QUALITATIVE EXAMINATION OF HOW AGILITY AND AGILE MANUFACTURING FIT WITH TRADITIONAL STRATEGY AND THE TRIZ FRAMEWORK

Agility and Agile Manufacturing are examined here as a strategic implementation that businesses carry out in order to gain competitive advantage. The focus of agile activities is examined and the context and methodology applied are used as a basis to form theory on where Agility is really derived from. Grounded theory techniques are used to discover some the paradigms behind Agility. The context of the research on implementing and achieving Agility is also examined. These paradigms and the context in which they are used are compared to traditional schools of thought on strategic thinking and implementation. The study treats Agility in the widest sense and examines it in manufacturing, software and other industrial situations. Where Agility fits into corporate, business and manufacturing strategy and how Agility drives strategic advantage is examined in the literature reviewed.