This article analyzes the management of project portfolios that encompass both exploratory and implementation projects under the denomination of ambidextrous program management. We build on the project/program and ambidexterity literature to characterize such programs. Based on an in-depth three-year study, we apply this analytical framework to an emblematic case: the Autonomous Mobility (AM) initiative of a major automotive firm. We characterize the coordination challenges of such ambidextrous program management, and propose a coordination concept to deal with them, which we term the program hub. Our contribution to the project management field is to extend the scope of analysis to a new type of program that simultaneously coordinates both exploratory and implementation projects. We also advance the ambidexterity field by demonstrating how ambidextrous program management can orchestrate different types of ambidextrous organizational patterns within the firm. For practitioners, we illustrate the multibillion-dollar innovation initiative focused on autonomous mobility that is ongoing within the auto industry.
Projectification and platform approaches have been two main transformation trends implemented by industrial firms during the 1990s. For those firms, innovation management no longer deals with introducing radically and totally new products, but rather with applying innovative features within a regular stream of products and platforms. This paper proposes an analytical framework that can address the resulting interplay between innovative features and new products. This framework relies on the concept of innovation life-cycle management (ILCM). The paper presents the early results from the comparison of five case studies from three OEMs.
International audienceWhereas exploration projects stand as important drivers in renewing the assets of the firm and creating new business opportunities, it is well recognized that project evaluation and value management methodologies are likely to kill them. This paper provides elements to solving this paradox. We rely on a longitudinal study of three exploration projects and the projects conducted afterward in the automotive and space industries. The analysis suggests that the value creation process can be regarded and managed as a dual process of potential value creation and value realization. This paper discusses the linkages with existing practices and theories
Transforming urban mobility requires integrating public with private services into a single transportation system. Local governments and private companies face the challenge of how to coordinate themselves. An emblematic example is one-way carsharing (shared use of a fleet of vehicles that are typically free-floating throughout an urban area). Surprisingly, good practices for public and private players driving this change remain relatively undocumented. This paper proposes a systematic and balanced public-private approach to foster transportation innovation management. We review both public policy and business management literature and build a framework to help local governments and companies innovate together (organizational structures, project management processes, and profitability assessment tools). We use this framework to examine both public and private experiences through a case study analysis with five one-way carsharing services in Europe (Paris, Munich) and the United-States (San Francisco, Portland, Seattle). For each we conducted expert interviews with the local government and the private operator. This paper provides recommendations for both sectors. First, public and private players should have specific organizations, separated from the core business. Second, they should co-manage innovation since pilot projects lack certainty and require risk management. Third, a new approach that emphasizes value in the role of pilot project learning and capability building.
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