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Agility and leadership in the VUCA environment: A view of global research tendencies

Year 2025, Issue: 71, 195 - 201, 30.08.2025
https://doi.org/10.18070/erciyesiibd.1531595

Abstract

The aim of this study is to present the literature by using the bibliometric analysis method, which offers the opportunity to examine in depth the reflections of agility, which has become a remarkable topic in recent years, in the process of management transformation from a holistic perspective in order to understand the effectiveness of leadership, which plays a major role in the business world where volatility, uncertainty, complexity and ambiguity are high. In the research conducted for this purpose, it was determined that there are 18,379 publications on the concept of agility and agile leadership in the Web of Science (WOS) database, and 1,550 of these publications are in the article type, in the management category, and in the English language. According to some of the findings obtained as a result of the bibliometric analysis, the most studies on agile and agile leadership in the last decade were conducted in 2023 (235) publications and Christopher, M. was the most cited, according to the co-author network visualization, the most linked studies were around Gligor, D. M., Gölgeci, İ. and Holsapple, C.W., the most repeated keyword is agility, the most cited country is USA, and according to bibliometric matching analysis, Benchmarking: An International Journal is one of the most influential journals on document basis.

References

  • Aftab, S., Khalid, K., Waheed, A. Aftab, A. & Adnan, A. (2022). Role of agile leadership in managing inter-role conflicts for a satisfying job and life during COVID-19 in a VUCA world. Frontiers in Psychology, 13, https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.979792 .
  • Akkaya, B., & Yazıcı, A. M. (2020). Comparing agile leadership with biomimicry-based gray wolf: Proposing a new model. Business & Management Studies: An International Journal, 8(2), 1455-1478. http://dx.doi.org/10.15295/bmij.v8i2.1480 .
  • Akkaya, B., Panait, M., Apostu, S. A., & Kaya, Y. (2022). Agile leadership and perceived career success: The mediating role of job embeddedness. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 19(8), 4834. https://doi.org/10.3390/ ijerph19084834 .
  • Atanassova, I., Bednar, P., Khan, H., & Khan, Z. (2025). Managing the VUCA environment: The dynamic role of organizational learning and strategic agility in B2B versus B2C firms. Industrial Marketing Management, 125, 12-28. https://doi.org/10.1016/j. indmarman.2024.12.008
  • Baran, B. E., & Woznyj, H. M. (2020). Managing VUCA: The human dynamics of agility. Organizational dynamics, 50(2), https://doi.org/10.1016/j.orgdyn.2020.100787 .
  • Bennett, N., & Lemoine, G. J. (2014). What a difference a word makes: Understanding threats to performance in a VUCA world. Business horizons, 57(3), 311-317.
  • Bir, Y., & Koç, M. (2022). Vuca ortamında çalışanların çevik liderlik becerisi algısı: bir ölçek geliştirme çalışması ve saha araştırması. Uluslararası Yönetim İktisat ve İşletme Dergisi, 18(4), 1270-1307. https://doi.org/10.17130/ijmeb.1166705 .
  • Chouki, M., de Mozota, B. B., Kallmuenzer, A., Kraus, S., & Dabic, M. (2021). Design thinking and agility in digital production: the key role of user experience design. IEEE transactions on engineering management, 70(12), 4207-4221. https://doi.org/10.1109/ TEM.2021.3099094 .
