Human Capital in the Development of Mechanisms Improving the Agility of Organizations

Abstract

Turbulent changes in the global economy, dominant business networking as well as technological and civilization advancements determine the need for the development of agile knowledge-based enterprises. Such enterprises, through their operational models and possessed resources, are capable of effective operation in a rapidly-changing environment and have the capacity for taking advantage of potential opportunities. A resource which is of particular significance to an enterprise that strives after achieving agility is human capital. The probability of capturing and making use of an opportunity grows along with the dynamic growth of human capital maintained by an organization. Proper staff ensures a high and constantly updated level of knowledge in an organization, enables a quick reconfiguration of resources and adeptly supports relations creating virtual partner networks. The aim of the publication is to present mechanisms that shape business agility through the use and creation of human capital potential in the context of reacting to opportunities that appear in the business environment. It is expressed through the development of agility dimensions such as: brightness, flexibility, intelligence and shrewdness. Thanks to the increased level of agility, an enterprise attains the desired level of: knowledge, core competences, virtuality and capacity for resource reconfiguration. The mechanism which is featured in the article was developed on the basis of an analysis of source literature and on the basis of empirical research related to the identification of human capital characteristics in an enterprise, which are conducive for the development of agility. Considerations made in the article contribute to structuring and describing the influence exerted by human capital on the development of business agility and to specifying, in an utilitarian way, the characteristics of human capital which have an impact on increasing the level of business agility.