Kirsi Aaltonen

Stakeholder Dynamics During the Project Front‐End: The Case of Nuclear Waste Repository Projects

Understanding stakeholder dynamics and their impact on project management is crucial, especially for large and complex projects such as nuclear waste repositories. This study examines the stakeholder dynamics during the project front-end stage of two pioneering nuclear waste repository projects. To analyze changes in stakeholders’ importance and position on a project, we propose and apply a new conceptual framework: a stakeholder salience-position matrix. The study explicates how stakeholder dynamics are influenced by the interaction of stakeholders’ influence behavior, stakeholder management activities, and the projects contextual conditions. Prior stakeholder literature has rarely conceptualized the elements of stakeholder dynamics in a systematic manner.

Managing Project Stakeholder Communication: The Qstock Festival Case

This research develops the understanding of project stakeholder management through examining how stakeholder communication is facilitated and managed during the different phases of the projects life cycle. By building on the information processing view and the stakeholder salience framework, our study shows how stakeholder communication practices vary among the impersonal, personal, and group modes of communication. We also show how these practices depend on stakeholders’ salience and project life cycle phase. The results indicate that a dynamic approach is required to understanding stakeholder management; different communication practices are required over the projects life cycle, which can be explained by the varying degrees of stakeholder salience.

The formation of a collaborative project identity in an infrastructure alliance project

Abstract Inter-organizational projects struggle to build a sense of joint belonging and a culture of cooperation. In evaluating the social processes of collaboration in inter-organizational projects, organizational identity is considered a core concept. To extend existing knowledge of how collaborative identity is formed in inter-organizational infrastructure projects, the study investigates how the specific characteristics of temporary organizations (time, team, task and context) influence identity formation activities. A case study of the first Finnish infrastructure alliance project identifies six key activities supporting the formation of collaborative project identity: (1) articulating a joint vision for collaborative project identity; (2) converging on mutual conceptions of collaborative project alliance philosophy; (3) attaining a shared collaborative mentality; (4) designing ways of working with multiple identities; (5) attaining distinctiveness and (6) legitimizing activities. The findings indicate that identity formation activities are context-dependent, and that the formation of organizational identity differs between temporary and permanent organizations. The findings illuminate how managers can build a collaborative project identity.

Creating relational capital through socialization in project alliances

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to elaborate the understanding of socialization in the context of temporary operations and organizational settings, using project alliance – the most contemporary approach to the management of large and complex projects – as an example. In particular, the paper also assesses how informal and formal socialization mechanisms are used to facilitate relational capital in such a setting. Design/methodology/approach Data were collected by two case studies of complex infrastructure projects in a Northern European city. The analysis focuses on how socialization is managed across organizational interfaces within the alliance organization during the project tendering and development phase to create relational capital. Findings The findings indicate that significant emphasis is put on socialization in project alliances. However, while in the tendering phase both informal and formal socialization mechanisms are used to create relational capital; in the development phase informal socialization mechanisms are associated with higher levels of relational capital and formal socialization mechanisms are used to maintain the level of relational capital. Originality/value While operations and supply chain management research argues that socialization is critical to manage organizational interfaces and to create relational capital in buyer-supplier relationships, research has mainly focused on ongoing operations. This study complements the prior research by developing further insight into socialization in the context of temporary operations and organizational settings; such settings create a unique empirical context, posing different managerial challenges as the results also indicate.

Opportunity management in large projects: a case study of an infrastructure alliance project

Purpose This study aims to explore how to identify and manage opportunities successfully in a large multi-organizational infrastructure project. Large projects struggle with exploiting and capturing opportunities because of the lack of practices that support active and continuous opportunity management over the project lifecycle in inter-organizational project networks. Design/methodology/approach This study provides empirical evidence of a successful opportunity management process based on an investigation of an infrastructure alliance project. The adopted research approach is an inductive case study. Findings By analyzing an infrastructure alliance project, this paper identifies key activities of opportunity management and furthermore, discusses the enablers of active and continuous opportunity management. Practical implications This study supports practitioners by providing knowledge about the possibilities and activities that could be deployed during the project lifecycle to improve opportunity management process and about the enablers – factors that facilitate alliance partners’ capabilities to manage opportunities. Originality/value There is limited empirical research on the practices of opportunity management that support continuous, active opportunity management in inter-organizational project contexts, although multidisciplinary project networks have possibilities for taking advantage of opportunities that emerge over the project lifecycle.

Procurement in the Real Estate and Construction Sector (RECS) – Preliminary Context-specific Attributes☆

Abstract In this paper, the key aspects associated with procurement in the context of the real estate and construction sector(RECS) are discussed, in order to address the research gaps in purchasing and supply management. The research question is “What kindof context-specific attributes can be identified in the RECS with respect to procurement”, arguing that a better understanding of complex performance procurement is required. The underlying assumption is that although procurement may have generic qualities that are valid despite the industrial context, the construction sector offers unique attributes in respect to procurement. We classify these aspects under four categories: relationship management, supply risk, coordination, and learning/knowledge sharing. The key context-specific attributes include a varying relationship lifecycle, the unique and complex nature of products and services, customisation and the non-repetitive and temporary nature of projects. The key managerial issues involve the acquisitionofa widerange of procurement competencies and the overall status of procurement in the organisa-tion. Hence, managing procurement efficiently and competently requires the understanding of all these aspects.

Toward an Improved Understanding of Agile Project Governance: A Systematic Literature Review

The purpose of this study is to provide understanding of project governance practices in agile projects. A systematic review of the previous agile literature is conducted to identify and categorize agile project governance practices, which are synthesized in a six-dimensional framework. The study contributes to the literature by contrasting traditional and agile project governance practices and by identifying new practices emerging in agile projects, while also noting remaining gaps in knowledge. The implications of this study enable managers to identify and apply feasible governance practices that can support better agile project performance.