  • de Barros, R., Resende, L. M., & Pontes, J. (2025). Exploring Creativity and Innovation in Organizational Contexts: A Systematic Review and Bibliometric Analysis of Key Models and Emerging Opportunities. Journal of Open Innovation: Technology, Market, and Complexity, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.joitmc.2025.100526 .
  • Eckstein, G., Shrestha, A., Sassenberg, A. M., & Dwivedi, Y. K. (2023). Marketing agility in volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous (VUCA) contexts: a systematic literature review and future research agenda. Management Review Quarterly, 1-29. https://doi. org/10.1007/s11301-023-00391-z .
  • Erer, B. (2024). A bibliometric analysis of the world of VUCA in business and management literature. Business, Economics and Management Research Journal, 7(1), 1-13. https:// doi.org/10.58308/bemarej.1415889 .
  • Farooq, R. (2024). A review of knowledge management research in the past three decades: a bibliometric analysis. VINE Journal of Information and Knowledge Management Systems, 54(2), 339-378. https://doi.org/10.1108/VJIKMS-08-2021-0169 .
  • Gaurav, G., Singh, A. B., Mistry, S., Gupta, S., Dangayach, G. S., & Meena, M. L. (2021). Recent progress of scientific research on life cycle assessment. Materials Today: Proceedings, 47, 3161-3170. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.matpr.2021.06.208 .
  • Hadiastriani, Y., & Djarot, P. (2024). Mapping research trends on development of scientific literacy assessment: A bibliometric analysis. JPBI (Jurnal Pendidikan Biologi Indonesia), 10(1), 211-222. https://doi.org/10.22219/jpbi.v10i1.31136 .
  • Haider, S. A., Tehseen, S., Khan, S., Mata, M. N., Martins, J. M., & Abreu, A. (2021). A literature review on agility-is there a need to develop a new instrument?. International Journal of Entrepreneurship, 25(4).
  • Johannes, K., & Tatiana, B. (2024). Factors to achieve cost efficiency in operation and manufacturing projects in VUCA environment. IFAC-PapersOnLine, 58(3), 38-43. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ifacol.2024.07.121 .
  • Joiner, B., & Josephs, S. (2007). Developing agile leaders. Industrial and Commercial Training, 39(1), 35-42. https://doi.org/10.1108/00197850710721381 .
  • Kaya, Y. (2023). Agile leadership from the perspective of dynamic capabilities and creating value. Sustainability, 15(21), https://doi.org/10.3390/su152115253 .
  • Koçer, M. (2022). Perception of Agile Leadership in the VUCA Environment: The Case of Erciyes University. Erciyes İletişim Dergisi, (3), 1-21. https://doi.org/10.17680/ erciyesiletisim.1153081 .
  • Kumar, S. (2015). Co-authorship networks: a review of the literature. Aslib Journal of Information Management, 67(1), 55-73. https://doi.org/10.1108/AJIM-09-2014-0116
  • Mutil, G., Busari, A. H., Mazlan, M. N. A., & Ujil, A. T. (2024). Readiness Of School Leaders In Malaysia To Face The Vuca (Volatile, Uncertain, Complex, Ambiguous) Era: A Recent Comprehensive Structured Review. International Journal of Education, Psychology and Counseling, 9 (55), 556-575. http://dx.doi.org/10.35631/IJEPC.955037
  • Nikseresht, A., Hajipour, B., Pishva, N., & Mohammadi, H. A. (2022). Using artificial intelligence to make sustainable development decisions considering VUCA: a systematic literature review and bibliometric analysis. Environmental science and pollution research, 29(28), 42509-42538. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-022-19863-y
  • Nurhaeni, I. D., Nurdin, A., Wiratama, P., & Kurniawan, Y. (2022). Gendered-perspective agile leadership in the VUCA era during the COVID-19 pandemic. Jurnal Ilmu Sosial dan Ilmu Politik, 26(2), 119-136. https://doi.org/10.22146/jsp.70490 .
