Reprint of: From open innovation projects to open innovation project management capabilities: A process-based approach

How do organizations use the experience from projects to build a systematic capability to manage open innovation projects? Drawing upon Project Management and Open Innovation capability-building frameworks, we studied the crusade of an industrial company to create an open innovation capability. In that sense, we applied an Event Structure Analysis (ESA) to evaluate the event network, which evidenced a four-stage process: closed mode, open driver, vanguard project, project-to-organization. Results demonstrate, from causal connections, that the referred capability can be leveraged from the execution of key projects, especially from a vanguard project. Our study contributes to Project Management theory by reveling that previous experiences in both project and organizational levels offer a fertile ground for the emergence of a vanguard project. For the open innovation field, this paper provides a project-oriented approach to the discussion of open innovation's adoption in mature firms.     

Value creation in projects: Towards a narrative perspective

It is contended that value is a social construct, and that the processes of social construction are rooted in language. On this basis we argue that value creation is a process which lends itself to interpretation from a narrative perspective. Previous attempts at value creation have been promoted under the label of ‘value management’. There are two approaches which are identifiable in the literature. The first is based on the traditional narrative of value engineering (aka Hard VM) and is primarily directed towards cost reduction. The second more recent variant is labelled ‘soft’ value management (Soft VM) and is primarily directed towards the achievement of a shared understanding of the value criteria relating to an individual project. The two approaches are critiqued in terms of their underlying assumptions and it is suggested that they are best understood as different forms of narrative. The emerging literature on value creation is similarly critiqued in accordance with the adopted narrative perspective. The distinction is made between formalised narratives of value on the level of the organisations involved in the project coalition and the anecdotal stories which individuals use to make sense of their own lived experiences. Emphasis is given to the ways in which different narratives interact, and to the way in which they remain contestable over time. Particular attention is given to the confluence between storytelling and identity work.     

Performance-based building and innovation: balancing client and industry needs

One reason for the interest in performance-based building is that it is commonly advocated as a powerful way of enhancing innovation performance by articulating building performance outcomes, and by offering relevant procurement actors the discretion to innovate to meet these performance requirements more effectively and/or efficiently. The paper argues that the current approach to performance-based building assumes that relevant actors have the capacity, ability and motivation to innovate from a business perspective. It is proposed that the prevailing conceptualization of PBB is too restrictive and should be broadened explicitly to accommodate the required business logic that must be in place before actors will innovate. The relevant performance-based building and innovation literature is synthesized to support the assertion. The paper concludes with an innovation-focused definition of performance-based building.     

A theory framework for balancing vertical and horizontal leadership in projects

This paper develops a framework for understanding the interaction between person-centered leadership by project managers (a.k.a. vertical leadership (VLS)) and team-centered leadership by individuals in the project team (a.k.a. horizontal leadership (HSL)). It builds on Archer's Realist Social Theory and its morphogenetic cycle, which describes the interaction of structure with agency for task fulfillment and the resulting reshaping (morphogenesis) or continuation (morphostasis) of structure for subsequent iterations of the cycle. Data were collected globally in 33 case studies with 166 interviews and analyzed using Alvesson's Constructing Mystery technique. A theory about the cycles and events that shape the interaction between VLS and HLS is developed, which includes events such as nomination, identification, selection, execution and governance, as well as transitioning. Managerial and theoretical implications are discussed.     

Inter-organisational projects in French innovation clusters: The construction of collaboration

Having received considerable attention from central government and local authorities, French innovation clusters (the so-called ‘pôles de compétitivité’) are beginning to be studied by academic researchers and evaluated by consultants. The core of their activity consists of collaborative projects, which are characterised by specific management and Human Resources practices located at the junction of different cultures and employment statuses. Almost four years after they were launched, what can we say about the dynamic of these collaborative projects? What is the reality of such collaboration when it involves multiple partnerships bringing together employees from different occupational cultures and Human Resources Management systems?The aim of this longitudinal research, which is based on the observation of two collaborative projects in one of the most largest clusters in France, is to discuss management and HR issues in such a setting. A literature review highlights the need to open up the ‘black box’ of collaboration within projects and encourages examination of both manager's coordination efforts and the actors' motivation to cooperate, as well as the role played by HRM practices. Thus observation of the conduct of the projects over two years reveals that collaboration, far from being a given within these projects, is the product of a process of social construction that might be fostered by better managerial support.     

计算机产品创新项目中的需求分析与决策

产品是企业盈利的载体,企业想要更好的生存与发展,必需做好产品创新。从计算机产品创新项目的特点出发,以创意为重点,分析了需求的来源及其评估,并对计算机产品创新项目需求分析与决策的流程进行了论述。     

Project governance and path creation in the early stages of Finnish nuclear power projects

In this paper we focus on the early stages of projects and their governance implications by investigating the introduction of nuclear power in Finland. We look at the early stages through the lens of path dependence and illustrate how early decisions may lead the project down the wrong path. However, we also develop a path creation perspective in order to develop an understanding of how the project actors in our case deliberately navigated in the cold war atmosphere to avoid a budding lock-in. This historical study highlights the importance of building relationships between key actors and securing their commitment during the early stages of a project. We argue that strong relationships and commitment open up opportunities for creating alternative paths during project appraisal, increase the array of available governance mechanisms, and hence lay the foundations for the final governance structure of the project execution phase.     

