Age-Related Differences in the Motivation of Knowledge Workers

Abstract:

With the impending retirement of the Baby Boom Generation, retention of older knowledge workers, defined as engineers, scientists, and information technologists, has become important to engineering managers. Traditional theories of worker motivation have not adequately addressed the impact of worker age on factors that affect worker motivation. The study outlined in this article gathered data regarding the satisfaction and importance of motivational factors to determine if there are differences in their impact on older and younger knowledge workers.     

Proceedings Reviews

ABSTRACT

This article describes two dimensions of the information environment of projects—uncertainty and equivocality—that have behavioral implications for engineering project managers and team members. When the levels of these dimensions change, project managers must 1) change the way they communicate with members of the team, 2) modify the team structure, 3) be prepared for different types of conflict, 4) adjust the way decisions are made, and 5) vary their own leadership style. The discussion of uncertainty and equivocality and their implications is linked to two engineering project examples.     

An Enterprise-Wide Knowledge Management Approach to Project Management

Abstract

Few research studies investigate the relationship between enterprise knowledge management (KM) and project management (PM). These studies have shown that today’s PM approaches do not sufficiently include the required KM processes to derive the highest value from project investment. This research highlights the potential benefits of implementing an enterprise-wide KM approach to project management. The relationship between the four KM pillars, as defined by Stankosky, and the PM knowledge areas, as defined by the Project Management Institute (PMI), are investigated. A survey questionnaire reveals significant positive relationships between the KM pillars and PM knowledge areas. The significance and the nature of this association support the study’s assertion that the management of projects improves as enterprise-wide KM processes and activities are increasingly used.     

Advancing large-scale R&D projects towards grand challenges through involvement of organizational knowledge integrators

Public and private funding bodies make massive investments in research to address the grand challenges of the world. These require collective research efforts of a large number of partners to generate knowledge and ultimately create technologies to meet today’s grand challenges. Surprisingly, little research is conducted on how to design the research consortia appropriately that actually result in the development of new technologies. This article argues that when organisational knowledge integrators are involved in large-scale projects, they ensure that the research findings of earlier technology development efforts in a project are pulled towards innovation outcomes through their own position in the innovation value chain. This article uses a data-set with 376 collaborative R&D projects within energy technologies. Most importantly, this article confirms the existence of organisational knowledge integrators and the positive effects on project outcomes. These results are discussed with implications drawn for both applicants and funding bodies for future projects.     

Proceedings Reviews

Abstract:

Coordination has been regarded as a critical factor of construction projects, but it is usually not well understood. It is common that time and money are spent on coordination, yet the performance is not as expected. This article studies the coordination needs and supply of construction projects. First, coordination needs were derived from work uncertainty and equivocality (U&;E), and supply was offered by different methods engineers use to coordinate. Then ten subway construction projects were investigated. A questionnaire was modified to quantify the project U&;E, and a time sheet designed to collect contractor engineers' work time allocated in nine coordination methods. Finally, how actual coordination time distribution met the needs and their relationships with performance were analyzed. The results indicate that the project performance is not related to the level of U&;E. In the nine coordination methods of the studied projects, site visit took up the most time (23%), followed by correspondence (20.5%) and meetings (13%). Projects with good performance applied adequate oral or written coordination mainly based on work equivocality.     

Project Risk Management Using the Project Risk FMEA

Abstract:

Identifying and mitigating project risks are crucial steps in managing successful projects. This article proposes the extension of the Failure Mode and Effects Analysis (FMEA) format to quantify and analyze project risks. The new technique is labeled the project risk FMEA (RFMEA). The RFMEA is a modification of the well-known process, product, and service FMEA technique. In order to use the FMEA format for projects, the detection value of the standard FMEA is modified slightly for use in the project environment. The new approach is illustrated in a case study from the electronics industry. By adding the detection value to the risk quantification process, another measure beyond the typical risk score is made available to the project team. The benefits of the RFMEA include an increased focus on the most imminent risks, prioritizing risk contingency planning, improved team participation in the risk management process, and development of improved risk controls.     