  • Ozkan, N., Gurgen Erdogan, T., Bal, S., & Gök, M. Ş. (2024). A bibliometric analysis of Agile software development publications originating from Turkey. Journal of Software: Evolution and Process, 36(5), https://doi.org/10.1002/smr.2601 .
  • Özdemir, N., & Çetin, M. (2019). Çevik liderlik ölçeğinin geliştirilmesine yönelik güvenilirlik ve geçerlilik çalişmasi: Eğitim örgütleri üzerine bir uygulama. R&S-Research Studies Anatolia Journal, 2(7), 312-332. https://doi.org/10.33723/rs.619606 .
  • Sanchez, L. M., & Nagi, R. (2001). A review of agile manufacturing systems. International journal of production research, 39(16), 3561-3600. https://doi. org/10.1080/00207540110068790
  • Saxena, S., A., Mishra, S.C. & Mukerji, B. (2024). A multi-method bibliometric review of value co-creation research. Management Research Review, 47(2), 183-203. https://doi. org/10.1108/MRR-09-2022-0646
  • Setiawati, L. (2021). The effect of agile leadership and work environment to employees’ performance in a VUCA world (Study on millennial generation employees in Jabodetabek). International Journal of Social Science and Human Research, 4(11), 3123-3131. https://doi.org/10.47191/ijsshr/v4-i11-08 .
  • Skorková, Z., & Burggraf, A. (2024, October). Bibliometric Mapping of Agile Leadership: Analyzing Research Development and Impact. Proceedings of VIAC, 16-30. https:// www.researchgate.net/publication/385243180 .
  • Susitha, E., Jayarathna, A., & Herath, R. (2024). Supply chain competitiveness through agility and digital technology: A bibliometric analysis. Supply Chain Analytics, 7, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sca.2024.100073 .
  • Syamsir, S., Saputra, N., & Mulia, R. A. (2025). Leadership agility in a VUCA world: a systematic review, conceptual insights, and research directions. Cogent Business & Management, 12(1), https://doi.org/10.1080/23311975.2025.2482022 .
  • Tandon, L., Bhatnagar, T., & Sharma, T. (2024). Leadership agility in the context of organisational agility: A systematic literature review. Management Review Quarterly, 1-71. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11301-024-00422-3 .
  • Troise, C., Corvello, V., Ghobadian, A., & O’Regan, N. (2022). How can SMEs successfully navigate VUCA environment: The role of agility in the digital transformation era. Technological Forecasting and Social Change, 174, https://doi.org/10.1016/j. techfore.2021.121227 .
  • Van Eck, N.J. & Waltman, L. (2017). Citation-based clustering of publications using CitNetExplorer and VOSviewer. Scientometrics, 111(2), 1053-1070. http://doi. org/10.1007/s11192-017-2300-7 .
  • Yaşbay Kobal, H. (2024). Agile Leadership Characteristic of Hakkari University Managers in Perspective of VUCA-RR. Abant Sosyal Bilimler Dergisi, 24(1), 44-55. https://doi. org/10.11616/asbi.1391246 .
  • Yusuf, Y. Y., Sarhadi, M., & Gunasekaran, A. (1999). Agile manufacturing:: The drivers, concepts and attributes. International Journal of production economics, 62(1-2), 33- 43. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0925-5273(98)00219-9 .
  • Zan, B. U. (2019). Doğrudan atıf, ortak atıf ve bibliyografik eşleşme yaklaşımlarına dayalı olarak araştırma alanlarının değerlendirilmesi. Sosyal Bilimler Araştırmaları Dergisi, 14(2), 501-516.
  • Zupic, I., & Čater, T. (2015). Bibliometric methods in management and organization. Organizational research methods, 18(3), 429-472. http://doi. org/10.1177/1094428114562629 .

