Agile project management factors and adversity: effects on team resilience and performance

Purpose With the growing adoption of agile management, this study examines how top management commitment, agile processes, and agile software techniques affect team resilience and performance, and the mediating role of resilience. Adversity is examined as a direct and moderating factor. Design/methodology/approach Data from 142 agile project team members in the IT sector were analysed using structural equation modelling. Constructs were operationalised at the individual level based on members' perceptions of team functioning. Findings Top management commitment, agile processes, and software techniques significantly enhance team resilience, which improves team performance. Resilience partially mediates the effects of top management commitment and software techniques on performance, while agile processes show a significant indirect effect through resilience. Adversity negatively affects resilience and positively moderates the relationship between top management commitment and resilience. Research limitations/implications Drawing on COR theory, the findings show how agile project factors and adversity jointly shape resilience and performance. The cross-sectional design and individual perceptions limit causal inference and generalisability. Practical implications Managers should strengthen top management commitment and agile capabilities to support team resilience, particularly when teams operate under adverse conditions. Originality/value The study highlights the dual role of adversity and integrates organisational, procedural, and technical agile factors into a unified model of team resilience and performance.