Enhancing project managers’ strategy commitment by leader-leader exchange: The role of psychological empowerment and organizational identification

Projects are considered an important means of implementing strategies in project-based organizations (PBOs). Project managers need to lead projects following organizational strategies in PBOs. As a result, project managers’ commitment to strategy, which reflects their intention to perform strategic behavior, plays an important role in strategy implementation in PBOs. This study examined the role of leader-leader exchange (LLX), psychological empowerment, and organizational identification of project managers in enhancing strategy commitment. Survey data were analyzed with structural equation modeling. The results show that both LLX and psychological empowerment of project managers enhance their strategy commitment. Besides, this study reveals project managers’ psychological motivational mechanisms by investigating the mediating role of psychological empowerment and the moderating role of organizational identification. This study contributes to PBOs strategy implementation literature by extending the enhancers of strategy commitment. It generates useful insights by revealing project managers’ psychological mechanisms between LLX and strategy commitment.     

Building Project Capabilities in PBOs: Lessons from the French Special Forces

Project-based organizations (PBOs) have become a widespread form of organizations, ideally suited to deal with unstable and dynamic environments. However, PBOs inherently incorporate the conflicting needs of, on the one hand, the temporary nature of projects and on the other hand, the more permanent organizational setting that defends long-term development and intra-organizational coordination. To overcome this differentiation/integration dilemma, the recent literature suggests that PBOs must develop Project Capabilities, defined as the internal ability of a PBO to create lasting performance based on multiple short term projects. But we still know little about how such Project Capabilities may be efficiently developed in PBOs. In order to contribute to the capabilities perspective on PBOs, this paper proposes to approach Project Capabilities building processes as a multi-level and dynamic process, and offers as an illustration the case of a very specific PBO — the French Special Forces (SF). The Special Forces context provides a particularly interesting illustration of how to build Project Capabilities over time, to the extent that they have been carrying out successfully multiple projects in extreme contexts for more than 60 years.     

Balancing control and flexibility in joint risk management: Lessons learned from two construction projects

Joint risk management (JRM) is an approach that highlights the importance of collaboration between the project actors in managing risk that cannot be identified at the outset of the project. Despite the recognition of the concept in the literature, the use of JRM in practice seems to be rare. Based on contingency theory, we investigate how mechanistic (control-oriented) and organic (flexibility-oriented) management systems influence the implementation of JRM in two construction projects. In the first project, the actors managed to achieve a balance between control and flexibility, which paved the way for successful JRM. The extensive use of control in the second project hampered flexibility and constrained the use of JRM. We conclude that JRM requires both control for managing risk that has been identified and flexibility for dealing with unforeseen events. When a mechanistic approach is dominant, risk management remains a formal process carried out individually rather than collaboratively.     

A conceptualization of knowledge governance in project-based organizations

This paper conceptualizes and defines knowledge governance (KG) in project-based organizations (PBOs). Two key contributions towards a multi-faceted view of KG and an understanding of KG in PBOs are advanced, as distinguished from knowledge management and organizational learning concepts. The conceptual framework addresses macro- and micro-level elements of KG and their interaction. Our definition of KG in PBOs highlights the contingent nature of KG processes in relation to their organizational context. These contributions provide a novel platform for understanding KG in PBOs.     

The governance of knowledge in project-based organizations

This research investigates patterns of knowledge governance practices in project-based organizations (PBOs). Five propositions about knowledge governance in PBOs were deductively and empirically tested using qualitative data from 82 interviews. The results were triangulated with those of prior studies. Results indicate that knowledge governance practices in PBOs are impacted by structural and situational factors, such as being a subsidiary or standalone PBO, a PBO striving for excellence or not, as well as some preconditions, such as the executives' competence in project governance. The results show that informal governance mechanisms are more useful than formal when it comes to knowledge creating processes. Governance of informal knowledge creating mechanisms appears to be complex for executives and their preconceptions showed either to be enablers or barriers to productive knowledge governance practices. Executive's competence and preconditions, concerning aspects like human capabilities and attitudes to professional ethos, seems to impact knowledge governance strategies. In subsidiary PBOs knowledge governance provides practitioners with proper assistance to avoid unbeneficial situations of having knowledge silos among loosely coupled islands.     