创新监管思路 保障建设工程质量与安全

以现行的有关法律、法规和省、市、区政策文件为依据,创新监管机制,提出加强市场监管与现场监管相结合,建议落实建造师和监理工程师执业资格印章使用,建立重点监管企业约谈制度和多部门联动机制,全面推进施工现场标准化管理,以引导和促进全区建筑行业的健康稳步发展。     

Noah's ark: evangelical christianity and the creation of a value environment in hong kong

ABSTRACT

The story of Noah and his Ark, recounted in the Christian Bible in Genesis 6–9 (but which also features in Judaism and Islam) offers a story of God's judgment for the sins of humankind, but also of his redemptive plan and hope for humankind and the rest of creation. This multifaceted story has made its mark on popular culture, in press accounts of archaeological digs in Mount Ararat, and in the visual arts, literature, film, television, and many other allusions and references. It also proves to be serviceable to timely ideologies of environmental consciousness, and ideas of social and political “harmony.” In Hong Kong, a theme park based on the Noah story offers an interesting example not just of biblical cultural influence nor of a Bible-themed commercial project, but of materializing or manifesting evangelical Christian values onto the natural and built landscapes. The Noah's Ark theme park thus offers a study in strategies of materializing the otherwise transcendent and invisible, or else internalized and intangible, core of evangelical Christianity, and harnessing interest in nature and the environment to create a Christian learning experience.     

新时期房地产工程造价的管理创新及模式

近年来,随着房地产快速发展,其工程造价逐渐成为热门话题,有关单位对房地产工程造价控制越来越严格。房地产工程造价控制是一个动态过程,如何让房地产工程在保证质量的前提下降低造价,追求利润最大化和利益最大化成为整个工程相关行业的控制点。     

The role of task conflict in cooperative innovation projects: An organizational learning theory perspective

Drawing on organizational learning theory, this study aims to investigate the effects of task conflict on the success of cooperative innovation projects (CIPs) and to identify the mediating mechanisms through which such effects are achieved. Our conceptual model was validated by a cross-sectional sample of 291 Chinese manufacturing firms, in each of which multiple key informants provided data about CIPs. The results indicate that the relationship between task conflict and CIP success is achieved indirectly through the mediating effects of the tacitness and ambiguity of knowledge acquired from the CIP partner, and the knowledge base compatibility of the focal firm with the partner. The mediating mechanisms elaborated in this paper probe the influence of task conflict on CIP success more thoroughly and constructively. Our findings suggest that project managers should adopt a constructive debate approach for knowledge acquisition and assimilation from their CIP partners.     

国外高校建筑创作的价值借鉴

结合国外具有代表性的高校建筑的创作实践,从五方面展开了研究与探讨,从而丰富和发展我国高校建筑的创作,完善高校建筑的功能,对我国高校建筑的创作与发展具有一定借鉴价值。     

Method for capturing demands for housing customisation: balancing value for customers and operations costs

Journal of Housing and the Built Environment - Mass customisation is a business strategy for house building companies to improve value generation and obtain a competitive advantage by offering the...     

Large-scale projects and land value changes in peripheral residential development in Istanbul

The concept of resilience, which is extensively discussed in urban planning, reflects the idea of the city as a complex system that is exposed to the unforeseen effects of, either planned or uncontrolled, development. The current study aims to define vulnerable areas in the urban periphery in the case of Istanbul, Turkey, and discusses how these areas can be prioritized to be adapted or transformed encountering large-scale projects. Assessing the resiliency or vulnerability of urban areas can be measured in terms of dynamic degree of land value changes and type of land uses. Istanbul, the focus of this study, is struggling with uncertainty in planning and faces challenges on adaptability to large-scale projects. In the current paper study, one of the peripheral neighborhoods in Istanbul, Göktürk, which is exposed to large-scale projects, is investigated in terms of its degree of vulnerability to unforeseen effects, via changes of land value and land use development pattern since 2003. The results indicate spatial variances of vulnerability degrees in subareas which must be reassessed in order to adapt urban policies and to increase resilience to unforeseen effects of these large-scale projects.

     

建设项目业主方设计管理工作的深化探索与创新实践

基于宝钢“十五”、“十一五”规划项目建设实践,介绍了宝钢设计管理工作的管理模式、管理内容、设计的基本原则理念、规范制度、技术集成创新、设计质量、设计进度、变更控制及档案等业务管理的方法、措施与创新等,并进行了总结提炼;同时对今后如何改进设计管理工作提出了建议。     

The influence of quality benefit and marginal contribution on the optimal equity structure of the PPP projects: balancing public and private benefits

Public–private partnerships (PPPs) involve many different participants, and the equity allocation between them may influence the performance of PPP projects. While the optimal capital structure and equity capital structure of the project company have been extensively investigated, few studies have examined how to allocate equity shares among different private participants. Considering both public and private benefits, this study focuses on the optimal equity structure between construction contractor (CC) and operating contractor (OC). A game model is used to analyze how quality benefit and marginal contribution of CC and OC’s effort affect the optimal equity structure. The findings reveal that the private consortium expects the party (CC or OC) with higher marginal contribution of effort to own more equity shares, while government expects the party (CC or OC) with lower marginal contribution of effort to own more equity shares. Furthermore, a non-linear relationship between the optimal equity structure and government’s bargaining power is found. The results also manifest that the quality benefit of construction on operation is a nontrivial factor when designing the equity structure. If unconsidered, the CC’s optimal equity ratio will be either undervalued (when a higher construction quality can reduce the operating cost) or overvalued (when a higher construction quality can increase the operating cost). These findings can provide some insights into designing the equity structure for PPP projects in the bidding process.