Ambidexterity in Agile Distributed Development: An Empirical Investigation.

Author List: Ramesh, Balasubramaniam; Mohan, Kannan; Cao, Lan;
Information Systems Research, 2012, Volume 23, Issue 2, Page 323-339.
Distributed software development has become a common reality with the advent of off-shore development and the need to be close to markets. Also, the dynamic nature of the environment in which businesses operate suggests the use of agile development methods. Whereas distributed software development requires the use of formal processes advocated by plan-driven approaches, rapidly changing environments are appropriate candidates for the use of agile development methods. This tension in agile distributed development poses conflicting demands between alignment and adaptability in the software development process. We conducted a multisite case study of three projects that use agile distributed development to examine how these organizations developed contextual ambidexterity-the ability to pursue conflicting demands simultaneously. Our findings, presented as a conceptual framework, indicate that conflicting demands between alignment and adaptability posed by agile distributed development can be addressed by a set of balanced practices that shape performance management and social context-two important antecedents of contextual ambidexterity.
Keywords: agile development; ambidexterity; distributed development; qualitative case study
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List of Topics

#152 0.224 software development process performance agile processes developers response tailoring activities specific requirements teams quality improvement outcomes productivity improve fit maturity
#80 0.144 organizations new information technology develop environment challenges core competencies management environmental technologies development emerging opportunities levels based change business technical
#153 0.125 usage use self-efficacy social factors individual findings influence organizations beliefs individuals support anxiety technology workplace key outcome behavior contextual longitudinal
#261 0.097 software development maintenance case productivity application tools systems function tool engineering projects effort code developed applications analysis estimation methodology methods
#71 0.070 distributed agents agent intelligent environments environment smart computational environmental scheduling human rule using does embodied provide trends computer-aided heterogeneous inventory
#289 0.069 qualitative methods quantitative approaches approach selection analysis criteria used mixed methodological aspects recent selecting combining known conclusions included article appropriateness
#125 0.063 framework model used conceptual proposed given particular general concept frameworks literature developed develop providing paper developing guidelines concepts appropriate set
#102 0.052 choice type functions nature paper literature particular implications function examine specific choices extent theoretical design discussion value widely finally adopted