Project-based Organizations Research Articles

The Impact of Knowledge Transfer and Knowledge Assimilation on Project Performance

The purpose of this quantitative, non-experimental research was to utilize the theory of Knowledge Management proposed by Landaeta (2008) that relates the cross-project knowledge transfer methods across projects to knowledge assimilation of the receiving project, and project performance for practicing project managers in Pakistani organizations. Unique to this study was the analysis of knowledge assimilation as a mediator to knowledge transfer methods and project performance. The data was collected from 151 respondents working in different project-based organizations in Pakistan, and the data was assessed using structural equation modeling. The results revealed that knowledge transfer and knowledge assimilation have significant influence on project performance. This study also proposes contributions to the theory and implications for the managers.

Supervisor role overload and emotional exhaustion as antecedents of supervisor incivility: The role of time consciousness

AbstractStudies up to great extent have focused on investigating the possible consequences of supervisor incivility in organizations; however, surprisingly very little research has concentrated on its antecedents. Drawing on affective event theory, the aim of this study is to identify how role overload may cause the supervisor behavior uncivil toward their subordinates in the project environment by examining the mediating role of emotional exhaustion and moderating effect of time consciousness. Data were collected from both supervisors and their immediate subordinates from project-based organizations of Pakistan. After data consolidation, the final sample was 296 supervisor–subordinate dyads. The results revealed that supervisor role overload and emotional exhaustion is positively related with supervisor incivility and emotional exhaustion mediates this relationship. Time consciousness moderates the link between supervisor role overload and emotional exhaustion. The practical and theoretical implications of our findings are provided.

Roles of competencies, career shock, and satisfaction in career commitment: Evidence from project-based organizations

This study analyzes how career competencies increase individuals’ career commitment through positive career shocks from the project perspective. Further, this paper discusses the interaction effect of career satisfaction and career shocks to career commitment. Survey data were collected from early-career engineers working on engineering projects, and later analyzed through PROCESS Macro. Findings revealed that positive career shocks increased the career commitment of young engineers who had acceptable career competencies. This study extends the current career debate more precisely in the project context by highlighting the role of positive career shock, a relatively new construct in project management research, in career commitment. This also highlighted policy implications from a project viewpoint, such as how project recruiters may help early-career workers develop and enhance their attitudes toward a certain career, which is advantageous to the organization and project outcomes.

The psychological mechanism of construction workers’ safety participation: The social identity theory perspective

Introduction: Safety participation has gained increasing attention as an important dimension of workers' safety behaviors. Although previous studies attempted to identify factors affecting workers’ safety participation, only a few studies paid attention to the psychological mechanisms behind it. Therefore, this study aimed to develop and test a research model that explains how management factors are implicated in workers' safety participation. Specifically, this study focused on project-based organizations (e.g., construction projects) because employee psychological mechanisms may have a unique nature in such transient employment. Method: The hypotheses in the research model of the psychological mechanism of construction workers' safety participation are tested using survey data from 261 construction workers. Results: The results indicated that construction workers' safety participation is influenced by project identification after controlling the shared variance of safety compliance. Project identification also mediates the effects of transformational leadership and communication climate on safety participation. Practical Applications: This study offers researchers and practitioners an explanation of how management factors influence construction workers' safety behaviors and clarifies the role of project identification play in explaining the effects of management factors on safety compliance and safety participation.

Revitalising project management office operations in an engineering-service contractor organisation: a key performance indicator based performance management approach

PurposeExisting studies on project performance improvement mainly investigate project management (PM) execution processes. Limited publications investigate the project management office's (PMO) proficiency in facilitating proper PM practice. This paper identifies the key performance indicators (KPI) of PMO operations and develops a KPI-based performance management system (KPMS) for revitalising PMO performance for an engineering-service contractor (ESC).Design/methodology/approachA four-phase study was initiated at an ESC in Trinidad and Tobago (T&T). Phase-1 established historical project performance and PMO challenges via documentary analysis. Empirical data from the PMO staff and management was acquired at Phase-2 to determine PMO process value-drivers and strategic roles. Phase-3 comprised the development of a modified PMO process and the KPMS, whereas Phase-4 evaluated the efficacy of the PMO process and the KPMS framework in a trial period.FindingsThe ESC's existing PMO process lacked significant value-drivers of its PM practice. The company also overlooked strategic PMO roles. Trial implementation of the modified PMO process achieved improved project performance, which stakeholders attributed to the value-driven processes and guidance provided by the KPMS. The KPMS, when used in tandem with Earned Value Management (EVM) index score review revealed core performance aspects that could facilitate continuous improvement of the PMO process at the ESC.Practical implicationsFindings provide an adequate basis for policy creation regarding PMO performance evaluation and guidance for companies contemplating a similar endeavour. A viable model for PMO performance management and improvement is proffered. The findings and the model would provide a platform for subsequent research in the areas of PMO development and business process improvement.Originality/valueThis is the first study conducted to obtain management and practitioners' inputs on developing a PMO performance management framework in a project-based contractor organisation in T&T. Various PMO challenges and implications of improvements specific to engineering-service contractors and similar organisations were determined.

