Researchers compare agile and traditional approaches to project management in Russia’s services industry

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Project Management ◽  
Business Strategy ◽  
High Performance ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Professional Services ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Hrm Practices ◽  
Rival Firms ◽  
Traditional Approaches ◽  
Different Levels

Purpose The authors wanted to study the theme as there hasn’t been much research into the different factors for high performance in agile versus traditional companies. Design/methodology/approach The authors conducted a quantitative study of Russian professional services firms using structured phone interviews. They compared project-based companies using agile methods with rival firms that used more traditional methods. The questionnaire included questions on the role of HRM, the level of business strategy formalization, the use of strategies to enhance motivation and opportunities. There were also questions about agile frameworks and project management practices. The sample contained 154 companies, 61 of which used agile technologies. Findings They found that agile firms tend to rely more on HMR policies than traditional companies, especially on strategies to enhance motivation and opportunity. Agile companies also have more centralized HRM architectures with less delegation of different levels of management. Meanwhile, the results show that the HRM architectures for successful traditional firms are more diverse. HRM practices in these companies have different levels of importance and various degrees of decentralization and digitalization. Originality/value The authors say their study fills a gap because there hasn’t been much research into the different factors for high performance in agile versus traditional companies. The study, they say, has important theoretical and practical implications, and also provides evidence of the importance of HRM practices for organizational success.

Innovative management strategies for building and sustaining a digital initiatives department with limited resources

2018 ◽  
Vol 34 (2) ◽  
pp. 117-136 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Miller
Keyword(s):  
Project Management ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Management Strategies ◽  
Academic Library ◽  
Collaborative Management ◽  
Strong Line ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Innovative Strategies ◽  
Other Information

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to offer and explore innovative strategies for building and sustaining digital initiatives at information organizations. Although the examples provided are based on case studies at an academic library, the practices are rooted in project management principles and therefore applicable to all library types, museums, archives and other information organizations. The innovative strategies on staffing and funding will be particularly useful to organizations faced with monetary and staffing shortages and highlights collaborative management practices. Design/methodology/approach Concept of strategic and collaborative management practices led by an experienced project manager cross-trained in management, technical and soft skills enables the successful development and sustainability of digital initiatives. A cross-trained librarian’s management practices of leading the Digital Scholarship Initiatives at a particular university will be examined as a case study and aided with literature supporting the need for digital initiatives leaders to have training beyond the credentials of librarian, curator, archivist or historian in the technologically savvy twenty-first century ecology of information centers. Findings The innovative strategies implemented in the case study yielded increases in the number of hours of digital lab usage, digital projects developed, seminars or workshops presented, attendance of library hosted events, number of programs implemented and awareness on campus, all with limited staff and funding. The variety and level of production and marketing is instrumental to the growth and sustainability of digital initiatives. Practical implications The innovative strategies emphasized in this paper use the concept of borrowed or shared time to start staffing needs and is particularly helpful to organizations that do not have a strong line of dedicated staffing or funding to begin building digital initiatives. Offers small ways to start immediately while setting the stage to plan for big ideas for the future. Originality/value This paper suggests a credentialed information expert, such as a librarian, archivist or curator, that is, also cross-trained in project management and technology is the key to not only successfully leading digital initiatives but is instrumental for its sustainability and the marketing, growth and future of digital initiatives.

Using action research in innovation project management: building legitimacy and organizational learning in an SME during a merger process

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Constance Elizabeth Kampf ◽  
Charlotte J. Brandt ◽  
Christopher G. Kampf
Keyword(s):  
Project Management ◽  
Organizational Learning ◽  
Action Research ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Innovation Process ◽  
Theory And Practice ◽  
Organizational Level ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Innovation Project

PurposeThe purpose is to explore how the process of action research (AR) can support building legitimacy and organizational learning in innovation project management and portfolio practices in merger contexts.Design/methodology/approachMeta-reflection on method issues in Action Research through an action research case study with an innovation group during an organizational change process. This case demonstrates an example of an action research cycle focused on building practitioner legitimacy rather than problem-solving.FindingsKey findings include (1) demonstrating how AR can be used for building legitimacy through visualizing the innovation process, and embedding those visuals in top management practices of the organization; and (2) demonstrating how AR can work as an organizational learning tool in merger contexts.Research limitations/implicationsThis study focuses on an action research cooperation during a two-and-a-half-year period. Thus, findings offer the depth of a medium term case study. The processes of building legitimacy represent this particular case, and can be investigated in other organizational contexts to see the extent to which these issues can be generalized.Practical implicationsFor researchers, this paper offers an additional type of AR cycle to consider in their research design which can be seen as demonstrating a form of interplay between practitioner action and organizational level legitimacy. For practitioners, this paper demonstrates a connection between legitimacy and organizational learning in innovation contexts. The discussion of how visuals were co-created and used for building legitimacy for an innovation process that differs from the standard stage gate model demonstrates how engaging in AR research can contribute to developing visuals as resources for building legitimacy and organizational learning based on connections between theory and practice.Originality/valueThis case rethinks AR practice for innovation project management contexts to include legitimacy and organizational learning. This focus on legitimacy building from organizational learning and knowledge conversion contributes to our understanding of the soft side of innovation project management. Legitimacy is demonstrated to be a key concern for innovation project management practices.

