Supporting Organisational Agility through Boundary Spanning and Knowledge Brokering in a Dual Operating System: A Case from the Software Industry
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.3127/ajis.v29.5095Keywords:
Organizational agility, Boundary spanning, Knowledge brokering, Software development, dual operating systemAbstract
One challenge that organisations face today is how to develop organisational agility to remain competitive within a constantly turbulent, dynamic, and potentially disruptive environment. In this paper, we examine how a software development company operationalises Kotter’s concept of a dual operating system to support organisational agility. The first operating system, the traditional hierarchical structure, enables the company to focus on providing efficiency and stability in its core operations. The second operating system prioritises flexibility. It is operationalised via boundary spanning and knowledge brokering activities rooted in a dedicated organisational unit that enables rapid response to environmental changes. We analyse the unit’s and its members’ approach and identify well-functioning activities and practices contributing to organisational agility as well as challenges and problems. As such we contribute to an improved understanding of how an intertwined strategy of boundary spanning and knowledge brokering, operating alongside a traditional hierarchical structure, forms a balancing mechanism between flexibility and stability, thus enabling organisational agility.
References
Ågerfalk, P. J. (2014). Insufficient theoretical contribution: a conclusive rationale for rejection? European Journal of Information Systems, 23(6), 593-599.
Agerfalk, P. J., Fitzgerald, B., & Slaughter, S. A. (2009). Introduction to the Special Issue--Flexible and Distributed Information Systems Development: State of the Art and Research Challenges. Information Systems Research, 20(3), 317-328. doi.org/10.1287/isre.1090.0244
Aghina, W., De Smet, A., & Weerda, K. (2015). Agility: It rhymes with stability. Retrieved from https://www.mckinsey.com/business-functions/organization/our-insights/agility-it-rhymes-with-stability
Aldrich, H., & Herker, D. (1977). Boundary spanning roles and organization structure. Academy of Management Review, 2(2), 217-230.
Alvesson, M., Hardy, C., & Harley, B. (2008). Reflecting on reflexivity: reappraising practice. Journal of Management Studies (45). 480–501.
Alvesson, M., & Sandberg, J. (2013). Has Management Studies Lost Its Way? Ideas for More Imaginative and Innovative Research. Journal of Management Studies (50), 128-152.
Ancona, D. G., & Caldwell, D. F. (1990). Beyond boundary spanning: Managing external dependence in product development teams. The Journal of High Technology Management Research, 1(2), 119-135.
Ancona, D. G., & Caldwell, D. F. (1992). Bridging the Boundary: External Activity and Performance in Organizational Teams. Administrative Science Quarterly, 37(4), 634-665. doi:10.2307/2393475
Ancona, D. G., & Caldwell, D. F. (1998). Rethinking team composition from the outside in. In D.H. Grueneld (Ed.), Research on Managing Groups and Team. Vol 1, Composition, 21-37.Amsterdam, The Netherlands: Elsevier.
Anupindi, R., Chopra, S., Deshmukh, S. D., Van Mieghem, J. A., & Zemel, E. (2006). Managing Business Process Flows. Principles of Operations Management (2 ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ, USA: Pearson Education.
Argote, L., & Miron-Spektor, E. (2011). Organizational Learning: From Experience to Knowledge. Organization Science, 22(5), 1123-1137. doi.org10.1287/orsc.1100.0621
Baham, C., & Hirschheim, R. (2022). Issues, challenges, and a proposed theoretical core of agile software development research. Information Systems Journal, 32(1), 103-129. doi.org/10.1111/isj.12336
Baškarada, S., & Koronios, A. (2018). The 5S organizational agility framework: a dynamic capabilities perspective. International Journal of Organizational Analysis, 26(2), 331-342. doi.org/10.1108/IJOA-05-2017-1163
Benbya, H., Nan, N., Tanriverdi, H., & Yoo, Y. (2020). Complexity and information systems research in the emerging digital world. MIS Quarterly, 44(1), 1-17.
Bharadwaj, A.,. El Sawy, O. A., Pavlou, P. A., & Venkatraman, N. (2013). Digital Business Strategy: Toward a Next Generation of Insights. MIS Quarterly, 37(2), 471-482.