The effects of project uncertainty and risk management on IS development project performance: A vendor perspective

The structural contingency perspective has been widely used in information systems development (ISD) project risk management research. This paper develops an integrative model to explore the moderating effects of uncertainty on the relationship between risk management and IS development project performance from a vendor perspective, rather than the client perspective that is mainly employed in the literature. A survey-based research design is used to collect data to test the proposed model. The results reveal that project uncertainty can moderate the effects of project planning and control on process performance and the effects of user participation on product performance. More specifically, the results indicate that project planning and control makes a greater contribution to process performance when there is a low level of inherent uncertainty and that user participation makes a greater contribution to product performance when there is a high level of inherent uncertainty. The results of this study contribute to a more acute understanding of the contingency approach to ISD project risk management.     

A project contingency framework based on uncertainty and its consequences

There is an increasing diversity both of project types and PM approaches, but decision tools and theory connecting the two are limited. To address this shortcoming, this paper reviews literature on alternative PM approaches, in the context of project contingency theory. Firstly, the paper identifies five selection factors seen within this literature: uncertainty, complexity, urgency, team empowerment and criticality. Secondly, the paper adapts project contingency theory to encompass these factors. Thirdly, these factors are used to develop a contingency framework based on project uncertainty and its consequences. Finally, the paper discusses the practical applications of the framework, such as its use for project process selection, tuning of processes, and project risk assessment.     

The integrative role of the project management office in the front end of innovation

This research addresses management control in the front end of innovation projects. We conceptualize and analyze PMOs more broadly than just as a specialized project-focused organizational unit. Building on theories of management control, organization design, and innovation front end literature, we assess the role of PMO as an integrative arrangement. The empirical material is derived from four companies. The results show a variety of management control mechanisms that can be considered as integrative organizational arrangements. Such organizational arrangements can be considered as an alternative to a non-existent PMO, or to complement a (non-existent) PMO's tasks. The paper also contrasts prior literature by emphasizing the desirability of a highly organic or embedded matrix structure in the organization. Finally, we propose that the development path of the management approach proceeds by first emphasizing diagnostic and boundary systems (with mechanistic management approaches) followed by intensive use of interactive and belief systems (with value-based management approaches). The major contribution of this paper is in the organizational and managerial mechanisms of a firm that is managing multiple innovation projects. This research also expands upon the existing PMO research to include a broader management control approach for managing projects in companies.     

Performance management in construction: a conceptual framework

This paper presents a review of the literature on performance management and measurement in various industries with the aim of transferring best practice into construction. A framework is presented which ensures that effective strategies are deployed to form the performance management system that construction organizations can adopt. The performance measurement process (conceptual) framework (PMPF) adopts the balanced scorecard (BSC) with the addition of a number of elements and perspectives. It rationalizes the relationships between performance measures and goals derived from strategy, so the impact of those measures on an organization's performance can be examined and analysed to indicate potential areas for improvement     

Component model calibration for cyclic behavior of a corrugated shear wall

A new cold-formed steel corrugated shear wall seismic force resisting system has been recently developed by Tipping Mar and Associates of Berkeley, California. The seismic performance quantification of buildings with the system requires non-linear dynamic analysis, where the shear wall – to reduce calculation demands – is modeled by cyclic strut element. The paper presents the model development and calibration to test results. In lack of monotonic test results, monotonic backbone curve is estimated by non-linear static analysis. Cyclic deterioration parameters are determined by genetic algorithm optimization method. Standard model that is applicable to the various shear wall configurations is developed.     

Getting control of multi-project organizations: Combining contingent control mechanisms

The literature on management control has expanded considerably in the past few decades, yet only a limited number of publications have been devoted to multi-project organizations (MPOs). This is somewhat a problem given the increasing rise and importance of project-based structures and the role of project management as a significant part of many firms' management control system. This paper elaborates on a contingency framework of management control in MPOs and aims at investigating the control issues that call for holistic frameworks of control mechanisms. Relying on a comparative case study, the analysis shows how control mechanisms are deployed and what implications different choices of management control systems have on the organizational structure of MPOs. In particular, the paper addresses the importance technical complementarities, and the role of ‘project interdependencies’ and ‘project openness’ for the design of management control system.     

