Reducing uncertainties in innovation projects through intra-organisational collaboration: a systematic literature review

Abstract

PurposeThis article provides the first systematic review of literature on effective organisational practices for reducing innovation project uncertainties to promote project performance. Innovation is the lifeblood of organisations, while simultaneously being one of the most challenging processes to manage. This systematic review seeks to examine best practice for reducing uncertainties and thus mitigate the high failure rates in innovation projects.Design/methodology/approachThis paper provides a systematic review of the literature on innovation project management and encourages an understanding of how intra-organisational collaboration reduces uncertainty and thus increases project performance.FindingsBased on an analysis of the systematic literature review findings, the impact of intra-organisational collaboration in reducing uncertainties in innovation projects is uncovered. Three types of project uncertainties were found to be dominant in the context of innovation project management: task, technological and market uncertainties. Five dimensions of intra-organisational collaboration are also identified, namely collaborative relationship, collaborative leadership, communicating and sharing information, trust formation and joint decision-making.Originality/valueThe authors situate five intra-organisational collaboration dimensions as key mechanisms that yield organisational learning as an outcome. On the other hand, they also uncovered that organisational learning is a key enabler in the relationship between intra-organisational collaboration and task, market and technological uncertainties reduction. Therefore, intra-organisational collaboration is identified as a critical practice in enhancing the performance of innovation projects. The study proposes a multi-dimensional conceptual model, providing a mechanism for furthering a research agenda for improving the performance of innovation projects.

Toward an enhanced methodology to mitigate challenges of applying participatory action research in managing innovation projects

“…Therefore, the decisions made in the organization are followed with more legitimacy by the participants (Kesby et al ., 2007), leading to a stronger commitment of people to changing actions and strengthening responsible autonomy (Gutiérrez et al ., 2020) among participants. The commitment of participants/team members/stakeholders is one of the most important factors contributing to the success of innovation projects (Cooper, 2019; Fanousse et al ., 2021). Moreover, a shared commitment can break down the barriers between people who execute the project (Svejvig and Nielsen, 2010).…”

Differential effects of external networks and integrative effects of employee integration on innovation ambidexterity

“…Our study used a cross‐sectional data set; thus, investigating causal relationships among the variables will require taking the time dimension into account in a future study. Future studies could further consider the multiplex nature of intra‐firm collaborations that includes building trust among members, knowledge and resource sharing, information sharing and effective communication, divergent thinking and risk sharing through collaborative decision making in the innovation process (Fanousse et al, 2021) for their effects on innovation ambidexterity as that would further reveal how firms can maintain a balance between exploratory and exploitative innovation in a resource‐constrained context. For example, the investigation of the effects of organizational design choices to improve employee engagement in innovation (Flocco et al, 2022) can be extended to see the separate effects on exploratory and exploitative innovations.…”

Development levels of stakeholder relationships in collaborative projects: challenges and preconditions

“…The key element of collaboration in construction projects is related to the involvement of cross-disciplinary stakeholders at the project start-up working together throughout the project phases (Engebø et al ., 2020). It provides a framework to achieve the project goals through cross-functional collaboration and shared vision (Ko et al ., 2011; Fanousse et al ., 2021). However, there are multiple factors that influence collaboration in projects, such as trust, uncertainty, organisational efficiency and changes in the scope of the work (Haaskjold et al ., 2020).…”