Experts Effectively Improve Workforce Agility
An empirical study based on project-oriented organisations

Abstract

The rapid evolution of Information Technology presents both opportunities and challenges for organisations, heightening the need for agility to navigate uncertainties and adapt to dynamic changes effectively. Within the extensive body of research on organisational agility, the concept of workforce agility has emerged as pivotal, gaining increasing traction in recent discourse. The author's inspiration stems from the phenomenon observed during the Covid-19 pandemic, wherein the authority and reputation of experts came under scrutiny and challenge. This introspection prompted the author to recognise a prevailing research gap regarding the mechanisms underlying the impact of expert resources on workforce agility.

Drawing upon the theories of Resource-Based View (RBV) and Dynamic Capability Theory, this study explores the impact and pathways which experts, recognised as scarce resources, influence the workforce agility of project members in collaborative project environments characterised by virtual teams and frequent resource allocations.

The study introduces a novel workforce agility assessment scale tailored to project management contexts, encompassing three distinct factors. Concurrently, it advances a conceptual framework elucidating the influence of expert resources on workforce agility. Specifically, it posits that reputation of experts, work engagement, and private knowledge transfer exert positive effects on workforce agility through the mediating mechanisms of quality of new employees, task performance, and knowledge application of project members, respectively. Furthermore, the study conducts a comparative analysis to discern the differential impacts of internal and external experts on workforce agility.

Through a systematic analysis of data gathered from 326 samples across 53 software and information services enterprises in China, the results demonstrate that private knowledge transfer of experts significantly and positively affects workforce agility. Additionally, work engagement of experts also promotes workforce agility through the partial mediating effect of task performance of project members in specific scenarios. Conversely, reputation of experts exerts no discernible direct impact on workforce agility when mediated by quality of new recruits. Furthermore, the study underscores the predictive validity of the newly devised workforce agility scale, particularly suited to project-oriented organisations. Notably, the study reveals no significant distinction in the effects of internal versus external experts on workforce agility. Similarly, the results also indicate that firm size, as a control variable, does not have statistical significance.

By integrating workforce agility and Dynamic Capability Theory, this study provides empirical evidence explaining the relationship between expert resources and workforce agility, thereby bridging the gap between theoretical inquiry and practical application. In doing so, it advances the frontiers of existing scholarly paradigms and offers nuanced insights into strengthening organisational agility within the software and information services domain, as well as potential solutions for project management activities in other industries.