Organisational Agility Exploring the Impact of Identity on Knowledge Management Neha Chatwani Organisational Agility Neha Chatwani Organisational Agility Exploring the Impact of Identity on Knowledge Management Neha Chatwani Workplace Atelier Vienna, Wien, Austria ISBN 978-3-030-17248-0 ISBN 978-3-030-17249-7 (eBook) https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-17249-7 © The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2019 This work is subject to copyright. All rights are solely and exclusively licensed by the Publisher, whether the whole or part of the material is concerned, specifically the rights of translation, reprinting, reuse of illustrations, recitation, broadcasting, reproduction on microfilms or in any other physical way, and transmission or information storage and retrieval, electronic adaptation, computer software, or by similar or dissimilar methodology now known or hereafter developed. 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Cover illustration: Pattern © John Rawsterne/patternhead.com This Palgrave Pivot imprint is published by the registered company Springer Nature Switzerland AG The registered company address is: Gewerbestrasse 11, 6330 Cham, Switzerland For my sister, Sheila P reface This book is based on insights gained from a doctoral research field study conducted at a renowned international humanitarian organisation. It investigates the impact of organisational identity on knowledge manage- ment through the lens of organisational agility. The organisation under investigation is widely recognised as an agile role-model in its field, delivering emergency medical services globally. Its global relevance for humanitarian aid since the 1970s has been rewarded with the Nobel Prize. As a researcher, the opportunity to study a dynamic organisational phenomenon such as agility in this unusual and pertinent setting resembles the excitement described in Siggelkow’s talking pig met- aphor (see Chap. 2). In this vein, this book aims to make a contribution well beyond a dis- sertational work based on a single case study. Rather than being a purely self-referential exercise that contributes towards management theory, it is an honest attempt to make a constructive and meaningful contribution to informed agility in organisations. Chapter 1 explains the organisational agility paradigm which postulates that agile organisations develop a sensing ability that allows them to antici- pate inner and external environmental shifts by scanning for relevant cues and making sense of these. It is this sense-ability that continually triggers appropriate knowledge flows that result in timely actions of organisational responsiveness or agility. The theoretical discourse in Chap. 1 notes that whereas the importance of knowledge sharing for organisational agility is not disputed in l iterature, vii viii PREFACE it is unclear how and when organisational knowledge is shared to enable an agile response. It is this gap that the research in the book explores. Chapter 2 explains the methodology of research for this case study and how the agility model is modified by the outcomes. The research results show that in agility, knowledge transfer practices are an expression of iden- tity. The gathering of data and information for the creation of specific and relevant business intelligence (sense-ability) as well as the proactive lever- aging, organising and distribution of this intelligence and organisational knowledge are consistently and incrementally aligned with organisational identity attributes through processes of ‘identity work’. Specifically, so- called cognitive tactics are employed that involve a matching of possible actions with specific identity attributes and the reordering or reprioritising of these depending on, for example, their contextual relevance and align- ment with the organisation’s purpose and strategy. The process of align- ment through cognitive tactics triggers knowledge flows that result in timely organisational action—in other words, agile responsiveness. These actions can be short term, for instance the just-in-time deportation of resources, or longer term, as with the acquisition of specific talents or skills. The identity work and cognitive tactics are embedded at both levels of identity construction: institutional claims in the form of sense-giving by leaders of the organisation and sense-making processes of individual organisational actors. The two levels are interlinked. Notably, the reverse impact is also observed, albeit more gradually, as incremental adaptations to knowledge practices eventually influence organisational identity. For example, engaging in an increasing number of innovative solutions gradually leads to a collective understanding that the organisation is innovative and that this is possibly a ‘new’ identity attribute. Finally, Chap. 3 discusses the results of the research within the context of the current debate on agility and its managerial relevance. Through the continuous alignment of knowledge sharing routines among organisa- tional actors, with their understanding of ‘who they are’ and ‘who they would like to be’ as well as the broader purpose and strategy, the organisa- tion can reach optimal agile responsiveness in turbulent contexts. Paradoxically, when this focus is clear and stable, operational flexibility is possible. When operational activities expressed in knowledge flows cannot be aligned with the common understanding of the organisation’s identity and purpose, organisational responsiveness is either hampered or closed down. PREFACE ix This book makes a twofold contribution, both academic and practical. The academic contribution underlines the importance of identity work in understanding organisational processes, such as knowledge sharing prac- tices and their outcomes and agile capacity building in organisations. By suggesting that knowledge transfer, agile change and identity are all closely linked, a deeper engagement with the organisation’s identity, purpose and its mission is stressed as being integral to effective change management initiatives. This research also offers an important insight for the manage- ment practice of change in institutional organisational development, where continuous change is becoming the new norm in a VUCA (volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous) environment. The results of this empirical investigation suggest that continuous and sustainable change is best managed by allowing organisational actors to work through the para- doxes of sense-making, and by managers not only walking the talk but also by talking the walk during the change process, that is, pronouncing insti- tutional claims through sense-giving. The interplay of both aspects facili- tates a greater capacity for organisational agility. Vienna, Austria Neha Chatwani January 2019 a cknowledgements In deep gratitude to all organisational actors who spent time with me to make this research possible and to all those who encouraged the writing of this book. I will always be thankful. xi c ontents 1 A gility Revisited 1 2 The Agile Case Study 23 3 An Updated Model for Agility and Its Implications 47 Index 69 xiii