The Effects of Leadership Behaviors on Organization Agility: A Quantitative Study of 126 U.S.-Based Business Units

Abstract

Researchers have theorized that the behaviors of organization leaders impact organization agility, which is defined as the ability of an organization to swiftly and successfully change in order to achieve long-term success. The purpose of this study was to determine if leadership behaviors as measured by the MLQ-5X predict organization agility as measured by the Agility Survey (short-form). The research sample included 126 U.S.-based business units within 47 organizations with greater than 1,000 employees. The leadership behaviors found to predict higher levels of organization agility included: (a) exploratory leadership behaviors that support discovering new ways to solve problems and conduct business, (b) latitude leadership behaviors that provide employees with a high degree of freedom and responsibility in achieving work results and resolving issues, (c) visionary leadership behaviors that create a clear organization purpose and mission and define the “why” of the organization’s existence, and (d) reflective leadership behaviors that cause leaders to challenge their own assumptions and create mechanisms for the organization to do so as well. The leadership behaviors related to power and structure predicted lower levels of organization agility.

Leadership Empowerment Values: A Literature Review

“…Leaders are able to invite many people to see other points of view that can be used as ideas to achieve targets. Leaders who have agility need two things, namely dynamic abilities, namely the ability to move quickly, responsiveness or adaptability; the second is stability, which includes durability, reliability, and efficiency (Gagel, 2021;Kustyadji, Gatot, 2021;Nururly, 2021).…”

Investigation of Organizational Agility Perceptions of Business People in a Low-Income Province

“…The research findings demonstrated that the perceptions of business people regarding organizational agility of their organizations and their perceptions about the competency, flexibility and responsiveness sub-dimensions that constitute the organizational agility scale were at high level, and their perceptions about the quickness sub-dimension were at very high level. Agility, which is defined as the ability to succeed in an ever-changing and unpredictable environment (Goldman, Nagel, & Preiss, 1995), is an organization's ability to dynamically respond to complex, turbulent and ambiguous and demanding internal and external factors (Young, 2013). Therefore, business people's high level of agility perceptions about their organizations may be considered as a positive situation.…”

“…In this regard, considering the fact that educated, professional and experienced managers will be at the top management of successful organizations and regarding the issues highlighted in the previous paragraph, it can be evaluated as an expected situation that business people may have higher levels of organizational agility perception for successful organizations. As a matter of fact, as stated by Goldman et al (1995), one of the most basic features of agile organizations is that they are highly qualified in terms of knowledge and skills, have detailed information about the organization and are compatible and flexible in order to meet customer demands that differ with organizational changes.…”

Examining the Influence of Leadership Agility, Organizational Culture, and Motivation on Organizational Agility: A Comprehensive Analysis

“…Glenn, M. (2009), Kasali R, (2014), Alhadid, A. (2016), Hamidianpour, at.al, (2016), Gagel, (2018), and Anna T. Walter, (2019). This era is very familiar with the term VUCA or volatility, uncertainty, complexity and ambiguity, which is an era full of uncertainty.…”

“…DuBrin (2015) also said that a common trait of leaders is their ability to inspire and stimulate others to achieve valuable goals. Leadership can be defined as trust and support among people to achieve organizational goals Gagel, (2018).…”