Grand Challenges in Engineering Project Organization

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This paper can be seen as a response to the 2012 special edition of the Engineering Project Organization Journal, in which the authors provide a theoretical review of past research in various subfields of social science and management science. The many papers in the edition provide, as Levitt [(2012) Editorial: Special issue on fundamentals of social and management science for engineering project organizations. The Engineering Project Organization Journal, 2, 1–3] proclaims, ‘solid points of departure to frame questions and methods for […] research and, thereby, to contribute more significantly to the knowledge base and practice of engineering project organization and management’. Drawing on a challenge posed by the editor and authors of the special edition to expand the existing levels of analysis in the engineering project domain, this paper explores a possible theoretical framework that can build on the existing foundation of research and bring new analytical insights about the sector; namely Bourdieu'...

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BackgroundThe grand challenges approach aims to spark innovative and transformative strategies to overcome barriers to significant global health issues. Grand Challenges Canada endorses an ‘Integrated Innovation™’ approach that focuses on the intersection of scientific/technological, social and business innovation. In this article we explore themes emerging from a dialogue between the authors, who are multidisciplinary recipients of the ‘Rising Stars in Global Health’ award from Grand Challenges Canada, regarding benefits of engaging in integrated innovation research, and recommendations for how this approach may develop in the future.DiscussionOur dialogue followed a semi-structured interview format that addressed three topics: 1) reflections on applying an Integrated Innovation™ approach for global health; 2) thoughts on participation in the Grand Challenges 2012 meeting; and 3) authors’ visions of Grand Challenges Canada and the Grand Challenge movement towards 2020. The dialogue was transcribed verbatim and we used thematic analysis techniques to identify, analyze and report themes in the data. Benefits of working using the Grand Challenges approach centered on two themes: a) the potential for scientific breakthrough and b) building interdisciplinary collaborations and a community of scholars. Challenges and opportunities for Grand Challenges in moving forward included: a) capacity building, particularly regarding Integrated Innovation™ and scale-up planning; b) interdisciplinary and international mentorship for new investigators; and c) potential for future commercialization.ConclusionsOur discussion highlighted that Integrated Innovation™ offers the opportunity to develop new theories, methods and approaches to global health while simultaneously fostering a collaborative spirit grounded in international, interdisciplinary collaborations. However, the arguable over-emphasis on corporatization poses a major challenge for new investigators. We propose a more balanced way forward that can harness technology to foster mentorship across time and space to support the development of such skills and ideas among new investigators.

The impact of a discipline's research is constrained by its ability to articulate compelling problems. Well-crafted problems are the foundation for mobilizing the effort, resources, and attention essential to scientific progress and broader impact. We argue that Information Systems (IS) scholars, individually and collectively, must develop the practice of articulating and engaging large-scale, broad scope problems – or grand challenges. To support this position, we examine the role and value of grand challenge efforts in science and engineering based on a theory of grand challenges as socially constructed boundary objects. Conceptualizing grand challenges in these terms implies strategies and approaches for magnifying the impact of IS research by engaging these types of problems.

Exploitative learning and exploratory learning are of great significance to the survival and long-term development of an organization. The former refers to the improvement of existing knowledge, skills and paradigms. The latter refers to the search for new knowledge, technology and experience. Therefore, the dual learning equilibrium (balance between exploitative learning and exploratory learning) is very important. However, for the engineering project organization, due to the pressure of cost and time cycle assessment, the engineering project organization is often more inclined to exploitative learning rather than exploratory learning. Therefore, how to realize the dual learning equilibrium (balance between exploitative learning and exploratory learning) of engineering project organization has become an urgent problem to be solved. Through formal control structures (outcome control vs. behaviour control) and guanxi (affect vs. face) can get the information needed by organizational dual learning (exploratory learning vs. exploitative learning), but whether the balance (formal control structures vs. guanxi) is still an effective strategy to promote dual learning equilibrium (balance between exploratory learning and exploitative learning) is still lack of theoretical and empirical support. It was examined assumptions related to how dual learning equilibrium is influenced by Guanxi and formal control structures equilibrium in project partnerships. Practically, this paper investigates the extent to which distinct components of Guanxi (i.e., affect and face) are differentially and interactively associated with outcome and behavioural controls on influencing ambidextrous learning equilibrium. Survey data were collected from 221 construction project partnerships in China. The results showed that both of the affect and behavioural controls have a positive impact on the ambidextrous learning equilibrium. Besides, the equilibrium between formal control structures and Guanxi can promote the ambidextrous learning equilibrium of the engineering project team. Compared with behavioural controls, the equilibrium between the affect and outcome controls has a stronger positive correlation with the ambidextrous learning equilibrium of the engineering project team. Compared with the outcome controls, the equilibrium of face and behavioural controls has a stronger positive correlation with the ambidextrous learning equilibrium of the engineering project team. However, the equilibrium between the affect and behavioural controls has no significant impact on the ambidextrous learning of the project team. On the whole, the two-pronged and balanced strategy is still effective for dual learning equilibrium, but it should avoid the balanced use of affect and behavioural controls. In addition, the affect plays a negative moderating role in the process of behavioural controls affecting ambidextrous learning equilibrium. Face plays a positive moderating role in the influence of formal control structures on ambidextrous learning equilibrium. These findings have important implications for firms hoping to facilitate the dual learning equilibrium in China and other countries.