Local Embeddedness and Knowledge Management Strategies for Project-Based Multi-National Firms

Abstract:

Multinational, project-based organizations are faced with competing challenges of adapting to a local marketplace and integrating various offices globally. Case studies with 14 multinational real estate development, general contracting, and engineering firms revealed types of knowledge required for international operations, knowledge management strategies, and the level of embeddedness within the local project area. Eighty-nine interviews were recorded, transcribed, and imported into qualitative coding software. Analysis of the data built propositions regarding different levels of local project embeddedness and the relationship between embeddedness and knowledge management strategies. The findings indicate that firms with a low level of local embeddedness have more formal knowledge management platforms to share local knowledge, whereas firms with a high level of embeddedness, which require the most local knowledge, lack formal knowledge management strategies to share their knowledge across projects.     

How to Manage Complex,Multinational R&D Projects Successfully

Abstract

The globalization of markets, mergers of international companies, and integration of managerial and business processes in global corporations are changing project management fundamentals. A clearly recognizable trend in multinational companies since the mid-1980s has been globalization of R&D and competence portfolios.

Applied development is usually conducted in the form of a distributed project organization. A project team is formed across geographical, organizational, and cultural boundaries, engaging in a project with a global focus. Although a multinational project organization has great potential in many dimensions, there is no doubt that the execution of a distributed high technological project is still a great challenge.

This article identifies success factors in the management of distributed projects with global goals. The authors have focused on the practical experiences of the execution of complex multinational projects in the area of applied system development for power industry.     

Workware decision support systems: A comprehensive methodological approach to work-scheduling problems

Around-the-clock continuous operations are expanding as global business activity, government de-regulation, flexible manufacturing and lean operation become more common. These developments often require night work, long work hours and/or irregular work schedules. As a result of these requirements, decisions about work schedule assignments are frequently made with little knowledge, information and/or warning. Some of the resulting work-scheduling practices undoubtedly increase operation and worker exposure to health and safety risks. To counter these work-scheduling problems, a comprehensive work schedules knowledge information system is outlined. Within this model, a Workware Warehouse is proposed as an Internet gateway where decision support systems are readily and freely available. This model suggests a new paradigm for work-scheduling ergonomics, one where designing, filling and maintaining a Workware Warehouse is the primary focus of the human factors professional.     

Exhibiting Leadership and Facilitation Behaviors in NPD Project-Based Work: Does Team Personal Style Composition Matter?

Abstract:

Teams are increasingly becoming primary in the way employees in organizations conduct work. Understanding what makes teams effective is especially important for new product development (NPD) teams, whose members often have diverse backgrounds and competencies. The effects of similarities and differences among team members in NPD project-based work influence every aspect of that work. We explored the relationship between project team composition attributes and project team members' team leadership and facilitation behaviors, drawing from the literature on similarity-attraction effect.

Data from two time points that were 12-weeks apart were collected from 144 professional employees working in 48 project teams to test the study's hypotheses. Using HLM 6.0 (Raudenbush & Bryk, 2002), findings show that when it comes to project team composition, members of a team, who are similar on affective personal style traits, demonstrate greater team leadership and facilitation behaviors. We identify implications for generating productive team leadership and facilitation behaviors in NPD project-based work.     

