Agile XP, Stress, Trust and Empowerment in Distributed Workforce Environments

Date of Award

2023

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Organization Development & Change (D.O.D.C.)

Department

Organization Development

First Advisor

William Sawaya (Committee Chair)

Second Advisor

James Foust (Other)

Third Advisor

Michelle Brodke (Committee Member)

Fourth Advisor

Claudy Jules (Committee Member)

Fifth Advisor

Michael Zickar (Committee Member)

Abstract

As our fast-paced world evolves technologically, Agile methods that increase productivity are widely used. Several methodologies utilize the core principles of Agile (i.e., Scrum/Kanban, feature-driven development), but some are better than others for a specific task (Alexander, 2018; Aston, 2022; Stellman et al., 2014). Extreme Programming (XP) is an Agile methodology that promotes improved team performance based on its adherence to the Agile Manifesto, values, and specific Practices (Altexsoft, 2021; Sacolick, 2022). This study was designed to add to the body of knowledge on Agile methodology by determining to what degree Agile ideals and XP are related to stress, trust in management, and trustworthiness. Data collection for this study was completed over a seven-week period via a survey instrument designed for software engineers and Agile practitioners (N =134). The analysis of the data confirmed that there was a relationship between the Agile Manifesto, Values, and XP Practices such that trust was higher and stress was lower with increased adherence to Agile Values and increased utilization of XP Practices. Additional research is required to fully understand how these factors impact stress, trust in management, and trustworthiness.

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