Paper Number
ICIS2025-1465
Paper Type
Complete
Abstract
As organizations adopt agile ways of working to navigate increasingly unpredictable environments, traditional budgeting practices often conflict with the need for flexibility and speed. This study investigates how large organizations adopt agile-aligned budgeting practices, drawing on a literature review and case studies of two Swiss insurance companies at different stages of agile maturity. The findings show that while traditional budgeting structures persist, the companies are progressively integrating agile elements such as rolling planning, decentralized decision-making, and iterative investment prioritization. Higher levels of agile maturity are associated with stronger strategic alignment and collective performance evaluation. However, regulatory constraints and cultural inertia within finance functions remain persistent barriers. This paper contributes to the emerging field of budgeting agility by illustrating how organizations balance financial discipline with adaptability, and by showing that budgeting transformation is evolutionary rather than disruptive.
Recommended Citation
Bahith, Seluan; Matter, Philipp; Leikert-Boehm, Ninja; and Miscione, Gianluca, "From Budgeting in Agility to Agility in Budgeting: Insights from Swiss Insurers" (2025). ICIS 2025 Proceedings. 5.
https://aisel.aisnet.org/icis2025/isdesign/isdesign/5
From Budgeting in Agility to Agility in Budgeting: Insights from Swiss Insurers
As organizations adopt agile ways of working to navigate increasingly unpredictable environments, traditional budgeting practices often conflict with the need for flexibility and speed. This study investigates how large organizations adopt agile-aligned budgeting practices, drawing on a literature review and case studies of two Swiss insurance companies at different stages of agile maturity. The findings show that while traditional budgeting structures persist, the companies are progressively integrating agile elements such as rolling planning, decentralized decision-making, and iterative investment prioritization. Higher levels of agile maturity are associated with stronger strategic alignment and collective performance evaluation. However, regulatory constraints and cultural inertia within finance functions remain persistent barriers. This paper contributes to the emerging field of budgeting agility by illustrating how organizations balance financial discipline with adaptability, and by showing that budgeting transformation is evolutionary rather than disruptive.
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