Culture-free vs. Culture-bound: Implementing Agile Working Methods in Multinational Corporations

Abstract

Since the publication of the Agile Manifesto, there is a growing interest among management researchers and practitioners in agile methods. The assumed benefits of agile methods have led many MNCs to adopt these methods on a firm-wide basis. From a culture-bound perspective, this is surprising, as the implementation of agile methods in MNCs requires consideration of the cultural profile of employees, as agile methods may not be suitable for all cultures. However, the cultural prerequisites for successfully implementing agile methods have thus far only been studied insufficiently. This lack of research raises the possibility that the adoption of agile methods by MNCs is influenced by management fashion. With this paper, we aim to investigate cultural profiles of employees that are favorable for the successful implementation of agile methods. Applying the GLOBE study, we check our propositions for both the cultural value and cultural practice scores in ten country clusters. Moreover, we run a literature analysis documenting the degree of cultural spread of research on agile methods. The respective results show no culture-bound effect; rather they can be interpreted as reflections of global academic interest in and promotion of agile methods. This culture-free character is typical of management fashion trends.

Keywords: agility; agile methods; agile workforce; cultural limits; GLOBE; national culture

DOI: 10.7176/EJBM/17-1-07

Publication date: January 30th 2025