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Presently, it is critical important for client to choose a proper incentive mode as well as incentive intensity since the friction between client and contractor/s or other project participants has been more serious than before during the process of engineering project. This article systematically assesses the incentive modes and the condition of them for engineering project organization (EPO) basing the complete incentive theory for organization in institutional Economics, for the sake of helping people to understand the incentive theory of EPO systematically and directing the practice of engineering corporations.

Purpose - Nonprofit organisations (NPOs) face grand challenges when implementing international humanitarian projects with significant budgets in the field. In times of great challenges, the article attempts to identify selected challenges and interorganisational barriers to project initiation, in the context of an international programme responding to the Ukraine refugee crisis and the migration crisis on the border between Poland and Belarus. Research method - A comparative analysis, desk research, action research and a project management case study were used to investigate the initiation and formulation phase of projects in the context of grand challenges. Results - Local NPOs in Poland respond effectively to grand challenges and skillfully collaborate with international humanitarian organisations. At the same time, the initiation and formulation of these projects, even in the context of grand challenges necessitating an expedient response, appears to be a protracted and excessively formalised process. Originality / value / implications / recommendations - The adaptation of international project management practices to local realities represents a significant organisational and management challenge for local partners engaged in collaborative endeavours. Conversely, this process is a fundamental prerequisite for international partners initiating projects in response to grand challenges.

While scholars become increasingly interested in tackling grand challenges, that is, intractable social issues that require extensive involvement of the public sector such as poverty and inequality (George, Howard-Grenville, Joshi & Tihanyi, 2016), the role of marginalized actors is little understood in field processes and social change. This is surprising, since grand challenges largely revolve around marginalized actors. In this symposium, we present four empirical papers that examine the role of distinctive marginalized groups in different fields and social change processes. While two papers highlight the more receptive role of marginalized actors, the other two focus on their proactive role on different pathways to field or social change. Together, these studies enrich the literature on organizational fields, improve our understandings of marginalized actors and provide practical implications to address grand challenges.

This paper presents the positions of seven international experts regarding current and future grand challenges for modeling and simulation (M&S) supporting the defense and security domain. Topics addressed include new interoperability issues, real-time analysis challenges, evolving military and training exercises, the future role and importance of Operations Research and M&S, modeling human teams and cultural behavior challenges, how to support successful co-evolving of research and academic programs, and the implications of enterprise postures and operational concepts of future M&S. In summary, all contributions focus on a particular facet that in summary help to understand the conceptual, technical, and organizational challenges we are currently facing.

Creating social responses to a changing environment is one of twelve Grand Challenges for Social Work (GCSW) that were launched in 2015 by the American Academy of Social Work & Social Welfare to use science, innovation, and new forms of collaboration to accelerate progress toward solving major social problems. One of these grand challenges pertains to the social problems created by human-caused changes in the physical environment. Along with genetic factors, human evolution has largely been driven by changes in our environment brought about by natural geophysical and biological processes and human activity, including urbanization and migration. In recent years, human activity has led to unprecedented levels of environmental degradation and unsustainable trends in environmental problems such as air pollution, water shortages, extreme weather events, and sea-level rise threatening the health, well-being, and survival of people and entire ecosystems. Moreover, these changes have not been distributed equally or equitably. Environmental change is fundamentally a social justice issue because climate change and other forms of environmental degradation disproportionately affect marginalized populations, including ethnic and racial minorities, women, children, older adults, people living in poverty, individuals with a history of mental or behavioral health problems, and people with disabilities as well as low-income, geographically vulnerable communities and nations. Disproportionate impacts include climate-related morbidity and mortality; population dislocation, notably rural to urban “climigration,” to areas less impacted by climate change; disruptions in employment and income; escalating food and water insecurity; heightened risks of gendered violence; and the devastating effect of extreme weather events. To ensure an environmentally sustainable and healthy world for all, solutions are urgently needed that are socially and culturally responsive, ethical, and equitable. The grand challenge to create social responses to a changing environment is perhaps the only one that is global in scope. The goals of this grand challenge are to: (1) adopt and implement an evidence-based approach to disaster preparedness and response; (2) develop policies and practices targeting environmentally induced migration and population displacement; (3) strengthen equity-oriented urban resilience policies and practices and proactively engage marginalized communities in adaptation planning; and (4) engage with individuals, groups, and communities in learning about and crafting responses to the local impacts of global changes. The grand challenge is intended to develop a workforce of social workers to address these changes through partnerships with vulnerable, under-resourced communities and collaborations with researchers from other disciplines, practitioners, and policymakers. This article summaries work that has served as the foundation for social work research, policy, and practice related to environmental changes with a specific focus on climate change, urbanization, environmental justice, and ecosocial work. It also summarizes work on these issues that has been specifically inspired by the social work grand change to create social responses to environmental change.