Beware the Pitfalls of Agility

Authors

Bernadine J. Dykes, Shenandoah University
Kalin Kolev, Marquette UniversityFollow
Walter J. Ferrier, University of Kentucky
Margaret Hughes-Morgan, Marquette UniversityFollow

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

2023

Publisher

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Source Publication

MIT Sloan Management Review

Source ISSN

1532-9194

Abstract

Given the panoply of recent disruptions — including COVID-19, inflation, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine — it’s no surprise that many leaders are striving to quickly dial up the agility level of their companies. Indeed, the ability to rapidly adapt to changing conditions can be a shield against disruption and a healing prescription for crisis. But organizational agility is not a panacea. There are pitfalls in the pursuit of agility that can and do produce unintended consequences.

Agility is a multidimensional concept that comprises three sequential and interrelated processes: alertness to the need for change, the decision to make the change, and the mobilization of the organizational resources required to execute the change. Our agility research and observations regarding the behavior of companies, especially during the pandemic, revealed that each process contains a pitfall that can subvert its outcomes: Alertness harbors the pitfall of hubris, decision-making harbors the pitfall of impulsiveness, and mobilization harbors the pitfall of resource fatigue.

Comments

MIT Sloan Management Review, 2023.

Recommended Citation

Dykes, Bernadine J.; Kolev, Kalin; Ferrier, Walter J.; and Hughes-Morgan, Margaret, "Beware the Pitfalls of Agility" (2023). Management Faculty Research and Publications. 384.
https://epublications.marquette.edu/mgmt_fac/384