New York City.

Boehm, S & Dwertmann, D 2015, ‘Forging a single-edged sword: Facilitating positive age and disability diversity effects in the workplace through leadership, positive climates, and HR practices ‘, Work, Aging and Retirement, vol 1, no. 1, pp. 41-63.

Cannon, F 2017, Understanding the Economic Benefits of an Agile Workforce. In The Agility Mindset, Springer International Publishing, New York City.

Christensen, K & Schneider, B 2015, Workplace flexibility: Realigning 20th-century jobs for a 21st-century workforce, Cornell University Press, New York.

Coenen, M & Kok, R 2014, ‘Workplace flexibility and new product development performance: The role of telework and flexible work schedules ‘, European Management Journal, vol 323, no. 4, pp. 564-576.

Cooper, R & Baird, M 2015, ‘Bringing the “right to request” flexible working arrangements to life: From policies to practices’, Employee Relations, vol 37, no. 5, pp. 568-581.

Fletcher, A 2017, ‘ The demand for an agile, innovative workforce’, Training & Development, vol 44, no. 4, p. 28.

Flick, U 2015, Introducing research methodology: A beginner’s guide to doing a research project, California, Sage.

Gordon, C 2014, ‘Flexible workplace practices: Employees’ experiences in small IT firms’, Relations Industrielles/Industrial Relations , vol 69, no. 4, pp. 766-784.

Gordon, C, McMullin, J & Adams, T 2015, ‘Flexible small firms? Why some small firms facilitate the use of flexible workplace policies’, Canadian Journal of Sociology, vol 40, no. 1, p. 1.

Harris, R & Harris, R 2016, ‘New organisations and new workplaces: Implications for workplace design and management. ‘, Journal of Corporate Real Estate , vol 18, no. 1, pp. 4-16.

Kossek, E & Thompson, R 2016, ‘Workplace flexibility: Integrating employer and employee perspectives to close the research–practice implementation gap.’, The Oxford Handbook of Work and Family, vol 13, no. 1, p. 255.

Mackey, A & Gass, S 2015, Second language research: Methodology and design, Routledge, Abingdon-on-Thames.

Mencl, J & Lester, S 2014, ‘ More alike than different: What generations value and how the values affect employee workplace perceptions’, Journal of Leadership & Organizational Studies, vol 21, no. 3, pp. 257-272.

Nettleton, S, Sebbens, T, Fairhall, H & Firth, T 2016, ‘Stay agile: Managing employment relations in the new economy’, Governance Directions , vol 68, no. 8, p. 475.

Payton, F 2015, ‘Workplace design: The Millennials are not coming—They’re here’, Design Management Review , vol 26, no. 1, pp. 54-63.

Ramsdal, H 2016, Flexible organizations and the new working life: A European perspective, Routledge, Abingdon-on-Thames.

Sailer, K, Pomeroy, R & Haslem, R 2015, ‘Data-driven design—Using data on human behaviour and spatial configuration to inform better workplace design. ‘, Corporate Real Estate Journal , vol 4, no. 3, pp. 249-262.

Sherehiy, B & Karwowski, W 2014, ‘ The relationship between work organization and workforce agility in small manufacturing enterprises’, International Journal of Industrial Ergonomics, vol 44, no. 3, pp. 466-473.

Silverman, D 2016, Qualitative research, Sage, California.

Smith, JA 2015, Qualitative psychology: A practical guide to research methods, Sage, California.

Sweet, S, Pitt-Catsouphes, M, Besen, E & Golden, L 2014, ‘ Explaining organizational variation in flexible work arrangements: Why the pattern and scale of availability matter’, Community, Work & Family , vol 17, no. 2, pp. 115-141.

Von Schrader, S, Malzer, V & Bruyere, S 2014, ‘Perspectives on disability disclosure: The importance of employer practices and workplace climate.’, Employee Responsibilities and Rights Journal, vol 26, no. 4, pp. 237-255.

Wright, S 2017, ‘What is in the new workplace environment? A consideration of the impact of well-being factors on corporate office provision’, Corporate Real Estate Journal , vol 6, no. 4, pp. 373-383.

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