A Conceptualization of Agility: Utilization and Future Research for the Development of Mechatronic Systems
Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: Uncertainties and changes significantly shape the path of the design process, requiring situation-specific strategies and methods. Literature and practice highlight the implementation of agility as a means for companies to achieve competitive advantages in a dynamic development environment through more robust costumer integration and improved responsiveness. From a design science perspective, a key challenge remains the development of a theoretical model that explains how agility can be operationalized to realize benefits such as enhanced adaptability. Drawing on a literature review and six empirical studies on agile development of mechatronic systems in the German-speaking context, we propose a novel conceptualization of agility. Using systems thinking, we conceptualize agility as a construct and establish its relationship to agility as an attribute. Thus, the article provides a new methodological perspective on agility by explicitly linking its structural elements to established outcome perspectives from multiple domains. This work advances the methodological understanding of agility and identifies future research directions for the development of mechatronic systems, aiming to enrich the theory for its utilization.
Source: Systems
Institution: Technische Universität Dresden
Language: English
Subfield: Management of Technology and Innovation
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $2,896
OpenAlex ID: W7117311121