Exploration and exploitation in project-based organizations: Development and diffusion of knowledge at different organizational levels in construction companies

Management studies highlight the importance of an organization's capability to both exploit existing knowledge and technologies for short-term profits and also explore new knowledge and technologies to enhance long-term innovation. Although this paradox recently has received escalating interest in management research, studies dealing with project-levels and project-based organizations (PBOs) are scarce. This conceptual paper discusses how PBOs in the construction industry can manage the exploration/exploitation paradox at different organizational levels. Short-term project focus and decentralization inhibits learning from one point in time and space to another, making it easier to reap the benefits of exploitation than of exploration. Current structural and sequential separation of exploration and exploitation activities at business unit, project portfolio, and project levels do not solve the paradox, due to lack of integrating mechanisms. Hence, PBOs in the construction industry may suffer from inadequate extent of exploration, while the extent of exploitation is not reaching its potential. Cooperative procurement procedures can serve as a basis for facilitating both exploration and exploitation of knowledge and technologies in construction projects.     

Resilience and creative problem-solving capacities in project teams: A relational view

Teams often struggle with their assigned projects and evidence indicates relatively limited project success. Recent research advanced a behavioral perspective to the study of the variance in project performance. We seek to advance this literature by developing and testing a dual-pathway model of project performance. Specifically, we expand on relational coordination theory to suggest that teams can enhance their project performance through two knowledge creation mechanisms – access to knowledge and experiential learning – which underpin resilience and creative problem solving. Results of time-lagged data from project teams indicate that high quality relationships between team members facilitate both experiential learning and access to knowledge, which in turn are positively related to team resilience. Team resilience, in turn, is indirectly related to project performance, through creative problem solving. We advance the extant literature of project management by enhancing our understanding of how relationally coordinated project teams develop capabilities – resilience and creative problem solving – and improve their project performance.     

A dynamic sustainability Balanced Scorecard methodology as a navigator for exploring the dynamics and complexity of corporate sustainability strategy

The majority of recent empirical research regarding corporate environmental literature seeks to identify the potential relationships between environmental management practices and the financial performance of the firms. In addition, another major part of the research concerns the effect of corporate social responsibility practices on corporate financial performance. The majority of these studies focus on the effect of either social or environmental aspects on firms’ economic performance through various statistical techniques in an ex post and static base (at the end of year – annually). To contribute to this literature, this article aims at developing a dynamic sustainability Balance Scorecard methodology to investigate the evolutionary trends of the relationships among environmental, social, and economic performance of firms. The main contribution is the development of an integrated mental model in order to improve managers’ and scholars’ comprehension of corporate sustainability performance. The proposed methodology is mainly based on the corporate environmental and social management literature, system thinking, system dynamics, and Stella software. Some computational examples are also presented based on three scenarios.     

A Comparative Analysis of Two Artificial Neural Networks Using Pavement Performance Prediction

The management of pavements requires the ongoing allocation of substantial manpower and capital resources by the responsible agencies. These agencies ultimately report to the executive and legislative branches of government, which require justification and proof of the efficacy of these expenditures. This and the need for improved engineering technical feedback have encouraged the development of pavement management systems (PMS). One goal of a PMS is to provide decision makers at all levels with optimal resource-allocation strategies. This requires evaluation of alternatives over an analysis period based on predicted values of pavement performance. This necessitates more reliable pavement performance prediction models. Traditional modeling uses multiple regression techniques to predict pavement performance from traffic, time, and pavement distress or various combinations of these factors. Within the last 10 years, new modeling techniques, including artificial neural networks (ANNs), have been applied to transportation problems. The ANNs examined usually have been of a single type called a dot product ANN. This paper examines a different type called the quadratic function ANN and compares the results to the dot product ANN. The quadratic function ANN is a generalized adaptive, feedforward neural network that combines supervised and self-organizing learning. Models were developed to predict roughness using both types of ANN on the same data samples and the results compared. The data samples were drawn from the Kansas Department of Transportation's PMS database. The results indicate a significant improvement in the use of the self-organizing quadratic function ANNs and lead to recommendations for specific areas of additional research.     

