About the International Journal of Managing Projects in Business

Citation

Walker, D.H.T. (2009), "About the International Journal of Managing Projects in Business", International Journal of Managing Projects in Business, Vol. 2 No. 2. https://doi.org/10.1108/ijmpb.2009.35302baa.001

About the International Journal of Managing Projects in Business

Article Type: From the Editor From: International Journal of Managing Projects in Business, Volume 2, Issue 2

This issue is the second in the second volume of the International Journal of Managing Projects in Business (IJMPiB). The Research Thesis Notes section is useful because it expands our knowledge of PM doctoral research topics being studied and universities that offer project management (PM) doctoral programs – also it helps identify potential future supervisors and examiners (Guidelines for these can be found in the Appendix).

About this issue

Contributing authors to this issue are based in Australia, Singapore, New Zealand, Germany, Norway, France, the UK, Malaysia, Bangladesh, Finland, and Ireland. This issue brings to our attention six papers on leading edge research, two doctoral thesis research notes and two book reviews as well as information on coming PM events of interest to readers for in 2009 and 2010.

The opening paper entitled “Managing organizational change by using soft systems thinking in action research projects” by Shankar Sankaran, Boon Hou Tay and Martin Orr shows how systems thinking can be incorporated in action research (AR) interventions to successfully implement organizational change. Soft systems methodology (SSM) and AR can both help in addressing ill-structured problems faced by managers, in collaboration with stakeholders using questioning and reflection. Both lead to an increased understanding about the problem situation. This paper would be useful to managers interested in a rigorous methodology to implement organizational change in addressing business problems. It demonstrates ways of combining SSM and AR, resulting in a powerful research tool to carry out rigorous research. This journal has featured a number of papers where SSM and AR have been used to solve complex and messy PM problems. This paper features two case studies that illustrate and explain how SSM and AR can be used in this reflective practitioner setting. Case 1 project was carried out by the Technical Director of a Research and Development firm in Singapore for a PhD program. The project involved the development of a diagnostic expert system for military vehicles that changed the way in which the software development firm designed and implemented software solutions for its customers. Case 2 project was carried out for a District Health Board in New Zealand to implement a series of electronic health knowledge management (KM) systems. The objective of the project was to increase the capacity of the board to bring together and have clinical information from multiple distributed resources to provide better integrated care and health outcomes. It included implementing several interrelated projects. The paper concludes that some more practical versions of SSM, such as the dialectical model described in the expert systems project, could help researchers use a systems approach more effectively towards achieving a solution in an AR project. This paper will be of value to reflective practitioners as well as those undertaking advanced degrees that are based in industry.

Paper 2 is entitled “Comparing the leadership styles of functional and project managers” by J. Rodney Turner, Ralph Müller and Vic Dulewicz. This paper provides some interesting further insights into leadership work on emotional intelligence that was also featured in a USA context in the paper by (Turner and Lloyd-Walker, 2008) in Issue 4 of Volume 1. This study, however, examines the differences between leadership competences of project managers and those of functional managers based on an extensive survey of project and functional managers mainly based in Europe, the USA, Australia and New Zealand but with others from other parts of the world. Leadership styles of 414 project managers were assessed and the results were compared with the leadership profiles of over 1,000 functional managers using the same instrument. Quantitative analysis techniques identify significant differences in the leadership styles of project managers when compared to functional managers and correlations between leadership competences and leadership performance and follower commitment of project managers were compared with those of functional managers. Results show that project managers score higher than functional managers on conscientiousness, sensitivity, and critical analysis, but they score lower on communication and development competencies. The correlation between the fit of project managers to their organizational context and their leadership performance and follower commitment was also calculated and comparisons show differences in leadership competences for functional and project managers. Managers in general management roles should be trained to a lesser extent in managerial (MQ) and intellectual (IQ) competences than those in project management roles. However, solid training in emotional (EQ) competences is needed for success in both managerial roles. The differences in leadership competences of project managers and line managers from industry and government are identified. The value of the study lies in the identification of leadership impact on performance and the differences between project managers and line managers. It thereby contributes to a better understanding of the particular leadership competences needed to be successful in each of the two roles. Suggestions for training programs were given. Careful application of the findings may provide for better results in both project management and functional management.