VUCA ortamında çevı̇klı̇k ve lı̇derlı̇k: Küresel araştırma eğı̇lı̇mlerı̇ne bı̇r bakış

Year 2025, Issue: 71, 195 - 201, 30.08.2025
https://doi.org/10.18070/erciyesiibd.1531595

Abstract

Bu çalışmanın amacı, son yıllarda dikkat çekici bir konu haline gelen çevikliğin yönetimin dönüşümü sürecindeki yansımalarını, değişkenliğin, belirsizliğin, karmaşıklığın ve muğlaklığın yüksek olduğu iş dünyasında büyük rol oynayan liderliğin etkinliğini anlamak için bütüncül bir bakış açısıyla derinlemesine inceleme imkanı sunan bibliyometrik analiz yöntemini kullanarak alan yazını ortaya koymaktır. Bu amaçla yapılan araştırmada Web of Science (WOS) veri tabanında çeviklik ve çevik liderlik kavramına ilişkin 18.379 yayın olduğu, bu yayınların 1.550’sinin makale türünde, yönetim kategorisinde ve İngilizce dilinde olduğu tespit edilmiştir. Bibliyometrik analiz sonucunda elde edilen bazı bulgulara göre, son on yılda çeviklik ve çevik liderlik üzerine en fazla çalışmanın 2023 (235) yayınla yapıldığı ve Christopher, M.’nin en fazla atıf alan yazar olduğu, ortak yazar ağı görselleştirmesine göre en fazla bağlantılı çalışmanın Gligor, D. M., Gölgeci, İ. ve Holsapple, C.W. etrafında olduğu, en fazla tekrarlanan anahtar kelimenin çeviklik olduğu, en fazla atıf alan ülkenin ABD olduğu ve bibliyometrik eşleştirme analizine göre Benchmarking: An International Journal, doküman bazında en etkili dergilerden biri olduğu ortaya çıkmıştır.