Psychological distress and project success: The moderating role of employees’ resilience and mindfulness

The psychological distress of the employees is a global issue that affects project success in many organizations. Based on the conservation of resources theory, our study highlights the importance of employees’ psychological resources, specifically resilience and mindfulness, to mitigate the detrimental effects of psychological distress on project success. Using purposive sampling, data were collected from 336 respondents working in various project-based organizations of Pakistan. Our findings suggest that employees’ resilience and mindfulness act as buffers against the negative impact of psychological distress on project success. Therefore, the current study proposed directions to minimize psychological distress among project employees and ultimately bring attention to the successful completion of the project. Theoretical and practical implications of the study are also discussed.

A hybrid decision-making framework to manage occupational stress in project-based organizations.

According to recent studies in the field of human resource management (HRM), especially in project-based organizations (PBOs), stress is recognized as a factor that has a paramount significance on the performance of staff. Previous studies in organizational stress management have mainly focused on identifying job stressors and their effects on organizations. Contrary to the previous studies, this paper aims to propose a comprehensive decision-support system that includes identifying stressors, assessing organizational stress levels, and providing solutions to improve the performance of the organization. A questionnaire is designed and distributed among 170 senior managers of a major project-based organization in the field of the energy industry in Iran to determine organizational stressors. Based on the questionnaire results and considering the best worst method (BWM) as an approach to determine the weighting vector, the importance degree of each stressor is calculated. In the next stage, a decision-support model is developed to assess the stress level of a PBO through fuzzy inference systems (FIS). Some main advantages of the proposed hybrid decision-support model include (i) achieving high-reliable results by not-so-time-consuming computational volume and (ii) maintaining flexibility in adding new criteria to assess the occupational stress levels in PBOs. Based on the obtained results, six organizational stressors, including job incongruity, poor organizational structure, poor project environment, work overload, poor job promotion, and type A behavior, are identified. It is also found that the level of organizational stress is not ideal. Finally, some main recommendations are proposed to manage occupational stresses at the optimum level in the considered sector.

Analyzing the determinants influencing technology-driven initiatives in project-based organizations in Pakistan using a hierarchical component modeling approach

The purpose of this paper is to identify and analyze the determinants influencing technology-driven initiatives in project-based organizations in Pakistan. Technology-driven initiatives help organizations to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of business processes, products, and services and are a major source of completive advantage. These initiatives have become more important for project-based organizations to improve project efficiency, reduce cost, and enhance effectiveness. Many organizations in Pakistan have structured their hierarchy as project-based organizations and strived to implement technology-driven initiatives to enhance innovation and improve project performance. However, for envisaged improvement, the well-recognized determinants influencing technology-driven initiatives have not been previously analyzed in this context. This study has filled this gap and identified and analyzed four determinants influencing technology-driven initiatives in project-based organizations in Pakistan. This has achieved by developing an explanatory model and testing the model using sample data from 98 respondents. The PLS-SEM-based hierarchical component modeling approach has been applied for data analysis. The results indicate that human resource management practices and organizational culture positively influence technology-driven initiatives in this context. Political deadlocks negatively influence technology-driven initiatives. However, leadership inaction shows no significant influence on technology-driven initiatives. The results are useful for theory and practice.

Project-Based Organizations’ Pursuit of Production Efficiency and Legitimate Power: An Institutional Perspective

Drawing on institutional theory, this article aims to investigate how owners’ project-based organizations (PBOs) can promote production efficiency and legitimate power under the influence of legal enforceability. Analyzing a sample of Chinese construction projects, we find that PBOs can achieve this goal by designing more complex contracts when legal enforceability increases. The PBOs’ expertise reduces the effect of legal enforceability on contracts and alleviates their dependence on contracts when pursuing efficiency. These results can guide PBOs to design contracts according to their expertise and the legal environment to promote production efficiency and legitimate power.