A job‐plan based performance evaluation for construction value engineering study

Abstract

Value Engineering can reduce costs and enhance the value of projects. Currently, the acceptance rate of Value Engineering Study (VES) recommendations and total potential savings are considered the principal performance indicators of a VES. In reality the success of a VES depends on numerous interrelated factors not easy for a VES team to control. However, a study team can ensure the success of a VES by fully implementing a VES job plan. Thus, realizing a job plan is a principal contribution toward insuring the success of the VES. This study presents a novel model that is able to evaluate the performance of a VES for a construction project. Two questionnaires, distributed to VE experts, were used to collect data needed for this research. Factor analysis, AHP, and SWAM were applied to build the VES performance evaluation model which consists of six evaluation groups and thirty‐two evaluation items. A real‐life VES for a construction project was then analyzed using the proposed model to demonstrate its usefulness in performance assessment. Defects of the VES were identified and suggestions were provided for the particular VES. The proposed model can be used by VES teams for self‐diagnosis, improvement, and motivation in achieving enhanced performance.     

Project Governance,Project Performance,and the Mediating Role of Project Quality and Project Management Risk: An Agency Theory Perspective

Abstract

Although project governance has garnered the attention of academicians, the area remains underdeveloped. This study measures the influence of project governance on project performance directly as well as through the mediation of project management risk and project quality and with moderation of project leadership. The survey yielded 354 responses from 132 Pakistani software firms, while SEM was applied using AMOS-21 for data analysis. This study finds that project governance has a significant positive influence on project performance directly and through mediation, whereas the moderation is insignificant. The findings will help not only Pakistan’s software firms but also those in developing countries to improve their projects’ performance through effective project governance.     

Dissertation Review

Abstract:

This research article provides valuable insights for practicing engineering managers on improving a firm's performance by applying a knowledge management (KM) based approach to quality management (QM). Traditional quality management systems do not provide sufficient knowledge management and knowledge creation opportunities for manufacturing firms to stay competitive in today's fast paced, unpredictable, complex, and rapidly changing global business environment. The world's body of knowledge does not include a quality management strategy where KM is integrated in QM, and where the effectiveness of such a KM/QM strategy is determined through quantitative empirical research over a defined time frame, thus omitting important performance improvement opportunities for manufacturing firms. The objective in addressing this research topic is to present a KM/QM strategy and to demonstrate its effectiveness. Engineering management areas, such as knowledge management and quality management, are leveraged throughout this research. Systems engineering aspects, such as operational efficiency improvement and system performance, are leveraged by integrating knowledge management and quality management to form an enhanced quality management system. The research demonstrates that a company with a KM/QM strategy is more effective than a company which does not have a KM/QM strategy, that the implementation of a KM/QM strategy contributes to product quality improvements over KM/QM strategy application time, and presents a framework that can be applied by practicing engineering managers.     

软件企业项目研发团队绩效定性模拟研究

在经典群体绩效理论和团队角色理论的基础上,着重分析了软件企业项目研发团队的正式群体、非正式群体的作用,提出了项目研发团队的绩效影响模型和绩效反馈模型。同时,利用基于过程知识库的定性模拟方法,建立了软件企业项目研发团队的绩效定性模拟模型。最后,使用建立的定性模拟模型对软件企业项目研发团队的绩效进行了预测模拟,并通过结果分析研究了团队中非正式群体对团队整体绩效的影响。     

Innovative Performance in Research,Development, and Engineering

ABSTRACT

Based on a field study of 410 managers in 55 high-technology companies, this article investigates the criteria for innovative research, development, and engineering (RD&E) performance. The results show that innovative performance, both, individual and team-oriented, is strongly associated with clear task structure, a professionally stimulating work environment, and organizational stability. Methods for building a high performance RD&E team are suggested.     

Distributed coordination space: Toward a theory of distributed team process and performance

This paper discusses a theoretical framework designed to elucidate the many issues surrounding distributed team performance, emphasizing how work characteristics associated with such teams may alter both the processes and the products emerging from distributed interaction. It is suggested that distributed team performance can best be understood through conceptualization of a coordination space within which distributed interaction occurs over time and distance. The goal is to take a socio-technical approach to distributed team research so that one can explicate both the cognitive consequences of a lack of co-location as well as the social consequences affecting interaction and team development when work is technology-mediated. The overall objective is to present a framework of 'distributed coordination' such that the principles most appropriate for distributed team performance can be developed.     