Indian study shows high-performance work systems (HPWS) mediate the relationship between business strategy and employees’ intention to leave

2022 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Business Strategy ◽  
Cost Reduction ◽  
High Performance ◽  
Intention To Leave ◽  
Business Strategies ◽  
Work Systems ◽  
Content Type ◽  
High Performance Work Systems ◽  
Mediating Role ◽  
The Relationship

Purpose This paper examines the relationship between business strategies and employees’ intention to leave (ITL), through the mediating role of high-performance work system (HPWS). Design/methodology/approach To test their hypotheses, the authors used self-administered questionnaires. They drew up a list of 600 organizations of different nature and structure operating in India that were listed by the Federation of Indian Chambers and Industry. They approved 192 organizations and sent the surveys to 960 executives. They aimed to receive a minimum of one response from an HR executive and two from non-HR executives from each one. In the end, they received 572 useable responses. Findings The study found that high-performance work systems (HPWS) mediate the relationship between business strategy and employees’ intention to leave (ITL). The two effective approaches were “quality management” and “innovation strategy”, both of which reinforced the adoption of HPWS. But a third approach, a “cost-reduction strategy”, was not shown to be positively correlated with HPWS. Another important finding was that the influence on ITL did not vary across the types, or ownership structures, of the firms. Originality/value The data has lessons for HR departments. First, it shows it is advantageous for firms hoping to retain more employees to invest in HPWS that are consistent with the values of their organizations. A second practical finding is that firms need to take into account the Indian context. A third lesson is HR practitioners should make strong efforts to communicate the goals of the HPWS to employees The study also shows firms adopting cost-reduction strategies should focus more on treating employees as resources.

A comparative analysis of best human resource management practices in the hotel sector of Samoa and Tonga

2014 ◽  
Vol 43 (5) ◽  
pp. 798-815 ◽  
Author(s):  
Suwastika Naidu ◽  
Anand Chand
Keyword(s):  
Resource Management ◽  
Human Resource Management ◽  
Human Resource ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Response Rate ◽  
Strategic Human Resource Management ◽  
Human Resource Managers ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Hrm Practices ◽  
Hotel Sector

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to comparatively analyse the best human resource management (HRM) practices in the hotel sector of Samoa and Tonga. Design/methodology/approach – This study examined best HRM practices used by the hotel sector of Samoa and Tonga by using self-administered questionnaires. Self-administered questionnaires were distributed to 73 hotels in Samoa and 66 hotels in Tonga. Out of the 73 self-administered questionnaires that were distributed in Samoa, 58 usable questionnaires were returned resulting in a response rate of 79 per cent. In the case of Tonga, out of the 66 self-administered questionnaires were distributed, 51 usable questionnaires were returned resulting in a response rate of 77 per cent. Findings – The findings of this study show that there are 28 best HRM practices in Samoa and 15 best HRM practices in Tonga. This study also found that best HRM practices differ based on differences in internal and external environmental factors present in different geographical areas. The findings of this paper support the assumptions of the Contextual Paradigm of HRM and strategic human resource management. Research limitations/implications – This study is based on a single sector of Samoa and Tonga. A single sector study limits the generalisations that can be made across different sectors in Samoa and Tonga. Practical implications – Human resource managers should incorporate cultural, political, legal, economic and social factors in HRM practices. Originality/value – None of the existing studies have examined best HRM practices used by the hotel sector of Samoa and Tonga. This study is a pioneering study that comparatively analyses the best HRM practices used by the hotel sector of Samoa and Tonga.