References

  • Aftab, S., Khalid, K., Waheed, A. Aftab, A. & Adnan, A. (2022). Role of agile leadership in managing inter-role conflicts for a satisfying job and life during COVID-19 in a VUCA world. Frontiers in Psychology, 13, https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.979792 .
  • Akkaya, B., & Yazıcı, A. M. (2020). Comparing agile leadership with biomimicry-based gray wolf: Proposing a new model. Business & Management Studies: An International Journal, 8(2), 1455-1478. http://dx.doi.org/10.15295/bmij.v8i2.1480 .
  • Akkaya, B., Panait, M., Apostu, S. A., & Kaya, Y. (2022). Agile leadership and perceived career success: The mediating role of job embeddedness. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 19(8), 4834. https://doi.org/10.3390/ ijerph19084834 .
  • Atanassova, I., Bednar, P., Khan, H., & Khan, Z. (2025). Managing the VUCA environment: The dynamic role of organizational learning and strategic agility in B2B versus B2C firms. Industrial Marketing Management, 125, 12-28. https://doi.org/10.1016/j. indmarman.2024.12.008
  • Baran, B. E., & Woznyj, H. M. (2020). Managing VUCA: The human dynamics of agility. Organizational dynamics, 50(2), https://doi.org/10.1016/j.orgdyn.2020.100787 .
  • Bennett, N., & Lemoine, G. J. (2014). What a difference a word makes: Understanding threats to performance in a VUCA world. Business horizons, 57(3), 311-317.
  • Bir, Y., & Koç, M. (2022). Vuca ortamında çalışanların çevik liderlik becerisi algısı: bir ölçek geliştirme çalışması ve saha araştırması. Uluslararası Yönetim İktisat ve İşletme Dergisi, 18(4), 1270-1307. https://doi.org/10.17130/ijmeb.1166705 .
  • Chouki, M., de Mozota, B. B., Kallmuenzer, A., Kraus, S., & Dabic, M. (2021). Design thinking and agility in digital production: the key role of user experience design. IEEE transactions on engineering management, 70(12), 4207-4221. https://doi.org/10.1109/ TEM.2021.3099094 .
  • de Barros, R., Resende, L. M., & Pontes, J. (2025). Exploring Creativity and Innovation in Organizational Contexts: A Systematic Review and Bibliometric Analysis of Key Models and Emerging Opportunities. Journal of Open Innovation: Technology, Market, and Complexity, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.joitmc.2025.100526 .
  • Eckstein, G., Shrestha, A., Sassenberg, A. M., & Dwivedi, Y. K. (2023). Marketing agility in volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous (VUCA) contexts: a systematic literature review and future research agenda. Management Review Quarterly, 1-29. https://doi. org/10.1007/s11301-023-00391-z .
  • Erer, B. (2024). A bibliometric analysis of the world of VUCA in business and management literature. Business, Economics and Management Research Journal, 7(1), 1-13. https:// doi.org/10.58308/bemarej.1415889 .
  • Farooq, R. (2024). A review of knowledge management research in the past three decades: a bibliometric analysis. VINE Journal of Information and Knowledge Management Systems, 54(2), 339-378. https://doi.org/10.1108/VJIKMS-08-2021-0169 .
  • Gaurav, G., Singh, A. B., Mistry, S., Gupta, S., Dangayach, G. S., & Meena, M. L. (2021). Recent progress of scientific research on life cycle assessment. Materials Today: Proceedings, 47, 3161-3170. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.matpr.2021.06.208 .
  • Hadiastriani, Y., & Djarot, P. (2024). Mapping research trends on development of scientific literacy assessment: A bibliometric analysis. JPBI (Jurnal Pendidikan Biologi Indonesia), 10(1), 211-222. https://doi.org/10.22219/jpbi.v10i1.31136 .
  • Haider, S. A., Tehseen, S., Khan, S., Mata, M. N., Martins, J. M., & Abreu, A. (2021). A literature review on agility-is there a need to develop a new instrument?. International Journal of Entrepreneurship, 25(4).
  • Johannes, K., & Tatiana, B. (2024). Factors to achieve cost efficiency in operation and manufacturing projects in VUCA environment. IFAC-PapersOnLine, 58(3), 38-43. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ifacol.2024.07.121 .
  • Joiner, B., & Josephs, S. (2007). Developing agile leaders. Industrial and Commercial Training, 39(1), 35-42. https://doi.org/10.1108/00197850710721381 .
  • Kaya, Y. (2023). Agile leadership from the perspective of dynamic capabilities and creating value. Sustainability, 15(21), https://doi.org/10.3390/su152115253 .
  • Koçer, M. (2022). Perception of Agile Leadership in the VUCA Environment: The Case of Erciyes University. Erciyes İletişim Dergisi, (3), 1-21. https://doi.org/10.17680/ erciyesiletisim.1153081 .
  • Kumar, S. (2015). Co-authorship networks: a review of the literature. Aslib Journal of Information Management, 67(1), 55-73. https://doi.org/10.1108/AJIM-09-2014-0116
  • Mutil, G., Busari, A. H., Mazlan, M. N. A., & Ujil, A. T. (2024). Readiness Of School Leaders In Malaysia To Face The Vuca (Volatile, Uncertain, Complex, Ambiguous) Era: A Recent Comprehensive Structured Review. International Journal of Education, Psychology and Counseling, 9 (55), 556-575. http://dx.doi.org/10.35631/IJEPC.955037
