Investigating engagement in software project teams

Abstract

Context: Organizational transformations have intensified the need for software project teams to continuously adapt to change. In this context, engagement in teamwork emerges as a critical factor of Agile Governance. However, although conceptual frameworks have been developed to explain engagement, few are specifically tailored to the unique dynamics, work modalities, and cultural diversity of software project teams. Addressing this phenomenon is therefore essential to help both leaders and team members foster more engaged and resilient team environments amid complexity and rapid change. Objective: This research aimed to explore how engagement manifests within software project teams. Method: The research followed the Design Science Research (DSR) approach, which supports the investigation of real-world problems and the development of knowledge-producing artifacts. The main artifact developed was a theoretical model explaining how engagement manifests in software project teams. The research was structured in four phases: (1) Ideation, involving an exploratory literature review to trace the origins and expressions of engagement across contexts; (2) Design, including two empirical studies—one in an organizational setting and another in an educational context— field observations and interviews with agile multicultural teams in Canada and monocultural remote teams in Nepal, as part of a STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) initiative; (3) Development, in which data were analyzed using the Constant Comparative Method (CCM) to identify and refine constructs and observable variables; and (4) Evaluation, which involved (i) two virtual focus groups with 12 participants (engagement researchers and software team members) and (ii) an online survey completed by over 450 individuals, including 253 respondents from 76 project teams. Structural equation modeling was used to assess the model. Results: The proposed model integrates contextual influences, emergent states, and components of engagement. Findings confirm the model’s relevance and utility, offering both a theoretical and practical artifact to help software teams understand how engagement occurs in their context. Conclusion: The evaluated model fulfills its conceptual purpose by capturing the dynamic interaction of factors related to engagement in teams. The model can serve as a guide for identifying conditions for teamwork engagement. Future research could aim to operationalize and empirically and evaluate it in various software development settings.