BUS703: Analyzing Agile Workplace Impact on Productivity

This report, prepared for BUS703, examines the impact of agile workplaces on organizational performance, specifically focusing on the case of Ansarada. The report begins by outlining the context of the problem, highlighting how the implementation of an agile work environment, intended to boost employee engagement and productivity, led to unforeseen challenges such as decreased productivity due to employees misusing the provided facilities. The report then poses key management questions regarding the implementation and improvement of the agile workplace strategy. It further establishes a research question to investigate the impact of the agile workplace on overall organizational performance, and sets objectives to measure the effects on employee engagement, assess the failure of the initial strategy, and identify ways to improve the strategy's positive outcomes. The report concludes with a reference list of relevant academic sources.

BUS703 Managing Research
Assessment Task 1
Draft of Background and Problem Definition of Research Proposal
Provide a draft of your Background and Problem Definition using the four headings below. Please
refer to the detailed guidelines for Assessment Task 2 to assist you with this task.
Background to the problem (highlight the key issues/symptoms that have led to the
problem/opportunity arising – use point form to summarise).
Within the fast changing business landscape where globalization has introduced fast technological
advancements, the organizations are also shaping themselves according to the needs of the
employees. The organization, Ansarada, is the international provider of the data rooms for the
acquisition and merger. The organization is mostly based in New South Wales and Sydney. In
order to increase the employee engagement and retaining the talent within the organization,
Ansarada has promoted agile work environment so that the employees stay motivated and the
employee engagement increases. This will eventually impact the expense metrics and the all over
productivity of the organization. The organization has implemented few innovative strategies within
the workplace such as; the organization has developed the workplace in a way that will increase
the employee engagement. In place of the traditional desks, the organization has incorporated few
places where the employees can go and work in a nonconventional way. There was collaboration
space where the employees and have meetings, focus area where the employee can go if they
have any specific job, training and development area which is used for training sessions. Other
than that, the employees were also encouraged to take postings as they want. The organization
has also made flexible working hours for specific employees. However, after few months it was
seen that in place of improving the productivity of the organization, the work flow is hampered as
the employees are taking wrong advantages of such facilities. Therefore, summarizing the issue, it
can be said that,
 The employees were taking advantages of the provided facilities.
 The productivity of the organization was hindered in place of getting enhanced
Management decision (what is the decision management have to make that research will assist
with? – in question form).
How would the management implement the innovative work environment which will enhance the
performance of the organization?
What should the management do when the implementation procedure fails?
How should the management deal with their new strategy so that it contributes to increase the
productivity?
Research question (from a research perspective what information is required to answer the
management problem?).
 What are the impacts of agile work place on the overall performance of the organization?

(Information) Objectives (specific information required to address the research problem – must
be in objective form. As a guide, minimum of three and no more than six).
 To measure the impacts of the agile work place on the employee engagement and the overall
productivity of the organization
 To measure whether implementing agile work place strategy has failed
 To find out how the strategy would work in an positive way so that the employee engagement
increases.

Reference list
Downing, C.G. and Belt, M.B., 2016. Stress Fracture: Adverse Effects of Lean Initiatives.
Nettleton, S., Sebbens, T., Fairhall, H. and Firth, T., 2016. Stay agile: Managing employment
relations in the new economy. Governance Directions, 68(8), p.475.
Parker, D.W., Holesgrove, M. and Pathak, R., 2015. Improving productivity with self-organised
teams and agile leadership. International Journal of Productivity and Performance
Management, 64(1), pp.112-128.
Wright, S., 2017. What is in the new workplace environment? A consideration of the impact of well-
being factors on corporate office provision. Corporate Real Estate Journal, 6(4), pp.373-383.