Abstract

While much is known about the beneficial effects of agile information systems development (ISD), scholars have largely neglected to shed light on its potential downsides. Specifically, research has overlooked to examine the ambivalent implications of the specific demands placed on developers working in agile ISD teams, including potentially depleting effects. Drawing on ego depletion theory and literature, we provide a more balanced view and introduce self-regulatory resource depletion triggered by using agile ISD practices – encompassing software development (SD) and project management (PM) practices – as a theoretical perspective on why agile developers experience different levels of work-related fatigue that lead to stronger or weaker turnover intentions. Furthermore, we propose that due to the specific way in which agile ISD methods organize ISD project work, workload perceived by developers influences the intensity by which agile ISD practices affect self-regulatory resources and developers’ feelings of fatigue. We examined our research model using a multimethod approach including quantitative and qualitative data. We found that agile SD practices use enhances developers’ self-regulatory resources and reduces fatigue and turnover intention. Our results also show that perceived workload strengthens the energizing effects of agile SD practices use and reveals a depleting effect of agile PM practices use, with countervailing implications for turnover intention. This study contributes to agile ISD literature by drawing a more nuanced and balanced picture with both resource-enhancing and resource-draining effects of agile ISD practices use. Finally, we give managerial advice regarding factors to consider when designing and managing agile ISD projects.

DOI

10.17705/1jais.00766

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