How Agile Is Agile? A Case Study of an Agile Transformation in a Public Sector Organisation

This study explores how an agile methodology is translated and adapted in a public sector organisation with high digital ambitions. Digitalisation plays a significant role in transforming the public sector, and the working practices in which digitalisation-work takes place, impacts the outcome of such efforts. However, working according to agile methodologies is conflicting with traditional public sector management structures (Jensen, 2020). Methods: Based on an ethnographic real-time study of an agile transformation, I provide detailed accounts and novel insights into how a public sector adapt to new ways of working with digital solutions. The case organisation is the IT and Development Agency, one out of seven agencies, but who plays a dominating role in the Danish Tax Administration. Theory and contributions: The concept of translation (Czarniawska & Sevón, 1996) is applied and differentiated with programmatic and operative elements (Sahlin & Wedlin, 2008). This allows clarification of the translation of meaning into a new concept that can be directly related how this subsequently comes alive in practice. Work that is done by different translators. Part of the data collection has been virtual, why this study also will provide knowledge of how translation happens in a virtual space