Enforcing strategic fit of project portfolios by project termination: An empirical study on senior management involvement

Unger, Barbara Natalie; Kock, Alexander; Gemünden, Hans Georg; Jonas, Daniel E

doi:10.1016/j.ijproman.2011.12.002

Cited by 126 publications

(125 citation statements)

References 94 publications

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“…Portfolio management is about planning, mapping and scheduling a set of projects to achieve a firm's long-term strategic objectives Kavadias, 2002 andJonas, 2010;Killen, Jugdev, Drouin and Petit, 2012;Teller, Under, Kock, and Gemünden, 2012;Unger, Gemünden and Aubry, 2012;Unger, Kock, Gemünden and Jonas, 2012;Martinsuo, 2012).…”

Section: Managing Project Capabilitiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Explicating the dynamics of project capabilities

Davies

Brady

2016

International Journal of Project Management

173

223

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Abstract:This article provides a foundation to guide future research on project capabilities by providing three main contributions. First, drawing upon research on dynamic capabilities and organisational ambidexterity, we suggest that innovative and routine dimensions of project capabilities are developed and mobilised to deal with the variety of exploratory and exploitative conditions facing an organisation. Second, we distinguish between project capabilities at the operational and dynamic capabilities at the strategic levels, arguing that firms depend on identifiable dynamic capabilities (e.g. portfolio management techniques) to know when and how to maintain current project capabilities and when to modify or replace them depending the conditions encountered. Third, we suggest that the relationship between dynamic and project capabilities is reciprocal, recursive and mutually reinforcing. In this reciprocal relationship, the emergence of new or declining project capabilities provide indications for the strategic priorities, behaviours and future deployment of an organisation's dynamic capabilities.

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Section: Managing Project Capabilitiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Explicating the dynamics of project capabilities

Davies

Brady

2016

International Journal of Project Management

173

223

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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“…the re-prioritization or termination of projects, re-allocation of resources, exploitation of synergies) (Blichfeldt and Eskerod, 2008;Blomquist and Müller, 2006;Unger et al, 2012). Through these processes, portfolio management implements the business strategy through coordinating decision-making about project investments, balancing risk and resources and maximizing the value of the project portfolio (Cooper et al, 2001;Jonas et al, 2013;Voss and Kock, 2013).…”

Section: Strategy Implementation and Project Portfolio Successmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Despite warnings that it is more difficult to make strategy work than to develop it (Hrebiniak, 2006), approaches to implementing strategy tend to take a narrow view and look for the best way to implement the deliberate strategy, rather than to consider other possibilities such as the role of emergence (Meskendahl, 2010;Morgan et al, 2008;Unger et al, 2012). The limitations of deliberate strategy implementation are highlighted in a review by Hutzschenreuter and Kleindienst (2006); of 202 empirical articles on strategy processes identified in the review, 35 analyzed the impact of strategy process characteristics on corporate performance and less than half (16) of these studies showed a positive influence from deliberate strategies.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The role of project portfolio management in fostering both deliberate and emergent strategy

Kopmann

Kock

Killen

et al. 2017

International Journal of Project Management

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Formal strategy processes have been shown to be insufficient in shaping strategy, particularly in turbulent environments. Emerging strategies that constitute independently from deliberate top-down strategy processes are important for organizational adaptability.This study explores strategic control mechanisms at the project portfolio level and their influence on emergent and deliberate strategies. Based on a sample of 182 firms, we show that both deliberate and emerging strategies positively influence project portfolio success, complementing each other. In turbulent environments, the relevance of deliberate strategy implementation decreases. Strategic control activities not only fosters the implementation of intended strategies, but also discloses strategic opportunities by unveiling emerging patterns.Furthermore, we find that deliberate strategy implementation and emerging strategy recognition mediate the performance impact of strategic control. Our findings suggest that strategic control at the project portfolio level has an important role to play in the purposeful management of emergent strategies.

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“…Projects are means of organizing activities that cannot be addressed within the organization's normal operational limits, they are usually utilized as means of achieving an organization's strategic plan and have been recognized as a primary strategy delivering instrument for over five decades (Kerzner 2013;Thompson et al 2012;Unger et al 2012).…”

Section: Project Management As Strategy Implementation Toolmentioning

confidence: 99%