Brynjolfsson, E., & McAfee, A. (2014). The Second Machine Age: Work, Progress, and Prosperity in a Time of Brilliant Technologies. New York, NY, USA: W.W. Norton & Company.
Burns, T., & Stalker, G. M. (1961). The Management of Innovation. Social Science Paperbacks. London, UK: Tavistock.
Cross, R., & Cummings, J. N. (2004). Tie and Network Correlates of Individual Performance in Knowledge-Intensive Work. Academy of Management Journal, 47(6), 928-937. doi.org10.2307/20159632
Crupi, A., Del Sarto, N., Di Minin, A., Gregori, G. L., Lepore, D., Marinelli, L., & Spigarelli, F. (2020). The digital transformation of SMEs – a new knowledge broker called the digital innovation hub. Journal of Knowledge Management, 24(6), 1263-1288. doi:10.1108/JKM-11-2019-0623
Fleming, L., & Waguespack, D. M. (2007). Brokerage, boundary spanning, and leadership in open innovation communities. Organization Science, 18(2), 165-180.
Franco, M., Guimarães, J., & Rodrigues, M. (2023). Organisational agility: systematic literature review and future research agenda. Knowledge Management Research & Practice, 21(6), 1021-1038. doi.org/10.1080/14778238.2022.2103048
Gasson, S. (2006). A genealogical study of boundary-spanning IS design. European Journal of Information Systems, 15(1), 26-41.
Gopal, A., & Gosain, S. (2009). The Role of Organizational Controls and Boundary Spanning in Software Development Outsourcing: Implications for Project Performance. Information Systems Research, 20(8), 1-23.
Haffke, I., Kalgovas, B., & Benlian, A. (2016), Options for Transforming the IT Function Using Bimodal IT, MIS Quarterly Executive, 16(2), 101-119.
Harris, M. L., Collins, R. W., & Hevner, A. R. (2009). Control of Flexible Software Development Under Uncertainty. Information Systems Research, 20(3), 400-419. doi.org/10.1287/isre.1090.0240
Harter, L., & Krone, K. (2001). The boundary-spanning role of a cooperative support organization: managing the paradox of stability and change in non-traditional organizations. Journal of Applied Communication Research, 29(3), 248-277. Retrieved from doi.org/10.1080/00909880128111
Kautz, K., & Nielsen, P. A. (2004). Understanding the implementation of software process improvement innovations in software organizations. Information Systems Journal, 14(1), 3-22. Retrieved from doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2575.2004.00156.x
Keszey, T. (2018). Boundary spanners’ knowledge sharing for innovation success in turbulent times. Journal of Knowledge Management, 22(5), 1061-1081. doi.org/10.1108/JKM-01-2017-0033
Kimble, C., Grenier, C., & Goglio-Primard, K. (2010). Innovation and knowledge sharing across professional boundaries: Political interplay between boundary objects and brokers. International Journal of Information Management, 30(5), 437-444.
Kotter, J. P. (2012). Accelerate! Harvard Business Review, 90(11), 43-58.
Kwon, S.-W., Rondi, E., Levin, D. Z., De Massis, A., & Brass, D. J. (2020). Network Brokerage: An Integrative Review and Future Research Agenda. Journal of Management, 46(6), 1092-1120. Doi.org/10.1177/0149206320914694
Laato, S., Mäntymäki, M., Islam, A. K. M. N., Hyrynsalmi, S., & Birkstedt, T. (2023). Trends and Trajectories in the Software Industry: implications for the future of work. Information Systems Frontiers, 25(2), 929-944. doi:10.1007/s10796-022-10267-4
Leonardi, P. M., & Barley, S. R. (2010). What’s under construction here? Social action, materiality, and power in constructivist studies of technology and organizing. Academy of Management Annals, 4(1), 1-51.