Organisational learning from failure and the needs-based hierarchy of project-based organisations

PurposeIn his 1943 paper “A Theory of Human Motivation”, Maslow suggested the “Hierarchy of Needs” as a classification system that described the stimuli for human behaviour. Presently, project behaviour research, which inspired this work, encourages undertaking research on behavioural aspects within and across organisational and project settings. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to analyse project-based organisations’ (PBOs) seemingly reluctance in engaging in organisational learning from past project failures by drawing upon both institutional theory (since it focuses on how firms interact) and Maslow’s model within a project behaviour piece of research.Design/methodology/approachInterviews were held with purposively selected construction professionals from the UK construction industry, and data were analysed using thematic analysis.FindingsBesides the need to learn from failures, PBOs’ main competing needs revolve around their “competitiveness”; “profitability and productivity”; “repeat business” and “reputation and partnering”. Mirroring these needs against Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, “competitiveness” and “profitability” are analogous to foundational “physiological” and “safety” needs. The need for “repeat business” and “reputation” is approximated with Maslow’s “affiliation” and “self-esteem” needs, and organisational learning is associated with “self-actualisation”. From an institutional theory perspective, such response to failure is influenced by the need to show legitimacy and conformity imposed by institutional factors.Practical implicationsInstead of taking a simplified approach to learning from failure such as the use of technological tools, PBOs and the sector at large should consider more robust approaches, by appreciating the influence of institutional factors and the external environment on their efforts to learn from failure.Originality/valueUnlike past studies that present organisational learning within PBOs as a straightforward process, this study instead highlights the need of understanding various competing needs within a PBO and the external pressure.

Interactive Effects of Organizational Structure and Team Work Quality on Project Success in Project Based Non Profit Organizations

The main aim of the research paper is to explore the interactive usefulness of organizational hierarchy or structure as well as teamwork quality regarding organizational structure from (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa) a province of Pakistan. The data is collected through questionnaires from the employees working in the project-based organizations in non-profit sectors of Pakistan. The data is analyzed through Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS). This research shows that there is a highly considerable positive association between the type of structure an organization chose to work in and project success. The teamwork quality has a 28.5% impact on the project success on the dependent variable. The moderator and dependent variable are highly relatable with a considerable amount of values, as per results statistics.

Effectiveness of Gamification on the Community of Inquiry Development in Online Project-based Programming Courses Conducted on Facebook

This study aims to explore how gamification elements influence the development of the Community of Inquiry (CoI) in an online project-based programming course conducted on Facebook. We formed student groups by using a quasi-experimental design from students studying in the computer science department. While both courses were project-based, the experimental group's project development process was enriched with gamification elements. We collected data from the CoI survey, transcript analysis of online discussions, and interviews with students. The results indicated that the use of gamification elements contributed significantly to students' social, cognitive, and teaching presence development. Besides, while a high level of CoI perception was created in both groups in the online project-based learning environment, the design and organization role of the instructor came to the fore in the gamified environment more.

Performance Measurment and Lead-Time Reduction in EPC Project-Based Organizations: A Mathematical Modeling Approach

To characterize the process of lead-time reduction in EPC project-based organizations, including the engineering, procurement, and construction activities, various elements such as organizational issues, firm resources, used methods and techniques, and performance measuring tools are important. In this study, the four mentioned elements are evaluated through a survey in different EPC project-based organizations. The survey is sent to only experts and managers who are involved in EPC projects, and the obtained data is used to test the relationship between the mentioned variables and the lead time of developing new products. This evaluation is followed by a set of generalized lessons learned and courses of action to improve the development process. Additionally, the attributes of performance measurement in such projects are scrutinized. Therefore, to analyze the impacts of the mentioned variables and their variations on the performance measurement, a mathematical model based on the fuzzy approach is developed. The results show that all of the four considered variables are correlated to the lead time and affect the quality perceived by the main client and the cost of the project. Moreover, data obtained from the proposed mathematical formulations illustrated that the fuzzy modeling approach is an effective method to predict the performance measurement level when the levels of the input variables are given.

Agent-based modelling of helping behaviour diffusion in project teams as an evolutionary process

ABSTRACT While behavioural diffusion is highly significant in behaviouristics, the relevant management studies remain limited, particularly for the extra-role of helping behaviour in project-based organisation. The helping behaviour diffusion mechanism could profoundly impact teamwork and project teams’ performance improvement. Therefore, this research aims to promote helping behaviour in project teams by exploring helping behavioural diffusion based on dynamic behavioural analyses and simulations. This research set up the Agent-based Modelling to simulate the helping behaviour diffusion, and considered influential factors, including team task characteristics, team size, and incentive system. Then, this research conducted simulation experiments in Netlogo and found that an increase in task dependence and cooperative spillover effect can promote the spread of helping behaviour, while an increase in team size, profit-sharing coefficient, and individual fixed income could inhibit such diffusion. The research provides new insights into cultivating a mutual helping culture within project teams.