  • Nikseresht, A., Hajipour, B., Pishva, N., & Mohammadi, H. A. (2022). Using artificial intelligence to make sustainable development decisions considering VUCA: a systematic literature review and bibliometric analysis. Environmental science and pollution research, 29(28), 42509-42538. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-022-19863-y
  • Nurhaeni, I. D., Nurdin, A., Wiratama, P., & Kurniawan, Y. (2022). Gendered-perspective agile leadership in the VUCA era during the COVID-19 pandemic. Jurnal Ilmu Sosial dan Ilmu Politik, 26(2), 119-136. https://doi.org/10.22146/jsp.70490 .
  • Ozkan, N., Gurgen Erdogan, T., Bal, S., & Gök, M. Ş. (2024). A bibliometric analysis of Agile software development publications originating from Turkey. Journal of Software: Evolution and Process, 36(5), https://doi.org/10.1002/smr.2601 .
  • Özdemir, N., & Çetin, M. (2019). Çevik liderlik ölçeğinin geliştirilmesine yönelik güvenilirlik ve geçerlilik çalişmasi: Eğitim örgütleri üzerine bir uygulama. R&S-Research Studies Anatolia Journal, 2(7), 312-332. https://doi.org/10.33723/rs.619606 .
  • Sanchez, L. M., & Nagi, R. (2001). A review of agile manufacturing systems. International journal of production research, 39(16), 3561-3600. https://doi. org/10.1080/00207540110068790
  • Saxena, S., A., Mishra, S.C. & Mukerji, B. (2024). A multi-method bibliometric review of value co-creation research. Management Research Review, 47(2), 183-203. https://doi. org/10.1108/MRR-09-2022-0646
  • Setiawati, L. (2021). The effect of agile leadership and work environment to employees’ performance in a VUCA world (Study on millennial generation employees in Jabodetabek). International Journal of Social Science and Human Research, 4(11), 3123-3131. https://doi.org/10.47191/ijsshr/v4-i11-08 .
  • Skorková, Z., & Burggraf, A. (2024, October). Bibliometric Mapping of Agile Leadership: Analyzing Research Development and Impact. Proceedings of VIAC, 16-30. https:// www.researchgate.net/publication/385243180 .
  • Susitha, E., Jayarathna, A., & Herath, R. (2024). Supply chain competitiveness through agility and digital technology: A bibliometric analysis. Supply Chain Analytics, 7, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sca.2024.100073 .
  • Syamsir, S., Saputra, N., & Mulia, R. A. (2025). Leadership agility in a VUCA world: a systematic review, conceptual insights, and research directions. Cogent Business & Management, 12(1), https://doi.org/10.1080/23311975.2025.2482022 .
  • Tandon, L., Bhatnagar, T., & Sharma, T. (2024). Leadership agility in the context of organisational agility: A systematic literature review. Management Review Quarterly, 1-71. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11301-024-00422-3 .
  • Troise, C., Corvello, V., Ghobadian, A., & O’Regan, N. (2022). How can SMEs successfully navigate VUCA environment: The role of agility in the digital transformation era. Technological Forecasting and Social Change, 174, https://doi.org/10.1016/j. techfore.2021.121227 .
  • Van Eck, N.J. & Waltman, L. (2017). Citation-based clustering of publications using CitNetExplorer and VOSviewer. Scientometrics, 111(2), 1053-1070. http://doi. org/10.1007/s11192-017-2300-7 .
  • Yaşbay Kobal, H. (2024). Agile Leadership Characteristic of Hakkari University Managers in Perspective of VUCA-RR. Abant Sosyal Bilimler Dergisi, 24(1), 44-55. https://doi. org/10.11616/asbi.1391246 .
  • Yusuf, Y. Y., Sarhadi, M., & Gunasekaran, A. (1999). Agile manufacturing:: The drivers, concepts and attributes. International Journal of production economics, 62(1-2), 33- 43. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0925-5273(98)00219-9 .
  • Zan, B. U. (2019). Doğrudan atıf, ortak atıf ve bibliyografik eşleşme yaklaşımlarına dayalı olarak araştırma alanlarının değerlendirilmesi. Sosyal Bilimler Araştırmaları Dergisi, 14(2), 501-516.
  • Zupic, I., & Čater, T. (2015). Bibliometric methods in management and organization. Organizational research methods, 18(3), 429-472. http://doi. org/10.1177/1094428114562629 .
There are 38 citations in total.

Details

Primary Language English
Subjects Business Administration
Journal Section Review articles
Authors

Eda Telli 0000-0003-0353-2507

Early Pub Date August 26, 2025
Publication Date August 30, 2025
Submission Date August 11, 2024
Acceptance Date July 11, 2025
Published in Issue Year 2025 Issue: 71

Cite

APA Telli, E. (2025). Agility and leadership in the VUCA environment: A view of global research tendencies. Erciyes Üniversitesi İktisadi Ve İdari Bilimler Fakültesi Dergisi(71), 195-201. https://doi.org/10.18070/erciyesiibd.1531595

33329Erciyes University Journal of Faculty of Economics and Administrative Sciences 33312

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-CreationDerivatives 4.0 International license.   35160