Fatores de influência no engajamento e confiança em equipes SCRUM na migração do regime de trabalho presencial para o híbrido em uma empresa do setor aeronáutico

Abstract

This study analyzed the factors that influence the engagement and trust of agile teams in the migration from in-person to hybrid work (part remote and part in-person) due to the COVID-19 pandemic, through the analysis of a product engineering department in the aeronautical industry. The COVID-19 pandemic forced the company to put the entire department into remote work and later into a hybrid work regime. This study evaluated whether there was a change in the factors that make up performance in this migration to the hybrid work regime in this company, which uses the agile approach in team management with the SCRUM method as a tool for managing activities. Agile methods were developed to be applied in a face-to-face environment and have as a central characteristic the interaction between team members, with quick and daily meetings, the so-called stand-up meetings. Problems faced by companies that use agile approaches in a remote environment were found in the literature, such as difficulties in using SCRUM ceremonies and decreased team autonomy with increased control over activities, thus influencing performance factors. A questionnaire was developed based on seven factors: autonomy, communication, ceremonies, roles, engagement, trust, and mutual support. The questions used a Likert scale from 1 to 5, and the interviewees responded about two periods, before the pandemic (in-person) and after the pandemic (hybrid), in addition to answering questions about their knowledge of the SCRUM method. After applying the questionnaire to the company studied, the data were compiled and analyzed using partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM). Statistical analysis of the data showed that there was no significant change in the relationships between the factor’s engagement, trust and mutual support, that influence the performance of agile teams, thus demonstrating that the model of relationships in remote and hybrid work regimes does not change. Likewise, there was no change in the variables that make up the agile performance factors (engagement, trust and mutual support). Based on the characterization of the members, the problems encountered in the application of the method, such as roles and ceremonies, may be related to the lack of knowledge and training of the teams, especially the SCRUM master. This study brought as a theoretical contribution to the literature, the study of impact on the performance of product engineering in a non-software development company, in a hybrid work regime (part remote and part in-person), compared to in-person work, responding to the academic gap. As a technological product, this study developed a conclusive technical report demonstrating how the factors that influence team performance were not changed in the migration from in-person to hybrid work, as well as the main factors that influence such performance in order to support the company in proposing improvements to the SCRUM method.