Interpretive structural modelling of agility enhancing management practices for agile manufacturing

A portfolio of management practices/strategies have been used to describe and define Agile Manufacturing with an objective to obtain agility in operations and business functions. The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the relationships and linkages of agility enhancing management practices in order to further understand and advance research in agility and agile manufacturing. Evaluating their relationships in both foundational and relational perspectives is completed through interpretive structural modelling (ISM). By identifying and developing the relationships and linkages among the agility enhancing management practices, managers can better prioritise implementation efforts and resources to successfully achieve agility and agile manufacturing. The developed ISM model has also been validated from practitioners in industry and academia. Human Resource Management is at the core among the fourteen relevant and agility enhancing management practices for agile manufacturing. The paper appears to be one of the first studies with a systemic approach to the implementation of agility and agile manufacturing.