Agile working in public research organizations during the covid-19 pandemic. Organizational factors and individual attitudes in knowledge production

This volume presents the results of a web-based survey carried out by CNR-IRCrES to deepening the effects of the agile working implemented during the COVID-19 pandemic in the context of the Italian Public Research Organizations (PROs). The survey was launched one year after the beginning of the emergency implementation of agile working and was targeted to the researchers and technologists of two PROs, the National Research Council (CNR) and the National Institute of Astrophysics (INAF).
Investigating attitudes and opinions of PRO researchers and technologists allowed to shed light on the value of autonomous organization of individual scientific work, an activity that is characterized by a very high level of creativity, and it is commonly organized by projects and goals to be achieved, with a flexible mode of working. The contents focus on how agile working during the pandemic affected several aspects of research work – including autonomy and creativity in knowledge production, scientific productivity, researchers’ well-being, use of ICT tools and services – and on the environmental implications that could
be expected. The analysis allowed for a deeper understanding of the processes of individual adaptation/reaction to the implementation of agile working, which is supposed to be maintained and whose regular implementation needs a rethinking of the existing rules within the PROs. Pros and cons of the experience of agile working in PROs during the COVID-19 pandemic supply
interesting evidence to the decision makers for designing the future of this different way of working.