The impact of project sustainability management (PSM) on project success

2019 ◽  
Vol 39 (4) ◽  
pp. 453-474 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amin Khalifeh ◽  
Peter Farrell ◽  
Malek Al-edenat
Keyword(s):  
Project Management ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Project Success ◽  
Research Question ◽  
Empirical Studies ◽  
Relevant Literature ◽  
Research Work ◽  
Content Type ◽  
New School ◽  
The Impact

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to answer the research question: “does the incorporation of sustainability as a new school of thought in project management support project success?” The authors carried out a systematic literature review (SLR) on relevant empirical studies before 2018 to answer this question. Design/methodology/approach The authors carried out an SLR by selecting, extracting, analysing and critically appraising relevant literature that met pre-specified criteria by using transparent, well-organised and replicable steps. The main sources are publications in peer-reviewed journals regardless of their impact factor because the topic of incorporating sustainability in project management practices is restrained by a lack of research. Findings Based on the analysis, it seems that incorporating sustainability into project management may support project success. However, more evidence is required to support this finding as there are too few relevant empirical studies in the literature. Research limitations/implications Therefore, considering sustainability as a new school of thought in project management is premature, and there are recommendations for further research at the end of this study. There are several limitations to the studies chosen, which may have significantly affected results, and thus may affect outcomes in this study. Originality/value Project success needs to be the main endeavour when incorporating sustainability into project management, and it should be a key criterion when considering sustainability as a new school of thought in managing projects. The most challenging elements of project success that need to be addressed are cost and time. This study contributes to a better understanding of the impact of PSM on project success. It facilitates decision making in considering sustainability as a new school of thought in project management. Furthermore, it defines a need for more research work in this potential paradigm shift in managing projects.

Investigating the causal link between a management improvement technique and organizational performance

2017 ◽  
Vol 40 (4) ◽  
pp. 429-450 ◽  
Author(s):  
André de Waal ◽  
Robert Goedegebuure
Keyword(s):  
Organizational Performance ◽  
High Performance ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Longitudinal Research ◽  
Linear Regression Analysis ◽  
Causal Link ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Key Factor ◽  
Organizational Results ◽  
High Level

Purpose An important question in contemporary research is: do certain management practices cause better performance or do better performing organizations find it easier to adopt certain management practices? This question is also of importance when applying the high performance organization (HPO) framework, which is a scientifically validated technique designed to achieve and sustain a high level of performance. Many research studies correlate the HPO framework with improved organizational performance. There are, however, no studies which explicitly look at the causal relationship. This paper aims to provide empirical evidence of causality. Design/methodology/approach Longitudinal research was conducted at two companies. An HPO diagnosis was conducted at each company, after which management implemented the HPO framework. Two units at each company were selected as case studies. Data were collected, using a questionnaire and interviews, at the beginning and after 18 months, when the diagnoses were repeated. A linear regression analysis was performed to interpret the data. Findings Despite exposure to the same HPO framework techniques, organizational units achieved significantly different outcomes. In each company, one unit achieved a higher HPO score and higher organizational results, while the other unit had no change, or a lower HPO score and lower organizational results. The key factor was the manner in which unit managers applied the HPO framework. Practical implications Optimal effectiveness for the HPO framework occurs when management incorporates the HPO factors into the workplace and strives diligently to improve performance. Originality/value This research responds to the question “Do certain management practices cause better performance or do better performing organizations find it easier to adopt certain management practices?”

Human resources management practices and organizational commitment in higher education

2020 ◽  
Vol 34 (1) ◽  
pp. 154-174 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mohammed Aboramadan ◽  
Belal Albashiti ◽  
Hatem Alharazin ◽  
Khalid Abed Dahleez
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Organizational Commitment ◽  
Work Engagement ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Mediating Effect ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Hrm Practices ◽  
Palestinian Universities ◽  
The Impact

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate the impact of human resource management (HRM) practices on organizational commitment in Palestinian universities, and to examine the mediating effect of work engagement as a black-box mechanism that defines HRM practices–organizational commitment relationship. Design/methodology/approach The source of the data is from 237 employees (academics and administrative staff) from Palestinian universities. The authors used structural equation modeling to verify the hypotheses. Findings The results reveal that HRM practices have a significant impact on employee organizational commitment in higher education. In addition, work engagement showed a significant mediating effect between performance appraisal and organizational commitment on the one hand, and between rewards and compensation and organizational commitment on the other hand. Practical implications The study suggests university managers to capitalize on HRM practices as vehicle to trigger positive work-related attitudes. Originality/value The study contributes to the literature by examining the impact of HRM practices on organizational commitment through the mediation role of work engagement in higher education of a non-western context. The study is one of the few studies that is conducted in the middle east.

