New chapter "I do, therefore I am? Facets and effects of agility on public organizations" published in the handbook "Agile working in the public sector - experiences from Germany, Austria and Switzerland".

What is it about?

This chapter examines how different forms of agility affect the organizational structural dimensions of public administrations. It is based on case studies that analyze how agile methods, roles and mindsets are introduced, practiced and interwoven with existing bureaucratic structures in public administrations.

Key findings

• Agility is a multifaceted change paradigm in public organizations that tends to be blurred. It often serves as a collective term and projection surface for a wide variety of modernization projects. Implementation is often selective and situational, often without orientation towards a "pure" agile framework.
• In contrast to the claim that agility leads to less hierarchy and bureaucracy, the article shows that more agility in bureaucratic organizations also leads to more coordination and coordination effort. There is a need for more rules.

Implications for administrative practice

• Agility in administration is always the result of a local translation process in which elements can be specifically selected and meaningfully implemented locally
• However, the introduction of agility cannot be expected to automatically reduce bureaucracy. Rather, management must actively decide how responsibility and rules are to be structured locally.
• The introduction of new roles such as Scrum Master leads to a high need for formalization with regard to clear role descriptions, communication channels and interfaces for configuring the organization.