Exploring the dynamics of value and fit: Insights from project management

The strategic management literature has struggled with how to recognize, measure, and even understand the concept of “fit” between strategy, structure, and environment. Nevertheless, the concept of fit was fundamentally important from the beginning of the Value of Project Management project. In this article, we compare the “fit” construct defined by Miles and Snow (1984) with our concerns with value direction (Thomas & Mullaly, 2008). A comparative analysis of these two constructs provides insights into how both dimensions improve overall organizational understanding. We demonstrate that while each of these dimensions independently provides useful information, it is their intersection that provides a means of interpreting not just current realities but appropriate future actions.     

Understanding the value of project management from a stakeholder's perspective: Case study of mega‐project management

Project management can generate significant value for organizations (Thomas & Mullaly, 2007). However, the value of project management varies depending on the different size and complexity of projects managed. Focusing on mega‐projects, this study explores the value of project management from the stakeholders' perspective, thereby creating a value framework. In the case of SHRBC Company, it analyzes the company's project management practice and the value of project management, and consequently certifies the applicability of this value framework through empirical study.     

The role of project management maturity and organizational culture in perceived performance

This study investigates whether project management maturity (PMM) relates to perceived organizational performance and how an organization's cultural orientation is a contributing factor. Perceived organizational performance is defined as project effectiveness and efficiency followed by resulting business performance. A survey‐based research was conducted with 86 project professionals from various U.S. service and manufacturing organizations. The study revealed that PMM is significantly related to business performance but not to project performance. Furthermore, while clan organizational culture is a sole contributing factor for project and business performances, PMM interacts with market culture in improving business performance. This study shows that in order to deal with project time, budget, and expectations issues, an organizational culture change toward sharing, collaboration, and empowerment is a must. Furthermore, an increasing project management maturity along with a results‐oriented organizational culture improves an organization's competitiveness, resulting in cost savings and increased sales. PMM efforts are therefore crucial. PMM accompanied by an understanding of cultural orientation is a best strategy for today's project‐based organizations.     

Understanding the value of project management: First steps on an international investigation in search of value

Organizations investing in project management need to be assured of a concrete return. Without the ability to clearly define its value, project management joins the long line of initiatives (i.e., TQM, information systems, training, human resources) struggling to prove their worth to organizations. However, demonstrating a concrete value in organizations has been illusive and even paradoxical. This paper describes the conceptual model underlying a major international research project designed to yield a broad perspective on the value of project management. This model and research design will be of interest to researchers, project managers, professional organizations, and senior executives.     

An exploratory study of gender in project management: Interrelationships with role,location, technology,and project cost

This study explores whether gender differences in project managers are related to gender differences in their team members. Gender differences are explored in the context of project managers' and team members' location to one another, the project team's use of technology, and the cost and size of the project teams. Using log‐linear analysis of 563 project team members' responses, several significant findings are reported—including the likelihood of same‐gender project manager and team member dyads as well as gender differences in project contextual factors. Implications for organizational and project management researchers and decision makers conclude the article.     

The role of technology in the project manager performance model

Technology assumes importance in the context of project management due to greater challenges in today's technology‐enabled work environment, where technology tools are routinely used for collaboration, communication, and deployment of project management practices. It is becoming common practice for even co‐located project teams to use the electronic medium for these purposes. Notwithstanding the importance of technology, research has shown that it is difficult to associate the use of technology with business performance and the absence of such relation can be extrapolated to project performance as well. However, technology can play a major role in supporting project managers in managing projects effectively and efficiently. Several studies have addressed the importance and leadership style of project managers. However, specific roles and responsibilities of a project manager toward the project team is an area that needs further study. In this research effort, using the literature review, important people‐related factors of project performance are identified. Then structured personal interviews were used to gather data for understanding relations among these factors in order to develop a project manager performance model. The model was developed employing the interpretive structural modeling (ISM) methodology. The model was used to determine the role of the project manager in managing the project team and improving the project performance. Results show that both leadership and management roles are important. This study helped to analyze underlying interactions among these factors and, consequently, understand the supportive function of technology to the project manager in improving project performance.     