The interactive effects of sexual harassment and psychological capital on victims’ burnout: evidence from the post-#MeToo movement era

PurposeIn the post-#MeToo movement era, heightened awareness regarding harassment at workplace has forced corporations to consider gender-based harassment as a serious issue. This study aims to theorise and test psychological capital as a resource reservoir to cope with burnout experienced in the form of emotional exhaustion, depersonalisation and reduced personal accomplishments as results of gender-based harassment at workplace.Design/methodology/approachMulti-wave data were collected from 304 female employees working in project-based organisations in the information technology industry in Pakistan.FindingsThe analysis shows contradictory findings about the prevalence of sexual harassment when a behavioural measurement approach was used against a direct query method. The results also show that gender harassment leads to burnout causing emotional exhaustion, depersonalisation and reduced personal accomplishment among the victims. However, psychological capital helps victims cope with these adverse effects of gender harassment.Practical implicationsManagers need to boost the psychological capital of female workers and devise effective policies to combat gender harassment in the workplace. Enforcement of legislation regarding harassment in the workplace should be ensured, which will also indicate seriousness towards the achievement of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goal No. 5, that is, gender equality.Originality/valueTo the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study is the first to present psychological capital as a resource reservoir to combat the negative effects of gender harassment and has been conducted in less studied non-Western work settings.

Explaining the Formation Mechanism of Intrateam Knowledge Exchange Network in Offsite Construction Projects: A Social Cognitive Perspective

AbstractIssues related to effective knowledge sharing and diffusion are pressing and have emerged in the field of offsite construction. Significant research on project-based organization knowledge ...

A Future Study of Project-based Organizations Active in Financial Services Industry

A Future Study of Project-based Organizations Active in Financial Services Industry

Perspectives on reusing codified project knowledge: a structured literature review

Project documentation represents a valuable source of knowledge in project-based organizations. The practical reality is, however, that the knowledge codified in project documents is hardly re-used in future projects. A central problem in this context is the extensive amount of usually textual material. As a consequence, computer-assisted processes are indispensable in order to analytically manage the constantly growing and evolving databases of available project documents. The goal of this study is to summarize the current research focusing on the computer-assisted reuse of textually codified project knowledge and to define the corresponding state-of-the-art in this this specific field of information systems research. As a result of a literature review, this study structures the body of research contributions and outlines what kinds of computer-assisted techniques are incorporated, what practical application areas these solutions address, and in what business domains they are applied. In particular, this should point out research opportunities and thereby make a contribution to the further development of knowledge management in project environments.

Performance measurement of complex project: framework and means supporting management of project-based organizations

Performance management and measurement enable to improve strategy implementation and increase organizational competitiveness. The literature review and desk research confirm that the design of a performance system is an issue because of the redefinition of project environment conditions and complexity of 4P. The system should be continuously developed during exploitation. Main objectives of the paper are to propose a framework of project performance measurement and a set of measures that could be applied in project-based organizations. The assessment proposal is the result of a literature review and qualitative empirical studies, interviews, and participatory observations. The framework considers performance assessment of the project and its context, including benefits occurring outside the project – on the program, project portfolio, and project-based organization levels – but being the result of project execution. The framework incorporates in project performance assessment the simultaneous and supplementary utilization of quantitative and qualitative measures, financial and non-financial measures that describe various fields of evaluation: finance, production, procurement, product quality, social, marketing of a product, legal, natural environment, client, and other stakeholders’ satisfaction.

Assessment of competencies to promote best project management practices for road infrastructure projects in Ghana

PurposeThis research aims to evaluate the status of project management best practices in the road infrastructure sector of Ghana through the inquiry of project managers’ competency.Design/methodology/approachBased on a thorough literature review on competency and project management best practices, a criterion for measuring best practices based on the competencies was identified. Using closed-ended questionnaires as a survey instrument, data was collected and analyzed using a one-sample t-test, Kendall’s concordance coefficient and simple regression.FindingsThe key finding reveals that in achieving project management best practices for the Ghanaian road infrastructure projects, project managers should straighten and strengthen their capability in terms of skills, personal characteristics and knowledge as ranked. An appropriate blend of these characteristics would be a necessary requirement for project managers. Through this, project managers and project-based road infrastructure organizations will be able to win the confidence of their stakeholders and attain improvements in cost-effectiveness, quality and time management.Research limitations/implicationsThis study provides project managers in the road infrastructure sector with relevant information on which criteria and variables are critical and are frequently required to manage such projects. This will be helpful for training programs and professional development of project managers in the road infrastructure sector.Originality/valueThe study provides a new direction and focuses for project managers in the road infrastructure industry toward best project management practices in developing countries. It also complements existing studies in this area which deepen the understanding of the subject area.