David James Bryde

From Stakeholders to Institutions: The Changing Face of Social Enterprise Governance Theory

Purpose – This paper aims to set out the current theoretical landscape of social enterprise governance. It considers the two theories of governance currently advocated in the social enterprise literature – stakeholder and stewardship theories. Furthermore, it asserts the utility of neoinstitutional theory in analysis of social enterprise governance.Design/methodology/approach – The methodology employed was critical review and application of the prevailing governance theory in a social enterprise context.Findings – The prevailing institutional theory offers a great deal in explaining the governance dynamic in these organisations. The influence that values, symbols and cultural norms have upon organisation structure are not fully encompassed in social enterprise governance theory. Rather, it has been adapted and diluted to fit different explanations of governance, such as stakeholder and stewardship theory.Research limitations/implications – Institutional theory offers an alternative lens with which to anal...

Modelling project management performance

This paper presents an argument that it is appropriate to develop a model of project management (PM) performance from models for assessing quality management. The paper presents a model, labelled the project management performance assessment (PMPA) model, based upon the EFQM business excellence model. The model proposes six criteria for assessing PM performance: project management leadership; project management staff; project management policy and strategy; project management partnerships and resources; project life cycle management processes; and project management key performance indicators. Using data from an empirical study of PM practice in UK organisations, the paper uses PMPA as a framework to explore variations in the character of PM performance. It is concluded that there are variations in attitudes and behaviour in each of these areas and that these variations may be used to help measure levels of PM performance.

Project management concepts, methods and application

This paper reports the findings of an empirical study of project management (PM) practice and of attitudes and opinions of people involved in projects in UK organisations, to determine the extent to which PM has evolved into being broader in its concepts, methods and application than “traditional” PM. Based on previous research and survey data, characteristics of an “emergent” PM approach are described. This leads to the establishment of a number of possible normative theories relating to the management of projects, but empirical evidence shows situations in which there are problems in applying the theories in practice. It is concluded that there is an opportunity for the PM community to provide leadership through the development of valid and useful theories, but in order to do this there is a need for further research.

Quality management systems certification: a survey

Describes research into attitudinal differences between small‐sized and medium/large‐sized organisations towards the benefits/limitations of obtaining certification for a quality management system (QMS) and differences between small‐sized and medium/large‐sized organisations in terms of the pressures driving organisations to seek certification. Presents details of prototype model building of characteristics of organisations either positive or negative towards a certified QMS approach. Fifty organisations were surveyed using a postal questionnaire. Finds some evidence of smaller‐sized organisations having more negative attitudes to QMS certification than medium/large‐sized organisations. Finds both small‐sized and medium/large‐sized organisations attach importance to internal reasons (i.e. a desire to improve internal efficiency) and external reasons (i.e. pressure from customers) in influencing the decision to seek certification. Suggests small‐sized manufacturing companies currently in the process of seeking certification are more likely to fit the model profile of organisations hostile to the QMS certification approach.

The Move towards Managerialism: Perceptions of Staff in "Traditional" and "New" UK Universities.

The raison d’être of higher education institutions is to educate individuals, undertake research, and disseminate knowledge into the public domain. Changing values and norms in HEIs, partly as a product of “managerialism”, as well as increased competition for funding and other environmental factors, have moved autonomous institutions towards more business-like and private-sector ideals. These factors have different effects on the different “traditional” and “new” universities that operate within the higher education sector in the UK. This paper utilises the results of a UK survey of universities to determine the impact of these changes in universities. Results of a quantitative survey indicate that staff members in “traditional” universities feel strongly pressured to be research-recognised but that academic decisions are made by academics, whilst “new” universities viewed higher education as a business. Interestingly, both groups felt pressured to improve student numbers.

