Developmental Agile Leadership
SERIES ARTICLE
By Dr. Kam Jugdev
Athabasca University
Alberta, Canada
and
Dr. Timothy J. Kloppenborg
Professor Emeritus
Xavier University
Ohio, USA
Introduction: The Power of Adaptive Mentorship
(by Kam Jugdev)
This is the first article of a two-article series. When I was invited to co-author an applied book on leadership, I did not know what to expect. Let us begin with the short story of guidance and mutual trust to exemplify Developmental Agile Leadership.
For years, I was most comfortable writing conceptual and empirical academic articles on project management topics with my collaborators. I had never authored an applied book. In 2024, when I was approached about this collaboration, I felt overwhelmed by my existing workload. So when this opportunity arose, I welcomed it, but it compounded my sense of being overloaded. Through the tension between academic demands and a novel growth opportunity, I learned a great deal about adaptive leadership.
Tim and I had just over 20 virtual meetings during which we brainstormed and worked on the book. This was not a hierarchical relationship but a process where he sometimes stood alongside me as a supportive partner, quietly observing as I found my bearings with applied writing. Along the way, I was nudged to take the lead on sections. This created space for me to express my ideas and receive guidance when I stumbled.
This process embodied Developmental Agile Leadership, which involves leading from behind to empower others. It demonstrated trust by allowing me to make mistakes (such as my initial drafts that were too academic for an applied book), patience by letting me find solutions at my own pace (such as prioritizing the book into my workload and feeling okay when I declined other commitments), and wisdom in knowing when to step in and when to step back. The process involved personal growth and confidence-building.
We suggest that our collaboration exemplifies how developmental leadership combines with Agile principles to create something greater than either approach alone. We quickly created drafts and exchanged them, making it feel synchronous. Our rapid, iterative exchange illustrated agile practices. We constantly adapted and refined our ideas, allowing the work to evolve.
Leading in a VUCA World
Turning to our applied book, we know that workplace challenges and difficulties are unavoidable. These days, demographics, economies, politics, environments, societies, and technologies continue to shape, shift, and shake our world. Individuals, teams, and organizations must be more adaptable and agile. The term VUCA captures the aspects of change as volatility, uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity. People and organizations continually strive to adapt, enhance their strengths, mitigate weaknesses, and identify opportunities and threats.
Changing environments demand that leadership styles adapt as well. Our response to these challenges is Developmental Agile Leadership. This approach integrates developmental and Agile principles to build adaptability and resilience. In a world where VUCA challenges persist, Developmental Agile Leadership empowers leaders to trust, adapt, and grow alongside their teams.
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Editor’s note: Tim Kloppenborg and Kam Jugdev are the authors of Developmental Agile Leadership: Empowering teams in a changing world. Learn more in their author profiles at the end of this article.
How to cite this paper: Jugdev, K. & Kloppenborg, T. J. (2026). Developmental Agile Leadership: Navigating a VUCA World; PM World Journal, Vol. XV, Issue IV, April. Available online at https://pmworldjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/pmwj163-Apr2026-Jugdev-Kloppenborg-Developmental-Agile-Leadership-Navigating-a-VUCA-World.pdf
About the Authors
Dr. Kam Jugdev
Calgary, Alberta
Dr. Kam Jugdev is a Professor in the Faculty of Business at Athabasca University, specializing in project management and strategy. She is an active researcher who co-authors with international colleagues and publishes in leading journals, including the International Journal of Project Management and the Project Management Journal. She holds a joint PhD from the University of Calgary’s Schulich School of Engineering and Haskayne School of Business and is a Project Management Professional (PMP®). She serves as a collections editor for Business Expert Press. She can be reached at kamj@athabascau.ca
Dr. Timothy J. Kloppenborg
Cincinnati, Ohio
Dr. Timothy J. Kloppenborg is a Professor Emeritus from Xavier University. He earned his Ph.D. in Operations Management from the University of Cincinnati. He has written 15 books — mostly on leadership and/or project management. He is a Project Management Professional (PMP), an Agile Certified Professional (ACP), and a Disciplined Agile Senior Scrum Master (DASSM). He started the portfolio and project management book collection for Business Expert Press and edited 70 books in 10 years. Tim retired as a major in the US Air Force Reserve. He has trained, taught, and consulted on 6 continents. He can be reached at kloppenborgt@xavier.edu.
Their book — Developmental agile leadership: Empowering teams in a changing world — was published by Business Expert Press and can be found here. It has been accepted for co-distribution by Harvard Impact (formerly Harvard Business Publishing) and will appear on Harvard’s website in 2026.
