Toward a typological theory of project management

Shenhar, Aaron J.; Dvir, Dov

doi:10.1016/0048-7333(95)00877-2

Cited by 415 publications

(314 citation statements)

References 35 publications

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“…Product definition, development, launch and project management methodologies are highly contingent on the market uncertainty and other environmental characteristics (Brown and Eisenhardt 1995, Shenhar and Dvir 1996, Lynn et al 1996, Chandy and Tellis 1998. Insights on customizing product development practices to diverse environments such as small entrepreneurial firms and varied industries should also help increase the relevance and applicability of the development literature (Meyer and Roberts 1986, Dougherty and Heller 1994, Eisenhardt and Tabrizi 1995, Gatignon and Xuereb 1997.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Product Development Decisions: A Review of the Literature

2001

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T his paper is a review of research in product development, which we define as the transformation of a market opportunity into a product available for sale. Our review is broad, encompassing work in the academic fields of marketing, operations management, and engineering design. The value of this breadth is in conveying the shape of the entire research landscape. We focus on product development projects within a single firm. We also devote our attention to the development of physical goods, although much of the work we describe applies to products of all kinds. We look inside the "black box" of product development at the fundamental decisions that are made by intention or default. In doing so, we adopt the perspective of product development as a deliberate business process involving hundreds of decisions, many of which can be usefully supported by knowledge and tools. We contrast this approach to prior reviews of the literature, which tend to examine the importance of environmental and contextual variables, such as market growth rate, the competitive environment, or the level of top-management support.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Product Development Decisions: A Review of the Literature

2001

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“…Shenhar and Dvir, (1996), Arthur, DeFilippi and Jones (2001), and Brix and Peters (2015), since the systematic processing of the case study's innovation project did represent a change within the organization by having influenced multiple organization design elements. Moreover, the informants claimed that all the changes represented beneficial side effects except for the increased 'tacitness of knowledge', which was regarded as a downside stemming from the project.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Exploring an Innovation Project as a Source of Change in Organization Design

Brix

Peters

2015

JOD

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This study builds new empirically based theory on how the processing of an innovation project with a high degree of uncertainty induces change in key components in organization design. By using an embedded case study as our research strategy and organization design theory as our analytical lens, we construct ten propositions that determine how the organization design of our case organization was influenced because of their innovation project. These changes represent: a) improved competencies for exploration activities, b) improved competencies for exploiting new knowledge, and c) increased readiness for change.Keywords: Organization design, innovation project, case study, public-private collaboration Many public and private organizations today are experiencing stress and uncertainty because of environmental changes and turbulence (Huber, 2011). Innovation is often advocated as a means of responding to external challenges or to put pressure on competitors (Shelton & Percival, 2013;Tushman et al., 2010), and there is an extensive literature on how managers can organize for innovation (e.g., Anthony et al., 2008). In the innovation study presented here, however, the usual scholarly focus is inverted. That is, instead of exploring innovation outcomes and how they are produced, we focus on how an innovation project affects the design of the organization itself.Our study was inspired by the limited number of previous studies of the effects of innovation on the producing organizations themselves (e.g., Arthur, DeFilippi, & Jones, 2001;Battisti & Iona, 2009;Brady & Davies, 2004;Brix & Peters, 2015; Shenar & Dvir, 1996;Wheelwright & Clark, 1992). Because these earlier studies determined that innovation projects can act as a catalyst to organizational change, the purpose of our study is to deepen current understanding by exploring how an innovation project influences organization design elements. We obtained access to uniquely relevant data regarding this research question by getting permission to observe a public-private collaboration on a high-uncertainty innovation project between the Center for Ideas and Innovation at the Danish Technological Institute and the Division for Education Management in the municipality of Ikast-Brande, situated in the central region of Denmark. The purpose of the project was to increase student learning outcomes by at least 20 percent through new means of childcare both before and after school.The article is organized as follows. First, we describe the innovation project and the study's research method. Then we present the results of the study and discuss their implications for the theory and practice of organization design. Lastly, we note the study's limitations and present our conclusions.

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“…Notable among these are Shenhar & Dvir (1996), Williams (1999) and Shenhar (2001). Shenhar and Dvir (1996) took issue with the sparse theoretical development of the project management literature. They contrasted it with the literature on innovation, which reflected a contingent approach to management of innovation for complex products or services.…”

Section: Theoretical Background On Project Complexity and Basic Propomentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Freeman, 1997). Invoking classical contingency theory, Shenhar and Dvir (1996) and later Shenhar (2001) suggested that a 'one size fits all' approach to project management is counter-productive. They proposed a typological theory (inspired by (Doty & Glick, 1994)) of project management, in which project management style could be matched to project characteristics or features.…”

Section: Theoretical Background On Project Complexity and Basic Propomentioning

confidence: 99%