Government and governance: The value of project management in the public sector

Governance is an emerging theme that has been associated in the public sector with a real political need to satisfy stakeholders by demonstrating accountability and transparency while effectively implementing policy. Many initiatives relating to governance are generated by a need for improvement of organizational performance and ability to implement and adapt to change. These generally take the form of projects and programs encouraging a variety of project management implementations in the public sector. This article reports on examination of the expectations and realization of value from investment in project management in four Australian public‐sector organizations with particular reference to the government context, the perspective of public value management (PVM), and the support that project management provides in meeting the demands of public‐sector governance.     

Characteristics of Portuguese public‐sector project managers: Toward closing the effectiveness gap

Using a sample of 102 Portuguese public‐sector officials with project management experience, this study examines the characteristics of effective project managers in the Portuguese public sector. Factor‐analysis procedures are used to identify the factors related to areas of knowledge relevant to effective project management. The results appear to stress the increasing importance of people, organizational, and leadership skills in the effective management of today's complex and dynamic projects.     

A fresh look at the contribution of project management to organizational performance

A better understanding of organizational performance and the contribution that project management can make is the aim. The article adopts the “Competing Values Framework,” a rich framework that is well established both theoretically and empirically but is not well known in the field of project management. The framework is summarized and applied in an empirical investigation of the contribution of project management in general and project management offices (PMOs) in particular to organizational performance. The examination of 11 case studies revealed multiple concurrent and sometimes paradoxical perspectives. The criteria proposed by the framework have been further developed through the identification of a preliminary set of empirically grounded performance indicators. The empirical results contribute to a better understanding of the role of project management generally and PMOs specifically. They also demonstrate the usefulness of this framework for the study of project management's contribution to organizational performance.     

建设项目协调管理机制研究

建设项目协调管理职能需要通过各种管理活动来实现,而协调管理职能的实现是由各项管理活动中蕴含的协调管理机制所决定的。文章在阐明建设项目协调管理机制内涵的基础上,提出了5种重要的建设项目协调管理机制:决策机制、合作机制、沟通机制、激励机制和约束机制,并由此构建了这5种协调管理机制的运行模式,以期为建设项目协调管理实践提供理论基础。     

单位工程施工进度计划中施工过程的合理安排

建筑工程中单位工程的施工进度计划是施工项目管理中较为重要的一个施工组织过程,它包括工艺参数、空间参数、时间参数等,但其中位居首要的是工艺参数中施工过程(在网络计划中称为工作)的合理安排。     

Understanding the adoption of project management in Serbian organizations: Insights from an exploratory study

The article contributes to our understanding of the drivers behind, and the nature of, project management implementation in the complex context of a transitional economy. Relevant insights are generated through an integrated and dynamic analysis of interviews and secondary data from a sample of local organizations, based on a conceptual model of strategic transformation. The analysis concludes with propositions about how both adoption of and resistance to project management implementation in the region could be understood from a strategic point of view, taking into account complex and dissonant circumstances of transition, history, cultural tradition, embedded social values, and identities of individual organizational members.     

浅议系统内小型水电工程建设项目管理

建设单位和施工单位隶属于一个集团公司的建设项目管理是我国在深化改革发展中出现的一种新型模式,同时,小型水电站的开发建设又有与其他大中型水电站建设不同的特点。文章从实际出发,总结了这种背景下建设项目管理的教训,并提出建议,与同行共同交流。     

The value of project management to organizations in Canada and Germany,or do values add value? Five case studies

Five case studies have been conducted: four in Canada and one in Germany. The authors of this article were particularly interested in understanding the value of values and meaning in the context of project management implementation and project environments. The article first summarizes the authors' particular approach. It then discusses the five case studies and their findings. These findings will be grouped around the concepts of value of project management and meaningful work. In conclusion, the findings of this study will be summarized across all five case studies and based on a comparative content analysis.     

