Dynamic tensions of individually experienced autonomy in agile project teams: A conceptual model

In today’s complex organizational environments, fostering motivated employees is essential for sustaining success. While we consider autonomy a central motivator in projects, increased autonomy is also a characteristic of agile project teams following self-organizing principles. This combination of creative freedom and commitment creates a paradox of being able to act autonomously while closely interacting with team members to achieve a joint outcome. The individual’s experience involves balancing autonomy with team collaboration. This paper investigates the experienced autonomy of individuals in agile teams. It applies a paradox lens to uncover tensions between individual autonomy and being part of an agile team. An integrative literature review, combined with a systematic literature review of 37 research papers, facilitates the comprehensive integration of literature from diverse streams, offering a theoretical contribution. The conceptual contribution involves defining experienced autonomy and developing a model of dynamic tensions for individually experienced autonomy in agile teams. The model identifies three dimensions critical to supporting autonomy: autonomy to learn, autonomy to share, and autonomy to create. This dynamic concept is supported by reinforcing cycles that either enhance or decrease individually experienced autonomy. This research advances the theoretical understanding of autonomy in agile teams and offers practical insights for organizational management seeking to foster environments where autonomy enhances motivation. The validation of the model is the subject of further research. • A comprehensive definition and theoretical model of experienced autonomy is developed, identifying three distinct yet interconnected dimensions that correspond to basic psychological needs: autonomy to share, autonomy to learn, and autonomy to create. • The paper reconceptualizes autonomy, moving beyond the traditional autonomy-control duality to present autonomy as an individual experience shaped by various paradoxical tensions, rather than simply a matter of given control. • The integration of both integrative and systematic literature review methods combines two approaches to reviewing literature across different research streams while ensuring a transparent analysis process. This results in a strong and thorough theoretical foundation for the conceptual model. • The model identifies virtuous and vicious cycles at the individual, team, and organizational levels, offering a basis for further research on how positive autonomy experiences can be maintained or undermined in agile project contexts. • The deductive use of paradox theory as an analytical lens to understand tensions within agile project teams provides practitioners with practical insights. The results present tensions of organizing, belonging, learning and performing related to experienced autonomy in agile project teams. This provides actionable guidance for agile team leaders to create a workplace that fosters motivation among their team members.