Levina, N. (2005). Collaborating on Multiparty Information Systems Development Projects: A Collective Reflection-in-Action View. Information Systems Research, 16(2), 109-130. Retrieved from 10.1287/isre.1050.0055 http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx? direct=true&db=buh&AN=17527638&lang=de&site=ehost-live
Levina, N., & Vaast, E. (2005). The emergence of boundary spanning competence in practice: implications for implementation and use of information systems. MIS Quarterly, 29(2), 335-363.
Lewis, M. W., Andriopoulos, C., & Smith, W. K. (2014). Paradoxical leadership to enable strategic agility. California Management Review, 56(3), 58-77.
Lu, Y., & Ramamurthy, K. (2011). Understanding the link between information technology capability and organizational agility: An empirical examination. MIS Quarterly, 35(4), 931-954.
Mahnke, V., Wareham, J., & Bjoern-Andersen, N. (2008) Offshore Middlemen: Transnational Intermediation in Technology Sourcing. Journal of Information Technology, 23(1), 18-30. doi: 10.1057/palgrave.jit.2000124
Marrone, J. A., Tesluk, P. E., & Carson, J. B. (2007). A Multilevel Investigation of Antecedents and Consequences of Team Member Boundary-Spanning Behavior. Academy of Management Journal, 50(6), 1423-1439. Retrieved from http://amj.aom.org/content/50/6/1423.abstract
Mathiassen, L., & Pries-Heje, J. (2006). Business agility and diffusion of information technology. European Journal of Information Systems, 15(2), 116-119. Retrieved from doi.org/10.1057/palgrave.ejis.3000610
Miles, M. B., & Huberman, A. M. (1994). Qualitative Data Analysis: A Sourcebook of New Methods. Beverly Hills, CA, USA: Sage.
Miles, M. B., Huberman, A. M., & Saldaña, J. (2014). Qualitative Data Analysis: A Methods Sourcebook (3 ed.). London, UK: Sage.
Mintzberg, H. (1979). Structuring of Organizations. London: UK: Pearson.
Neal, J. W., Posner, S., & Brutzman, B. (2023). Understanding brokers, intermediaries, and boundary spanners: a multi-sectoral review of strategies, skills, and outcomes. Evidence & Policy, 19(1), 95-95–115. doi.org/10.1332/174426421X16328416007542
Nguyen, T., Le, C. V., Nguyen, M., Nguyen, G., Lien, T. T. H., & Nguyen, O. (2024). The organisational impact of agility: a systematic literature review. Management Review Quarterly, 1-49. doi.org/10.1007/s11301-024-00446-9
Orlikowski, W. J., & Gash, D. C. (1994). Technological frames: making sense of information technology in organizations. ACM Transactions on Information Systems (TOIS), 12(2), 174-207.
Overby, E., Bharadwaj, A., & Sambamurthy, V. (2006). Enterprise agility and the enabling role of information technology. European Journal of Information Systems, 15(2), 120-131. Retrieved from 10.1057/palgrave.ejis.3000600. http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx? direct=true&db=buh&AN=28042003&lang=de&site=ehost-live
Pawlowski, S., & Robey, D. (2004). Bridging User Organizations: Knowledge Brokering and the Work of Information Technology Professionals. MIS Quarterly, 28(4), 645-672.
Pawlowski, S. D., Robey, D., & Raven, A. (2000, December 10-13). Supporting shared information systems: boundary objects, communities, and brokering. Paper presented at the ICIS 2000 Proceeding, Brisbane, Australia.
Pentland, B. T. (2003a). Conceptualizing and Measuring Variety in the Execution of Organizational Work Processes. Management Science, 49(7), 857-870.
Pentland, B. T. (2003b). Sequential Variety in Work Processes. Organization Science, 14(5), 528-540. Retrieved from http://orgsci.journal.informs.org/cgi/content/abstract/14/5/528
Poppendieck, M., & Poppendieck, T. (2003). Lean Software Development: An Agile Toolkit (1st ed.). Amsterdam, The Netherlands: Addison-Wesley Longman.
