IT Sector Transition to Agile: Managerial Challenges and Cultural Dynamics in Pakistan’s Technology Firms

Abstract

This research examined the use of agile methodologies within the IT sector in Pakistan in the views of project managers in terms of challenges and cultural fit. The study was to examine the role of organisational culture, managerial approach, and external forces in the implementation of agile in an environment characterised by hierarchical culture and resource limitations. A qualitative research design was adopted with reference to semi-structured interviews with twelve project managers who work with various IT companies. Thematic analysis involved manual coding to extract common themes leading to the identification of five major themes, namely cultural resistance to the principles of agile, gaps in managerial knowledge, structural barriers, external client and market pressures, and adaptive strategies to hybrid adoption. The results showed that although agile brought a considerable advantage to flexibility and competitiveness, hierarchical decision-making, ineffective training, and conflicting organisational priorities proved unhelpful in enhancing the success of the practice. Large companies had a problem of bureaucratic inertia, and SMEs lacked resources. However, to adjust the agile practices to the local cultural and organisational contexts, the project managers used adaptive strategies like gradual integration and combining models. The study demonstrates the necessity of setting strategies context-specific and aligning global agile frameworks with the organisational culture in Pakistan. The research offers important insights to theory and practice in agile management in the emerging economies.