Shared human capital in project management: A systematic review of the literature

From the viewpoint of project success, the importance of human capital in projects cannot be overemphasized. Despite this, previous studies have only explored some segments of human capital in projects (e.g., commitment or trust). The aim of this study is to gather studies on the concept of human capital in project management and create an aggregating concept of recent studies. We report and discuss the findings from a systematic review of the research literature. This article focuses particularly on shared human capital (common meanings on the interfaces of the individual and team), and we conclude that the constructive elements of shared human capital are values, tacit knowledge, and social support.     

企业工程项目管理中存在的风险及对策

企业工程项目的成功与否取决于项目管理的水平。而工程项目管理存在的风险贯穿项目管理的各个阶段和各个领域,是项目管理中的重点和难点。对这些风险进行有效的识别并找出有效的对策,才能以最为经济合理的方式消除风险可能导致的各种灾害性后果,保证顺利完成工程项目建设目标。文章通过对工程项目管理中存在的风险进行探讨,确定了针对风险的有效应对措施。     

基于流程导向的创意服务企业知识管理个案研究

本文以水晶石——一家典型的创意服务企业为例,着重对该企业知识管理流程进行研究,通过分析水晶石业务流程特点构建出知识管理流程模型,描述了在业务流程不同阶段企业知识的流动方式,分析了当前企业存在的几种知识管理问题并提出相应的解决措施。     

Cultural barriers to the use of Western project management in Chinese enterprises: Some empirical evidence from Yunnan province

The Western project management (PM) approach requires the use of not only PM technology but also PM values/beliefs. This research is concerned with the likely cultural barriers for Chinese enterprises to use the PM approach. The literature review reveals the four cultural barriers of the Doctrine of the Mean, Strong Hierarchy, Family Consciousness, and Boss Orientation. Then, through a questionnaire survey at Yunnan province, this research provides some empirical evidence about the actual status of the four cultural barriers. In general, the Chinese traditional values/beliefs of Strong Hierarchy, Family Consciousness, and Boss Orientation are empirically major cultural barriers, and the Doctrine of the Mean is not. In addition, this research empirically reveals the differences in the cultural barriers among different types of enterprises and that appropriate PM training is very important to overcome the cultural barriers. Limitations of this research are also discussed.     

The role of task-related antecedents for the development of turnover intentions in temporary project teams

Abstract

High turnover can cause serious problems in organizations. Yet, previous research confirmed that HRM practices are useful to influence the development of turnover intentions. Existing studies have revealed a variety of factors that drive individuals to leave permanent organizations (POs) but almost no research has considered turnover in temporary organizations (TOs). Yet, TOs, such as project teams, have become increasingly prevalent and exhibit several characteristics that are distinct from POs. Hence, the antecedents of turnover intentions in TOs may also differ from those in POs. However, empirical evidence for this proposition is still lacking. In order to address this research gap, this study examines task-related antecedents of turnover intentions in temporary organizations (TITO) using a sample of 253 employees working in project teams. The results show that inter-role conflict is the most influential antecedent of TITO. Unlike suggested by extant literature, members of TOs seem to be willing to accept down-cuts in job autonomy and meaningfulness of their work, without developing turnover intentions while working for TOs. Furthermore, the results confirmed a direct relationship between TITO and turnover intentions from the permanent organization (TIPO). Members of TOs that want to, but cannot leave their project team seem to develop TIPO.     

论企业信息化建设的实施关键——IT技术和业务管理的完美结合和持续改进

文章通过分析企业在实施信息系统时存在的主要问题,提出阻碍其成功的因素是IT技术没有与业务管理和谐统一,并认为这也是企业信息化建设无法成功的关键因素。另外通过对一个案例的详细阐述,展现了企业信息化建设中IT技术与业务管理的完美结合。