Paper 3 entitled “Formulation of robust strategies for project manufacturing business” by Stephen Fox, Tero Jokinen, Niklas Lindfors and Jean-Peter Ylén provides a discussion on the development and use of comprehensive system dynamics model for the formulation of robust strategies in project manufacturing business. Project manufacturing has become a new area of focus for PM study with Finland providing some leading interesting examples of leading edge developments. It reports on experiences from AR involving field study with project manufacturing businesses with field study involvement on five businesses serving three project manufacturing sectors. The paper argues that it is possible, using readily available resources, to develop comprehensive system dynamics model for project manufacturing business which can be used to facilitate the formulation of robust strategies. The paper stresses that the literature recognises the need for better approaches for dealing with dynamic complexity in project business. However, extant models deal with single projects or a few aspects of multiple projects. Their research paper suggests that companies can develop system dynamics models that go beyond multiple projects to encompass broader business issues which cause effects within their projects. Further, they argue that such comprehensive models can be used to formulate robust strategies. The value of this paper is that it offers practical examples to inform the development of comprehensive system dynamics model for project manufacturing business. Moreover, the use of comprehensive model to facilitate the formulation of robust strategies is also explained. This paper has significance for those interested in minimising waste and rework in project work and more fully understanding how to deal with complexity in project work.

Paper 4 entitled “Team learning, top management support and new product development success” by Md Zahidul Islam, Jason A. Doshi, Hanif Mahtab, and Zainal Ariffin Ahmad investigates the relationship between team learning, top management support and new product development (NPD) success. NPD is another current area of focus for PM, particularly as we head into an era of mass customisation and rapid time to market demand for new products and services. The research reported upon was quantitative research by nature using a questionnaire derived from previous studies and covered by 27 NPD projects in the high-tech semiconductor industry in Malaysia. Out of the four independent variables identified and tested for, knowledge acquisition and information interpretation were found to have a signification relationship with NPD success. The findings also confirmed that top management support is a moderator in the relationship between team learning and NPD success. This paper reinforces the body of knowledge relating to NPD in the high-tech semiconductor industry and it also provides valuable insights from a part of the world where high-tech NPD is being developed but gains less exposure than that of the USA and Europe and so this extends our appreciation of NPD in a global context. This paper proposes the socio-cognitive dimensions of team learning as a tool to achieve success in NPD project implementation. It further contributes to the organisational learning and KM literature by presenting one of the few empirically examinations of learning and KM in NPD teams.

Paper 5 entitled “Project autonomy in complex service development networks” by Miia Martinsuo and Päivi Lehtonen complements work appearing from other leading scholars in Finland (Artto et al., 2008a, b) and examines project autonomy and its formation in a complex stakeholder environment. The purpose is to increase understanding on project autonomy, its formation, enablers and barriers in a complex stakeholder environment, particularly in service development networks. The authors employed an embedded case study strategy of eleven service development projects within the same non-profit parent organization, each with their unique, complex stakeholder networks. Data were collected through interviews with key informants both in the projects and their parent organization and content analysed. The results reveal that project autonomy appears in constant interplay with the surrounding stakeholder environment. Martinsuo and Lehtonen characterise four types of context-dependent autonomy in the projects: isolated, privileged, networked, and embedded. They also report how the parent organisation enables and constrains autonomy by moderating the level of attention given to projects more or less deliberately. They argue that the alleged connection between project autonomy and success needs to be questioned in complex stakeholder environments. They suggest further research should be undertaken on the dynamics of project autonomy throughout the project lifecycle, and the effects of contingency factors such as project type. Their paper contributes to the project autonomy literature by drawing attention to the complexity of a project’s stakeholder environment and by lending empirical support to recent conceptual research on context-bound project strategies.