Ravichandran, T. (2018). Exploring the relationships between IT competence, innovation capacity and organizational agility. The Journal of Strategic Information Systems, 27(1), 22-42. doi.org/10.1016/j.jsis.2017.07.002
Reagans, R., & McEvily, B. (2003). Network Structure and Knowledge Transfer: The Effects of Cohesion and Range. Administrative Science Quarterly, 48(2), 240-267. doi:10.2307/3556658
Sambamurthy, V., Bharadwaj, A., & Grover, V. (2003). Shaping Agility through Digital Options: Reconceptualizing the Role of Information Technology in Contemporary Firms. MIS Quarterly, 27(2), 237-263. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org/stable/30036530
Shi, Y., Cui, T., & Kurnia, S. (2023). Value co-creation for digital innovation: An interorganizational boundary-spanning perspective. Information & Management, 60(5), 103817. doi.org/10.1016/j.im.2023.103817
Sommerville, I., Cliff, D., Calinescu, R., Keen, J., Kelly, T., Kwiatkowska, M., Mcdermind, J.,. & Paige, R. (2012). Large-scale complex IT systems. Communications of the ACM, 55(7), 71-77. doi:10.1145/2209249.2209268
Star, S. (2010). This is not a boundary object: Reflections of the origin of a concept. Science, Technology, & Human Values, 35, 601-617. doi:10.1177/0162243910377624
Star, S., & Griesemer, J. (1989). Institutional Ecology, 'Translations' and Boundary Objects: Amateurs and Professionals in Berkeley's Museum of Vertebrate Zoology, Social Studies of Science, 19 (3), 387–420. doi: 10.1177/03063128901900300
Tallon, P. P., & Pinsonneault, A. (2011). Competing perspectives on the link between strategic information technology alignment and organizational agility: insights from a mediation model. MIS Quarterly, 35(2), 463-486.
Tallon, P. P., Queiroz, M., Coltman, T., & Sharma, R. (2019). Information technology and the search for organizational agility: A systematic review with future research possibilities. The Journal of Strategic Information Systems, 28(2), 218-237. doi.org/10.1016/j.jsis.2018.12.002
Teece, D., Peteraf, M., & Leih, S. (2016). Dynamic capabilities and organizational agility: Risk, uncertainty, and strategy in the innovation economy. California Management Review, 58(4), 13-35. doi.org/10.1525/cmr.2016.58.4.13
Tortoriello, M., Reagans, R., & McEvily, B. (2011). Bridging the Knowledge Gap: The Influence of Strong Ties, Network Cohesion, and Network Range on the Transfer of Knowledge Between Organizational Units. Organization Science, published online before print doi:10.1287/orsc.1110.0688
Tushman, M. L. (1977). Special Boundary Roles in the Innovation Process. Administrative Science Quarterly, 22(4), 587-605.
Tushman, M. L. (1979). Work Characteristics and Subunit Communication Structure: A Contingency Analysis. Administrative Science Quarterly, 24(1), 82-98.
Vial, G. (2019). Understanding digital transformation: A review and a research agenda. The Journal of Strategic Information Systems, 28(2), 118-144. doi.org/10.1016/j.jsis.2019.01.003
Walter, A.-T. (2021). Organizational agility: ill-defined and somewhat confusing? A systematic literature review and conceptualization. Management Review Quarterly, 71(2), 343-391. doi:10.1007/s11301-020-00186-6
Wenger, E. (1998). Communities of Practice: Learning, meaning, and identity. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press. doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511803932
Wenger, E. (2000). Communities of Practice and Social Learning Systems. Organization, 7(2), 225-246. Retrieved from http://org.sagepub.com/content/7/2/225.abstract
Wessel, L., Baiyere, A., Ologeanu-Taddei, R., Cha, J., & Jensen, T. B. (2021). Unpacking the Difference Between Digital Transformation and IT-Enabled Organizational Transformation. Journal of the Association for Information Systems, 22(1), 6. doi:10.17705/1jais.00655
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 Christoph Rosenkranz, Karlheinz Kautz, Vanessa Cooper
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 Unported License.
AJIS publishes open-access articles distributed under the terms of a Creative Commons Non-Commercial and Attribution License which permits non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and AJIS are credited. All other rights including granting permissions beyond those in the above license remain the property of the author(s).