Organizational culture and willingness to share knowledge: A competing values perspective in Australian context

A considerable amount of research has confirmed the relationship between organizational culture and knowledge sharing behaviours. However, less research has been conducted on the impact of project sub-cultures in relation to the sharing of knowledge between projects, particularly in project based organizations (PBOs). The unique structures and contexts characterized by PBOs indicate the need to investigate further the impact of cultures present within PBOs and their effect on knowledge sharing. We report on a rich case study of four large Australian-based PBOs whereby the cultural values of these large organizations were seen to impact significantly on whether project teams were more or less likely to improve inter-project knowledge sharing. Furthermore, this research demonstrates the utility of using Cameron and Quinn's (2005) Competing Values Framework to evaluate culture in the context of PBOs.     

Pricing strategy in the US construction industry

This paper presents several issues related to pricing in construction. First, problems with current pricing strategy in construction are explored. Second, pricing strategies based on a market-based approach are proposed. Third, survey findings of the top 400 US contractors are presented regarding their current pricing practices and the applicability of the proposed pricing strategies. In conclusion, the belief that current pricing strategy in construction is predominantly cost-based is confirmed by the survey findings; indeed, in setting the markup, most contractors rely on their intuition after subjectively assessing the competition. The three internal pricing variables that have the largest statistically significant contingency coefficients with pricing strategy are ‘marketing intelligence capabilities’, ‘annual contract value’, and ‘the type of client in most projects’. ‘Owner's characteristics’, ‘competitors'characteristics’, and ‘market demand’ are statistically significant external variables in making pricing strategy decisions. A change of bidding procedure is proposed so that all parties in construction can maximize the benefits of market-based pricing strategies.     

Project management office a knowledge broker in project-based organisations

Current research into project management offices (PMOs) has stressed the PMOs' potential to act as knowledge brokers between projects, and between project and top management. Nonetheless, the literature does not provide sufficient evidence of the brokering role of PMOs. The research reported here aims to examine PMO's functions from a knowledge sharing perspective and explore whether or not these functions reflect the knowledge sharing needs of project managers (PMs). These issues are investigated through a cross-case analysis of seven organisations. The main contribution is insight into how PMs share knowledge and awareness of the need to structure PMOs to align with PMs' nature, needs and expectations in order to improve knowledge sharing in PBOs. Finally, some practical steps for helping PMOs to better adapt their functions to the needs of PMs and their learning and knowledge sharing style are proposed.     

Robust optimization of valve management to improve water quality in WDNs under demand uncertainty

ABSTRACT

Water quality deterioration in water distribution networks can be associated with high water residence time in the network. To this end, some previous studies have proposed optimization procedures for valve management. However, these studies generally come up with operational configurations assuming deterministic user demand patterns that may never occur in reality. In consequence, the proposed solutions may not be effective for improving water quality or do not comply with pressure constraints if different demand patterns are observed. This study proposes a methodology to determine robust configurations of the valves to keep water residence time at acceptable levels regardless of the variability in demand patterns. The methodology is tested on four different distribution systems of varying topology and size. Results show the importance of executing robust – instead of deterministic, optimization to find valve configurations that guarantee the performance of the networks in terms of hydraulics and water quality.     

Measurement system design for leak detection in hydraulic pressurized networks

This paper compares four sensor placement strategies which differ according to their evaluation criteria (EC). The first involves the minimisation of the expected number of candidate models, and the second is based on maximising joint entropy. The first methodology shows better results in terms of diagnostic performance. However, the second is promising due to faster execution time. The third strategy is a combination of the first two. Finally, a fourth strategy involves consideration of the cost of the sensor placement at each location in addition to the EC of the third strategy. The four strategies are evaluated in terms of performance, computational load and cost. Since there is only mild competition between the three criteria, a hierarchical multicriteria decision-making approach is employed to identify the best sensor placement strategy. Two case studies are used for illustration. The results show that the sensor placement strategies are useful for identifying optimised sensor configurations for new configurations as well as for evaluating the performance of existing sensor configurations. Using a hierarchical multicriteria decision-making technique, the fourth sensor placement strategy satisfies all criteria well, making it the best strategy.