Hélène Sicotte

Integration mechanisms and R&D project performance ☆

Abstract Information processing theory suggests the need for different types of integration mechanisms in R&D project management depending on levels of uncertainty and equivocality. This paper examines the use of these mechanisms and their links to project performance in a sample of 121 R&D projects in a large research laboratory. Overall, it is found that formal leadership, planning and process specification, and to a lesser extent information technology use are related to project performance while the positive effects of horizontal structures are apparently balanced out by their costs. The integration mechanisms studied act on performance partly through their effect on horizontal communications. Modest support was found for the contingency hypotheses derived from information processing theory. It appears that managers adjusted their use of horizontal structures, planning and process specification, and informal leadership to project uncertainty but not to project equivocality. The positive effects of horizontal communications on performance were found to be greatest under high project equivocality as would be predicted by information processing arguments. Moreover, with the exception of formal leadership, the use of integration mechanisms did not enhance performance in contexts of low uncertainty and low equivocality.

Impact of SME Manager's Behavior on the Adoption of Technology

It has been acknowledged that firms must resort to technology in order to acquire the flexibility needed to meet the challenges posed by the globalization of the economy. The successful adoption of new technology has thus become a matter of survival for companies. Several studies have already highlighted the importance of the managers behavior in the process of adopting technology. The Stevenson model suggests that this behavior may be situated anywhere on a continuum ranging from the characteristics of the administrator, at one extreme, to those of the entrepreneur, at the other. Using this model, we conducted a study of senior managers to analyze their behavior in the decision to adopt a new technology. A questionnaire was mailed to 450 of them and in-depth interviews were conducted among 54 others. Our findings show that in the process of adopting a new technology, half the managers adopted a behavior closer to that of an administrator. The other half acted more like entrepreneurs. This seems to have a major impact on the success of the adoption since we found that managers with an entrepreneurial style were not as successful as those who adopt an administrative style.

Organisational project management as a function within the organisation

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to present a theoretical framework and the preliminary results from a research programme on organisational project management. It aims at exploring how organisational project management can be conceptualised as a function within the organisation.Design/methodology/approach – The methodological framework is based on a constructivist epistemology. This research programme contains two sequential phases based on a robust mixed method. The first phase of the qualitative approach, which is the focus of this paper, includes 20 interviews with executives and middle managers.Findings – This approach is expected to be helpful in assessing the fit between organisational context, project management implementation and organisational strategy. The proposed theoretical framework draws from the exploration of organisational project management as a function. Preliminary results confirm that organisational project management can be best understood as a function within the organisation...

Innovation Portfolio Management as a Subset of Dynamic Capabilities: Measurement and Impact on Innovative Performance

Innovation portfolio management has been touted as a new dynamic capability following the evolution of team- and project-based organizational forms. In this article, we conceptualize innovative dynamic capabilities as a multidimensional construct that comprises distinct but related aspects in managing innovation. We test our model, which links this capability to innovative performance by using survey data from a sample of 923 firms. We find empirical support for our conceptualization and its impact on firm innovative performance.

Marketing and technology strategies for innovative performance

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine organizational project management (OPM) as an integrative mechanism to mediate marketing and technology strategies for innovative performance. In addition, the moderating effects of firm size and turbulence on the relationships between marketing strategy, technology strategy, OPM, and innovative performance are examined.Design/methodology/approach – The authors used empirical data derived from a survey of 5,000 firms worldwide in fast‐paced RD and intervenes in the relationship between both strategies and innovative performance. The results also show some moderating effects of turbulence.Practical implications – Marketing and technology strategies impact innovative performance, but part of...

Performance factors of international R&D projects

A comparative study of national versus international research projects was conducted in a large corporate research centre. Factors most associated with performance for both types of projects are quality and extent of communications, use of integrative mechanisms, adequacy of resources, motivation of research teams and product value. In international projects, functional excellence also contributes to higher performance.

Exploring change in commercial and institutional buildings management: Case studies of the integration of energy management

Improving the energy efficiency in buildings is an important element of Canada’s federal and provincial energy policy. In Quebec, commercial and institutional property owners and managers are currently going through unprecedented governance, technological and managerial transformation. Many energy management systems and guides are proposed to provide organizations with a framework to improve energy management such that it can increase energy efficiency, reduce costs, improve the building’s energy performance while at the same time reducing greenhouse gas emissions. However, many questions persist, such as: how can energy management be integrated into the core organizational management and strategy of an organization? What specific energy management processes can be implemented in an organization? How can the energy function be added into the general building management system?The aims of this research were: to identify and analyze exemplary energy management practices associated with the implementation of energy management programs by the owners or managers of Quebec’s commercial and institutional buildings; to identify and produce five case studies describing the process of implementing an energy management program in building in Quebec. To achieve these aims, we started our research with a review of contemporary approaches for managing energy and a review of published literature. The theoretical framework for this study is the process studies of change in organization and management. We were inspired by the process for explaining development and change in organizations recommended by Van de Ven, A. and Poole S. (1995) and the process for studying organisational change and development recommended by Pettigrew, A., Woodman, R., & Cameron, K. (2001). Our paper differs from current studies as we applied the methodology of case studies research (Yin, 2013) with many sources of evidence. It is an opportunity for Quebec’s government as well as for the building owners and managers to learn from case examples, to better understand how to overcome energy management barriers, how to better capture benefits and identify or adopt new energy management practices in order to improve their current energy management system. Finally, this research provides guidelines for building managers in implementing energy management in a context where the improvement of energy efficiency is important but the energy cost is inexpensive and renewable.

Defining the modernization capabilities of the small and medium-sized businesses

Summary form only given, as follows. It is pointed out that as the strategic issues of the 90s involve timing, quality, and flexibility, more and more attention must be given to acquiring and developing the organizations capabilities in all their dimensions. These dimensions can be defined as technological, organizational, and interfacing competencies which enable a firm to use effectively and with more efficiency the technologies it acquired. Four case studies provide some evidence that the problem of making good use of new technologies seems particularly important for small- and medium-sized businesses (SMBs). The SMBs tend to turn to new technologies, but they lack those capabilities for integrating technological knowledge and know-how. Attention should particularly be given to maintaining a project and strategy fit, and the objectives of the project must be consistent with the resources which are allocated for its realization. It is also essential to identify the technological, organizational, and interfacing capabilities (or lack thereof) that represent the firms main strengths and weaknesses. Finally, it is important to develop efficient tools to foster the integration and the pooling of the accumulated knowledge base throughout the organization.<<ETX>>