The Influence of a Project Performance Measurement System on the Success of a Contract for Maintaining Motorways and Trunk Roads

This paper reports the attitudes and experiences of project stakeholders working on a contract in the United Kingdom (UK) for the Highways Agency (HA). The agency used these stakeholders to procure construction services for maintaining its roads. During the course of the project, the HA changed its focus from a traditional, compulsory competitive tendering-type (CCT) strategy to one based on the HAs Construction Management Pilot (CMP) scheme. Part of the change involved the HAs introduction of a performance management system (PMS); this system offers a multi-dimensional and multi-observational perspective of success. This paper discusses the benefits of the new strategy and the issues and problems encountered by the HA while implementing the project plan. It also analyzes the contribution of the new PMS to the project strategy.

The relationship between total quality management and the focus of project management practices

Purpose – The purpose of the paper is to explore the influence of a total quality management (TQM) programme on the level of focus in project management practices.Design/methodology/approach – Prior literature was used to develop a construct indicating the degree of focus on customers, time/cost/quality (iron/golden triangle) and other stakeholders. A questionnaire was mailed to a random selection of UK organizations to obtain data on the degree of focus and on whether a TQM programme existed.Findings – The results from an analysis of completed questionnaires show that those in organizations with a TQM programme in place are more customer‐focused in their project management practices than those in organizations with no TQM programme. No such relationship was found between the level of iron/golden triangle and other stakeholder focus and a TQM programme.Research limitations/implications – Given the exploratory nature of the research reported in this paper there is the opportunity for further work on larger...

Perceptions of owners in German construction projects: congruence with project risk theory

The construction industry is a major user of formal project risk management practices, yet risk is often dealt with inadequately, which is a contributory factor to poor performance. Conceptual developments propose a holistic view of risk incorporating threats and opportunities and the management of uncertainty. To optimize a risk management process there needs to be a reflection of this holistic view in management practice. A key project participant is the owner and understanding the perceptions of project risk of construction owners is an important step in assessing the degree to which practices reflect theory. Semi‐structured interviews were conducted with 10 practitioners in German construction owner organizations to explore their perceptions of project risk. The results showed no common definition of project risk and a general belief that risk equated to threat. Some owners did manage opportunities and saw a link between threats and opportunities, yet this practice seemed more the result of experience than an awareness that it was an integral part of a theoretical risk management framework. Most owners perceived risk to encompass uncertainty and the sources of uncertainty perceived as most important were those linked to a longer timescale, such as the ability to let out buildings.

Applying Lean principles to a building refurbishment project: experiences of key stakeholders

Lean construction can be conceptualized as a process-oriented approach derived from the Toyota Production System (TPS). Elements of the approach include pull-driven scheduling, minimizing stock held on site, visual management, levelling workloads and teamwork. While there has been empirical study of Lean in relation to new-builds there is a need to analyse its applicability to other contexts, such as refurbishments. The effect of using Lean on the refurbishment of a municipal building in Germany is investigated in this study. Participant observation, archival project documentation and semi-structured interviews are used to collect data on the use of Lean. The findings indicate the difficulty of applying Lean to refurbishment projects, particularly operating pull-drive scheduling, and the experience of the project brings into question the practicalities of applying the fundamental Lean principle of having a smooth level flow of work to refurbishment projects. Minimizing stock held on site with JIT delivery of materials also proved problematic, which was exacerbated by the commercial arrangements between subcontractors and suppliers providing no incentive to Lean. The use of the visual management aspects of Lean, such as performance charts, coupled with weekly meetings, were easier to adapt to the project and generally had a beneficial impact.

A field-level examination of the adoption of sustainable procurement in the social housing sector

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to report on a field-level examination of the adoption of sustainable procurement in social housing. It explores the role of regulation and procurement consortia in sustainable procurement. Design/methodology/approach – The study employs a case study of the UK social housing sector and uses an online survey (n=116) of UK Housing Associations. Factor analysis identifies three parsimonious dimensions of sustainable procurement. Attitudinal data are analysed to explore the field-level adoption of sustainable procurement and the role of consortia. Findings – The results delineate sustainable procurement activities into three factors; direction setting, supplier-centric assurance and local socially oriented supply. High yet sup-optimal levels of sustainable procurement activity are revealed. Prevailing attitudes identify positive commitments to sustainable procurement at individual, organisational and sector levels. The value of network collaboration is identified. Tenant...