Finally, in paper 6 entitled “Project management in small to medium-sized enterprises: a comparison between firms by size and industry,” J. Rodney Turner, Ann Ledwith, and John Kelly, report on research conducted to find the extent to which SMEs use projects, project management and the tools of project management, and to determine what differences there are by size of company and industry. SMEs attract little attention in the literature as compared to the collective size and impact that SMEs have on the global economy and so this paper provides much needed insights. They developed a questionnaire, that was answered by 280 companies from a range of industries and sizes, to examine the extent to which small firms carry out projects, the resources they employ, the way they measure project success and the tools and techniques that they use. They found that companies of all sizes spend roughly the same proportion of turnover on projects, but the smaller the company, the smaller their projects, the less they use project management and its tools. They observe that surprisingly, hi-tech companies spend less on projects than lo-tech or service companies, but have larger projects and use project management to a greater extent. They also use the gadgets of project management to a greater extent. The authors of this paper conclude that SMEs do require less bureaucratic versions of project management, perhaps with different tool sets than the more traditional versions designed for medium-sized or large projects, and with different versions for medium, small and micro projects. They also identify that for all firms the important success factors are client consultation; planning, monitoring and control; and resource allocation. The results presented in this paper will form the basis of the authors’ research at the Centre for Project Management at the University of Limerick to develop the “lite” versions of project management.

The two Research Thesis Research Notes extend our appreciation of the interesting and valuable areas of PM research being undertaken as well as where such research may be undertaken. In this case the Macquarie Graduate School of Management, Sydney, Australia and RMIT University, Melbourne, Australia. Readers interested in undertaking a doctorate and acquainting themselves of relevant institutions offering such programs and the kind of topics that candidates can take and be supervised on will find this issue a useful extension to those offered in Volume 1.

The first thesis research note entitled “A knowledge management approach to innovation and learning in the construction industry” is presented by Dr Tayyab Maqsood and his principal supervisor Dr Andrew D. Finnegan. The PhD thesis can be accessed at URL: http://adt.lib.rmit.edu.au/adt/public/adt-VIT20070116.145205/. This research summarises a doctoral thesis that was completed and passed in 2006 from RMIT University, Melbourne, Australian. The purpose of this paper is to summarise a PhD that has particular significance to PM practitioners and scholars. The research investigates the role of KM in supporting innovation and learning in the construction industry. The research is carried out in two phases. Phase 1 employs a grounded theory methodology to develop and map out the current state of knowledge related activities being undertaken in two leading Australian construction organisations. This is developed into a model that shows that the segregation between three crucial components – people, process and technology – of an organisation is required to successfully carry out construction work. Phase 2 utilises SSM as a KM tool to identify the gap between organisations’ internal and external knowledge sources. This gap is significant as it restricts the pull of knowledge from external knowledge sources. This investigation provides a model to achieve KM initiatives through adoption of SSM. This results in an improvement in the integration of people, process and technology within an organisation, an increase in the capacity of the organisation to pull external knowledge, and thereby improve its own internal knowledge bank. All these improvements help an organisation to transform itself into a learning organisation that can continually adapt and innovate. This KM/Learning organisation area of PM studies has been featured in each of the issues in the preceding issues of this journal because of the recent focus on the importance of learning in PM organisations. This paper provides practitioners with an insight into how KM can be applied in PM-oriented organisations. Also the research explores an identified gap between PM research and practice, and argues that industry needs to effectively work in collaboration with knowledge sources found in academia. The paper also demonstrates that SSM can be used to create artefacts of knowledge. SSM has also been a strong feature of a number of papers in the IJMPiB. The thesis generated many peer reviewed conference, journal and book chapters and so it is useful to be able to access this entire thesis from the URL provided.

