Thommie Burström

The Role of Transition in Temporary Organizations: Linking Temporary to the Permanent

Purpose – This research note puts the role of transition back in the center of the temporary organization and lends to understanding the temporary organization as a transitory unit within the perma ...

Integrating service practice into project management: a matter of “do or die”?

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to describe and analyze service management practices within a project management context.Design/methodology/approach: This research supporting conceptual devel ...

The texture of tension: complexity, uncertainty and equivocality

Purpose The premise of this paper is that tension exists among participants and parties engaged in projects. The uniqueness of development virtually assures this. The purpose of this paper is to propose that tension is a product of the precursors of complexity, uncertainty and equivocality, and an attempt is made to characterize tension as it arises in projects – its genesis and its nature. Design/methodology/approach An in-depth case study was conducted in a manner in which the contextually sensitive empirical researches for which Nordic studies are known. Within discussions on the strategy, decision making, intra- and inter-project interdependencies and managing across development sites associated with a flagship project, 77 statements concerning tension were identified for analysis. Through a literature review, 12 tension-driving factors were identified. These factors were used as base for analysis. Findings These statements were analyzed for content to produce a model associating tension with its precursors and the literature on tension. It is found that due to innovation turbulence, tension-driving factors are cascaded in and around organization(s). Tension is manifested in various ways for different stakeholders and tension management is performed through cognitive and emotional responses. The texture of tension is characterized by fluidity, multiplicity and parallelism. Research limitations/implications Case studies can of course not be generalized; they are valuable, however, in indicating important observations for further studies. Practical implications A contribution is made to management theory where knowledge about project context is seen as essential in order to understand best practices for project execution and effectiveness. Originality/value Although common, even virtually assured in projects, tension tends to be neglected in successful management. This study associates the genesis of tension through the underlying contributions of complexity, uncertainty and equivocality. It is believed to be the first study of its type.

Learning the ropes: muddling through with Tim Wilson

Purpose – It is common that junior researchers struggle in finding their own way of doing research. The purpose of this paper is therefore to use the theory of “Muddling through” in order to theorize about the junior vs senior researcher collaboration process. Design/methodology/approach – The theory of “Muddling through” is used in order to reflect on the qualities of shared collaboration between a junior and senior research colleague. Findings – The research process share the characteristics of policy making where goals many times are fuzzy, and the relationship between means to end is far from self-evident. The research process therefore demands from the senior colleague to act firm, fair and friendly in order to support and inspire junior research colleagues. Research limitations/implications – It is a personalized single case study; still it provides advice for both junior and senior research colleagues that are in the process of research collaboration. Practical implications – Junior colleagues need...

The role of knowledge-intense high-impact firms in city innovation systems

Abstract Past studies on city innovation systems acknowledge the important role of firms, but rarely study them explicitly. This paper shifts attention to the firm level, and proposes that knowledge-intensive high-impact firms are especially important in shaping the economic development of local economies by creating industry-specific micro pathways. This argument follows from their central role in city innovation systems: we propose that knowledge-intense high-impact firms (KIHIFs) have a relatively high absorptive capacity and therefore make better use of knowledge spillover, but also play a role in distributing international knowledge spillover in return. To empirically investigate this thesis, we examine firms operating in the computer-programming activities, and engineering and technical consultancy industries in the capital area surrounding Helsinki, Finland. In line with our theoretical arguments, we find that the relative within-industry concentrations and rates of internationalisation of KIHIFs vary greatly over small geographic distances. Future research and implications for policy-makers are discussed.

961 An ecosystem perspective on elderly safety

Background Demographic trends, technological advancements, and fiscal constraints make elderly care a major issue. Innovations in devices, process and care models have been introduced. It however appears that innovations are adapted slowly or haphazardly. This study apply an ecosystem perspective - an area of activity needs to be seen as the totality of players that affect the elderly and their safety, regardless of if they have administrative or trading relationships, or employ voluntary resources. An ecosystem includes one or several ecosystem leaders that aim at structuring the system through rules, platforms and resource flows. Methods We study the city of Hyvinkää. The problems within the field can be defined as spanning between quality – adjusted productivity The objective is to achieve more and/or better with fewer resources by adding different stakeholders related to the elderly safety. A qualitative method with a value process mapping technique is applied. Results The city is managing a multi-actor environment aiming to increase the safety of the elderly as part of the elderly care. The city is thus developing a contemporary governance model, i.e. the rules according to which explicit or implicit contracts between ecosystem players are made, monitored and enforced, including regulators, public professional organisations, for-profit corporations, third-sector players, volunteers, local communities, and relatives. Conclusions Cities need to develop a “healthpathway” thus taking on a role as a public ecosystem leader coordinating the efforts among elderly care and safety. This means that the city creates market segmentation and matches this segmentation with private and public actors. Such segmentation allows for the creation of a public service platform through which actors can be governed and coordinated in increasing elderly safety.

Intrapreneurial ambidexterity: a platform project,Swedish approach

Purpose - – The purpose of this paper was to explore the relationship between projects and intrapreneurial self-renewal activities. In particular,the approach a specific firm has made to renew itself is examined through two lenses commonly used to analyze such efforts – as a platform project and as an intrapreneurship effort based on intrapreneurial ambidexterity. Design/methodology/approach - – An in-depth case study was conducted in a manner that the contextually sensitive,empirical research for which Nordic studies are known. The common denominator in these studies is a fascination on the practitioners. In other words,what the project managers say and do are of particular interest. Initially,68 in-depth interviews were performed,which were complemented by observations and secondary information. Findings - – The platform project approach recognized chief project managers and requirement managers as essential elements in development. Further,it suggested there was no obvious champion in the project,nor did slack resources appear as a prerequisite. On the other hand,an intrapreneurship insight provided appreciation for the processes that developed for implementation. Practical implications - – It is argued that,flagship projects as studied here,in particular,infuse parallel and collective activities since such projects call for significant organizational self-renewal. Originality/value - – Intrapreneurship tends to be neglected at the expense of entrepreneurship. This study focuses on the former in a Swedish environment in which a major firm bets its future. Observations are interpreted in terms of both platform project and intrapreneurship concepts. We present and define the concept of intrapreneurial ambidexterity.