The organisational impact of agility: a systematic literature review

Abstract

This paper reviews the literature on agility and its relationship with organisational performance using a sample of 249 recent empirical studies from 1998 to February 2024. We find support for a relatively strong and consistent contribution of different aspects of agility to organisational performance. Our analysis highlights numerous salient issues in this literature in terms of the theoretical background, research design, and contextual factors in agility-performance research. On this basis, we propose relevant recommendations for future research to address these issues, specifically focusing on the role of the board of directors and their leadership in fostering organisational agility.