The second of the two Research Thesis Notes entitled “New product development projects and project manager skill sets in the telecommunications industry” is presented by Dr Mustafa Kosaroglu and his supervisor Dr Robert Alan Hunt and summarises a Doctor of Business Administration thesis undertaken and successfully defended in 2008 at the Macquarie Graduate School of Management, Sydney, Australia. The thesis can be accessed at URL: http://hdl.handle.net/1959.14/15994. The DBA at this university is undertaken with an overall aim of equipping practicing managers with the skills and knowledge to apply current research methods in their investigation and resolution of organisationally-based problems, and to make a distinct contribution to the improvement of professional practice, policy or strategy in the field of management. It requires an intensive high level of face-to-face interaction between student and supervisor, and so is not offered as distance learning. It is structured with 33 percent coursework and 67 percent research thesis that is entirely consistent in content and rigour with a more traditional PhD doctorate with the Australian context. The thesis provides an exploration of the contemporary challenges in the execution of NPD projects in Telco, a hypercompetitive service industry with heavy dependency on technology and engineering. It presents an explanation of what makes their project managers successful, using an improved and simpler skill set framework. As such this thesis is highly relevant to PM practitioners and scholars.

Two books are reviewed. The first book, reviewed by Dr Tayyab Maqsood from RMIT University and the co-author of one of the thesis research notes, is the 2008 book by Koskinen, K.U. and Pihlanto, P., Knowledge Management in Project-based Companies: An Organic Perspective, Palgrave Mcmillan, Basingstoke, UK. The second is reviewed by Professor Derek Walker of the 2007 book by Professor Terry Williams on Post Project Reviews to Gain Effective Lessons Learned. This is a PMI book arising out of a PMI research funded research project and so is based upon rigorous research with an excellent and authoritative literature review and so it would be of particular interest to both PM scholars and practitioners. These two reviewed books are centred on complementary topics of managing knowledge and helping organisations to make the most of their intellectual capital. Each would be of value in any project manager’s technical library.

Finally, the regular forthcoming events section keeps us aware of useful conferences, meetings and links that readers can take advantage of to improve their PM practice and research. It has been a pleasure to edit this issue.

Derek H.T. Walker

Appendix. Research thesis notes guidelines

The thesis notes have been an innovation for Emerald and the IJMPiB that has attracted a lot of positive attention and feedback. I have had numerous questions about how these are evolving and for guidance on how to prepare them. I hope the following helps.

The aims for the thesis notes can be summarised as:

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  Providing access to readers on recent (within the past 12-24 months) doctoral theses/dissertations that relate to PM topics. Often when reading an interesting paper a reader is intrigued by a topic and would like to find more about the author’s work. While that author may have cited several related papers of theirs, the main and core source is often their doctoral thesis. It would be very useful to know a little more about what the thesis was about, its context and how to electronically download it for further detail.

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  Providing a summary of the thesis. All doctoral theses require a summary at the start of the thesis usually about 1,000-1,500 words. This can be used with modifications as the basis of the thesis note. There may also be a similar amount of content perhaps a page or two that has a useful figure that summarises a model or the findings. The idea is to provide a summary and not a full paper, the author may have already written one or several papers already that are in print or under review.

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  Provide a context of the thesis. It would be interesting to know a little about the thesis author and their journey to the thesis topic. Generally they are reflective practitioners and have an interesting background that led them to this topic. Other readers may be prompted after reading the thesis note to follow a similar journey.

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  Provide a context for the university where the thesis was developed. Most readers are unaware of the variety of schools, universities and opportunities to undertake a doctorate on a research topic. They may have done so from a PhD, DBA or DPM base. Many readers would be interested in a description of a short contextual setting of the University, the PM topic expertise that can be accessed. A short section of about a half to one page could provide useful information for readers about what opportunities are available to study and research PM topics at the doctoral level.

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  Indicate outcomes from the work. The thesis notes should cite papers presented at conferences, journal papers, any other IP outcomes such as a patent, invention new process or whatever else may be of practical use that came out of the work.

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  A URL where the thesis can be downloaded. People would like to be able to download the thesis, even if it is in a language other than English.

The paper should be about eight to ten pages or about 3,000-4,000 words. It is usually co-authored with the thesis supervisor who can add in insights for where that work is now heading, the philosophy of the institution that supported the doctorate and any other issues that are relevant to being able to deliver the doctorate.