The Influence of Organizational Factors on Inter-team Knowledge Sharing Effectiveness in Agile Environments

Agile software development is known by focusing on interaction among team members to share knowledge. However, little guidance is provided to encourage interaction across agile teams. Based on a preliminary conceptual model, this paper examines influencing factors, such as organizational strategy, and communication flow and channels, regarding inter-team knowledge sharing (KS) effectiveness in agile environments. We analyze the characteristics and the influence of the mentioned factors through a survey research method. Data was gathered from seven Brazilian agile software organizations. We employed statistical analysis techniques, e.g., structural equation modeling and cross-table analysis, to analyze the results. Within the surveyed companies, organizational strategy reflects on moderate commitment towards knowledge. KS practices are carried out to an acceptable standard. Extensive communication flow and the use of several channels denote that agile companies are also fostering interaction across teams. We found strong relationship between these factors and the companies´ experience on agile methods. As companies continue on an agile adoption program, they growingly focus on long-term goals and consider knowledge as strategic resource. However, they still need to improve strategy alignment to all organization levels. Thus, we recommend that agile companies consider these factors when striving on this endeavor.