Towards a conceptual model of procedural knowledge degradation

Research has derived a dynamic range of theories associated with the acquisition of knowledge. In contrast, the current research seeks mechanisms by which acquired knowledge degrades, as well as mechanisms that could be computationally modelled. For procedural tasks, such as product assembly or supervisory control, variables including interference can inhibit the ability to retrieve procedural knowledge in different ways than the retrieval of declarative knowledge like phone numbers. High consequence tasks, such as air traffic control or maintenance on nuclear weapons, require proficiency to be maintained. Thus, an understanding of mechanisms that might complicate effective performance could improve approaches to job design. To explore theoretical underpinnings for procedural knowledge degradation, three areas of literature were explored. The areas included theoretical, computational, and ecological research. The literature serves as input for a conceptual model of procedural knowledge degradation.     

Predicting Military Construction Project Time Outcomes Using Data Analytics

Abstract

Through its Department of Defense (DoD) agencies, and outside contractors, the USA invests billions of dollars each year in military construction (MILCON) projects. Although construction management expertise is gained and significant amount of data are collected from past projects, completing projects on time remains a challenge. This article uses data from 466 MILCON projects to identify key factors that influence project duration and provide a new model to predict project time outcomes. The model generates accurate results and serves as a useful tool in the early phases of a project life cycle. Another key contribution of this study is the employed methodology, which includes the use of available data, targeting of relevant parameters, and development of the predictive model. The contributed methodology is applicable outside of the MILCON domain with the appropriate data set and by targeting the relevant influential factors to create models to predict time outcomes of future projects.     

Applying a risk assessment approach for cost analysis and decision-making: a case study for a basic design engineering project

Abstract

Many uncertainties and cost variations occur in the work activities of a project, thereby causing many possibilities of under-estimating or over-estimating for a bid price. A comprehensive study for each process of risk management should be investigated to achieve project objectives. However, a limited number of studies have a comprehensive viewpoint to indicate the benefits of risk management and the effect on project performance for the engineering design stage of engineering–procurement–construction (EPC) projects, especially in the basic design stage. This research was conducted to identify and analyze the risks associated with a Basic Design Engineering (BDE) project for a high value-added petrochemical plant in Taiwan. First, a project risk management work flow was proposed as an effective tool to minimize the project risks and maximize the management capacity of practitioners. Second, the cost effect of project risks was described by conducting a case study for the design process of a high value-added petrochemical plant using a Monte Carlo simulation. A risk register was identified to support the data required for conducting simulation analysis. The results of this paper provide reference points for risk management planning of project execution and help project managers evaluate particular risks at the engineering design stage of EPC projects to avoid cost overruns.     

Cross-training policies and team performance

Labour flexibility is an important issue in the design and development of teams. By means of an analytical study this paper investigates the impact of cross-training on team performance. Four cross-training policies are distinguished and compared according to their effects on important performance measures, such as the load of the bottleneck worker and the number of newly used qualifications seen in various situations. These measures indicate a team's effectiveness and efficiency. Furthermore, they are related to psychological, social and organizational aspects of team functioning. A task assignment heuristic serves as a tool for comparing the cross-training policies. This is applied in an experimental study in which the team situation varies with respect to the cross-training policy, the level of absenteeism, and the variation in the mix of orders. It is shown that a worker-oriented cross-training policy, which attempts to spread multi-functionality evenly among employees, performs well. This policy offers the opportunity to shift work among employees to keep the load of the bottleneck worker low. The required coordination effort for allocating workers to tasks is also relatively low. In line with previous research, this study shows a diminishing positive effect of expanding the level of labour flexibility. The coordination effort required to apply additional flexibility appears to increase linearly with the amount of additional cross-training. The diminishing positive effect and the linearly increasing coordination effort suggest that managers should critically consider the level of labour flexibility in worker teams.