Ambidexterity in Agile Distributed Development: An Empirical Investigation

  • Authors:

  • Balasubramaniam Ramesh;Kannan Mohan;Lan Cao

  • Affiliations:

  • Computer Information Systems Department, Georgia State University, Atlanta, Georgia 30302;Department of Statistics and Computer Information Systems, Zicklin School of Business, Baruch College, City University of New York, New York, New York, 10010;Department of Information Technology and Decision Sciences, Old Dominion University, Norfolk, Virginia 23529

  • Venue:
  • Information Systems Research
  • Year:
  • 2012

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Abstract

Distributed software development has become a common reality with the advent of off-shore development and the need to be close to markets. Also, the dynamic nature of the environment in which businesses operate suggests the use of agile development methods. Whereas distributed software development requires the use of formal processes advocated by plan-driven approaches, rapidly changing environments are appropriate candidates for the use of agile development methods. This tension in agile distributed development poses conflicting demands between alignment and adaptability in the software development process. We conducted a multisite case study of three projects that use agile distributed development to examine how these organizations developed contextual ambidexterity---the ability to pursue conflicting demands simultaneously. Our findings, presented as a conceptual framework, indicate that conflicting demands between alignment and adaptability posed by agile distributed development can be addressed by a set of balanced practices that shape performance management and social context---two important antecedents of contextual ambidexterity.