Misaligned values in software engineering organizations
Artikel i vetenskaplig tidskrift, 2019

The values of software organizations are crucial for achieving high performance; in particular, agile development approaches emphasize their importance. Researchers have thus far often assumed that a specific set of values, compatible with the development methodologies, must be adopted homogeneously throughout the company. It is not clear, however, to what extent such assumptions are accurate. Preliminary findings have highlighted the misalignment of values between groups as a source of problems when engineers discuss their challenges. Therefore, in this study, we examine how discrepancies in values between groups affect software companies' performance. To meet our objectives, we chose a mixed method research design. First, we collected qualitative data by interviewing fourteen (N = 14) employees working in four different organizations and processed it using thematic analysis. We then surveyed seven organizations (N = 184). Our analysis indicated that value misalignment between groups is related to organizational performance. The aligned companies were more effective, more satisfied, had higher trust, and fewer conflicts. Our efforts provide encouraging findings in a critical software engineering research area. They can help to explain why some companies are more efficient than others and, thus, point the way to interventions to address organizational challenges.

agile

software engineering

alignment

theory

organizational values

Författare

Per Lenberg

Chalmers, Data- och informationsteknik

Robert Feldt

Chalmers, Data- och informationsteknik, Software Engineering

Lars Goran Wallgren Tengberg

Göteborgs universitet

Journal of Software: Evolution and Process

2047-7481 (eISSN)

Vol. 31 3 e2148

Ämneskategorier

Arbetslivsstudier

Programvaruteknik

Systemvetenskap

DOI

10.1002/smr.2148

Mer information

Senast uppdaterat

2020-02-17