Fostering a Sense of Belonging in Hybrid Work Within Agile Software Development
摘要
The Agile Manifesto emphasizes individuals and interactions over processes and tools. However, after the COVID-19 pandemic, interaction in software development changed, and companies are trying to find new practices in the hybrid environment. Hybrid work research points to the benefits for the individual, whereas companies have begun to form new rules and policies to get employees back to the office. To find a balance benefiting all, companies need to find new ways to connect and communicate. This paper explores how hybrid work impacts the sense of belonging in agile software development. We conducted interviews (N = 38) and a workshop (N = 15) with professionals from three case organizations. Our thematic analysis identifies key factors influencing belonging at the individual, team, and organizational levels. Our findings underline that continuous, conscious, and visible actions are needed at all levels to foster a sense of belonging. As hybrid work reduces spontaneous and random encounters, maintaining a sense of belonging requires planned efforts to recreate the informal interactions that once happened naturally.