Effective Project Management for Strategic Innovation and Change in an Organizational Context

Abstract

Projects are a means of implementing strategy; the relationship of project management to strategic implementation in an organization is explored. Some of the recent project management literature is examined and a case study from the education sector is used to consider how to effectively link project management to organizational strategic processes. Project management techniques have been used very successfully in a wide range of areas. They are routinely applied in IT developments, building, government, and education. Recent thinking has raised questions about how to more closely match the techniques to the nature of individual projects. The nature of different types of projects is explored through consideration of projects involving high levels of change, and/or innovation. By their nature, the final outcomes of such projects are not clearly defined and their execution may require many iterations of development. A means of categorizing projects within an organization is developed. This, along with a set process guidelines, will enable an organization's management to more effectively consider the implications of implementing strategic projects. Monitoring such projects can present problems in an organization when management accountability mechanisms demand results and rigid processes are imposed.

An Analysis of the Fallacy of Taking Apart Technology and Innovation

“…In the corporate context, organizations seek incremental development as much as discontinuous innovations (Birley & Muzyka, 2001). Innovation, according to various authors is comprised of three definitions (Afuah, 1998;Birley & Muzyka, 2001;Cohen & Graham, 2002;Engel et al, 2000;Freire, 2002;Kenny, 2003;Siqueira, 1999;Tushman & Nadler, 1997): Incremental -products that provide additional characteristics or extensions of a previously standardized line; Synthetic -products with no new technology that is only a combination of a series of existing technologies; and Discontinuousproducts with the development or application of substantially new technologies or ideas that require the introduction of new qualifications, processes and systems throughout the organization.…”

Configuração e cultura organizacional, cooperação e inovação: análise de um modelo de equações estruturais em empresas fabricantes de equipamentos médicos

“…Desta forma, os resultados empíricos obtidos, para a amostra considerada, corroboram aqueles preconizados pelos diversos autores apresentados no referencial teórico (Kenny, 2003;Koskinen, Pihlanto & Vanharanta, 2003;Daft, 2002;Nonaka & Takeuchi, 2001;Gardner, 1999;Aaker, 1998a;Tushman & Nadler, 1997;West Apud Smith, 1991).…”

“…Entre outros fatores para o desenvolvimento da inovação, Lester apud Kenny (2003) identifica quatro processos formais necessários para o desenvolvimento de novos produtos:…”

A inovação e os fatores organizacionais característicos

“…As organizações mais inovadoras possuem várias redes de comunicação informal e buscam resolver os problemas por meio do compartilhamento de um mesmo conjunto de valores e de uma mesma linguagem entre os participantes (TUSHMAN; NADLER, 1997). Nesse mesmo sentido, Koskinen et al (2003), relatam que quando os membros de times de projetos interagem frente a frente, permitindo que os conhecimentos tácitos sejam compartilhados por meio de uma linguagem comum, há uma melhora nos resultados com o grau de comprometimento dos grupos de projetos.…”