Nathalie Drouin

Decision making within distributed project teams: An exploration of formalization and autonomy as determinants of success

Competitive advantages and access to competencies are among the most frequent motivations for developing various forms of collaborative relationships. While some firms claim to collaborate at a strategic level, as in joint ventures, others pursue collaboration at a micro level, as in projects. Collaborations at the project level involve a network of dispersed team members actively involved in common activities. This creates new challenges for effective decision making in distributed project teams, as processes are often ill adapted for facilitating collaborative work. Many researchers have studied aspects of these organizational problems. However, questions regarding team autonomy and decision-making processes remain largely underinvestigated. After reviewing the literature on key concepts related to organizational decision making, we conducted an empirical study using a quantitative approach that involved an online survey sent to project management professionals. The analysis of the data clearly indicates that success in managing distributed project teams is linked to team autonomy in conducting project activities and to formal decision-making processes. These findings also highlight the fact that a formal decision-making process is even more important for distributed teams that are highly dispersed.

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.

Effects of organizational support on components of virtual project teams

Purpose – Virtual project teams are teams whose members use technology to varying degrees in working across locational, temporal, and relational boundaries to accomplish an interdependent task. Work in virtual project teams is a challenge for many organizations. Having studied the issue for several years, the authors propose in this paper to delve deeper into the question from the point of view of organizational support. More specifically, this paper seeks to focus on the organizational support systems and mechanisms provided by firms to their virtual project teams and their impacts on the components of these teams. The objective is to identify the structural factors and processes related to virtual teams that are affected by organizational support systems and mechanisms.Design/methodology/approach – The paper reports exploratory empirical case studies of two Canadian‐based international high‐tech companies. In‐depth interviews were conducted with managers with experience in virtual project team managemen...

Schools’ capacity to absorb a Healthy School approach into their operations: Insights from a realist evaluation

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to understand how a Canadian intervention based on a professional development (PD) model did or did not influence schools’ capacities to absorb a Healthy School (HS) approach into their operations. This study is the second part of a research project: previously published results regarding this research provided a detailed description of the PD model and highlighted the relevance and effectiveness of PD in improving actors’ HS-related knowledge and practices. The present paper focuses on the organizational impact of such PD intervention. Design/methodology/approach – The design was based on a realist evaluation approach, which helps to elicit a theory explaining how an intervention leads to particular outcomes. A multi-site case study of three schools with pre- (T 0) and post- (T 1) intervention comparison was adopted. Multiple qualitative methods were used to capture how the changes were achieved by collecting data from various stakeholders involved in the interventi...

How organizations support distributed project teams

Purpose – Work in distributed project teams is always a challenge for organizations. Many researchers have studies different aspects of distributed project teams, as witnessed by the impressive number of papers published in the last decade. However, it appears that the dimensions related to organizational support have still not received much attention in empirical studies. This study investigates the dimensions of organizational support in distributed project teams that contribute most to the quality of the decision‐making process and teamwork effectiveness in distributed project teams.Design/methodology/approach – The initial intent of this research was to test a theoretical model on the basis of data from the field, namely real‐life situations. A two‐step approach (qualitative and quantitative method) was used. The research model was tested in a sample of experienced project managers on distributed project teams.Findings – The results suggest that strategic staffing and training and tools provided to te...

Standing on the shoulders of strategic management giants to advance organizational project management

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine relevant issues within the strategic management domain related to concepts and terms used within the resource-based view and dynamic capabilities (DC) theory. The paper explains how these theories from strategic management can be translated for organizational project management (OPM). The paper also shares lessons learned by the co-authors as used in project management. Design/methodology/approach – Based on a literature review and research experience of co-authors, the paper bridges two theories from the strategic management field to OPM and demonstrates conceptual challenges experienced. Findings – From a translational perspective, the paper outlines how theories from strategic management can be adopted to OPM. Since OPM is evolving, there is merit in drawing from a solid theoretical foundation such as those found in strategic management. Research limitations/implications – This paper is conceptual and makes a case for further empirical research using st...

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...

Projects and organisations

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to introduce the papers comprising a special issue of the journal. The central theme of this special issue is “Projects and organisations: adding rungs to the ladder of understanding project management and its relationship with the organisation”. It is dedicated to research that explores and proposes different avenues to contribute to the development of the field of project management from this perspective of projects and organisations.Design/methodology/approach – The Guest Editors solicited academics and collaborators of the Project Management Research Chair at the Ecole des sciences de la gestion, Universite du Quebec a Montreal (ESG UQAM). Following a call for papers, five were selected that underwent a double‐blind peer‐review process.Findings – The five selected articles each provide unique perspectives and insights. Viewed as a set, their contributions view projects and organisations from three main perspectives: project management governance issues; managemen...

Moderating Effect of Team Distributedness on Organizational Dimensions for Innovation Project Success

This article addresses the issue of geographically distributed work teams that carry out new product development projects. These are task-oriented, goal-driven, temporary teams that use ICTs. This exploratory study measures the moderating affect of team distributedness on the relationships between organizational and workforce management best practices and two measures of project success efficacy and effectiveness. Data were obtained from real teams working in Canadian companies in diverse high-tech industries. The results show a moderating effect of team distributedness, which is interesting in that the distributedness factor is examined from a different perspective, that is, as a moderating rather than an explanatory dimension.