Do performance measures matter in the relationship between high-performance work system and organizational performance?

2019 ◽  
Vol 41 (3) ◽  
pp. 241-257
Author(s):  
Xiaoxuan Zhai ◽  
Xiaowen Tian
Keyword(s):  
Financial Performance ◽  
Organizational Performance ◽  
Performance Measures ◽  
High Performance ◽  
Country Of Origin ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Work System ◽  
Hrm Practices ◽  
High Performance Work System ◽  
The Relationship

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to develop a resource-based framework to explain the relationship between high-performance work system (HPWS) and organizational performance (OP) and the moderating role of performance measures. Design/methodology/approach The paper takes a meta-analysis approach, and tests hypotheses against data of 47,741 firms and establishments in 192 studies published by June 2016. Findings The paper finds that HPWS has a greater positive effect on operational than financial performance. Moreover, HPWS influences operational performance more strongly in developing than advanced countries and at the firm level than the establishment level, but such variations are not evident in the effect of HPWS on financial performance. Practical implications The paper suggests that managers should treat human resource management (HRM) practices as a system, and develop HPWS for operational gains which in turn lead to financial gains. Managers need to take different approaches to develop HPWS for high performance depending on the country of origin and the level of organization. Originality/value Based on studies of individual HRM practices, previous meta-analytical studies suggested that the HPWS-OP relationship is invariant across performance measures. Taking HRM practices as integral components of HPWS, this paper extends the resource-based theory to demonstrate that performance measures interact with country of origin and level of analysis to moderate the HPWS-OP relationship.

Role of employee relations and HRM in driving commitment to sustainability in MSME firms

2020 ◽  
Vol 69 (8) ◽  
pp. 1743-1764
Author(s):  
Mridul Maheshwari ◽  
Arbind Samal ◽  
Vaibhav Bhamoriya
Keyword(s):  
Human Resource ◽  
Food Processing ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Developing Economies ◽  
Life Quality ◽  
Employee Relations ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Hrm Practices ◽  
Four Levels

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to explore the role of employee relations and human resource management (HRM) practices on firms' commitment to sustainability in the context of micro, small and medium enterprises (MSME) in India. This paper proposes a theoretical framework, namely “awareness, action, comprehensiveness, and excellence (AACE),” to present the solutions and practices as adopted by MSME firms in meeting their sustainability objectives alongside pluralistic constraints related to human resource, capital and legitimacy risk.Design/methodology/approachThe paper employs a cross-case methodology to investigate five food processing MSME firms to understand and delineate the role of employee relations and HRM practices in driving their commitment to sustainability.FindingsThe paper discusses the status of employee relations and HRM practices as practiced by MSME firms, specifically designed to meet their agenda to strengthen their commitment to sustainability. The study proposes a framework constituting four levels, namely “awareness, action, comprehensiveness, and excellence (AACE),” that reflects HRM practices as adopted by MSME firms to develop their commitment to sustainability.Social implicationsMSMEs and food processing industries are critical to the growth of Indian economy and likewise for other emerging and developing economies. They are especially critical for their contribution to overall employment and sustainability comprising the second, third and fourth supplier links in supply chains. They have a major impact on sustainability outcomes and the life quality of employees. This paper makes a contribution in this direction.Originality/valueThe study fulfills the need to explore the role of employee relations and HRM practices to develop “commitment to sustainability” in the context of food processing MSME firms in an emerging economy of India. This paper adds an understanding of people management practices and sustainability in small firms (MSMEs), adding to the existing literature on the domain, which is mostly skewed toward large firms.

scholarly journals An empirical study of long-term personal project information management

2016 ◽  
Vol 68 (4) ◽  
pp. 495-522 ◽  
Author(s):  
Klen Copic Pucihar ◽  
Matjaž Kljun ◽  
John Mariani ◽  
Alan John Dix
Keyword(s):  
Project Management ◽  
Tacit Knowledge ◽  
Information Management ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Personal Information ◽  
Knowledge Workers ◽  
Information Space ◽  
Management Tools ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Personal Project

Purpose – Personal projects are any kind of projects whose management is left to an individual untrained in project management and is greatly influenced by this individual’s personal touch. This includes the majority of knowledge workers who daily manage information relating to several personal projects. The authors have conducted an in-depth qualitative investigation on information management of such projects and the tacit knowledge behind its processes that cannot be found in the organisational structures of current personal information management (PIM) tools (file managers, e-mail clients, web browsers). The purpose of this paper is to reveal and understand project information management practices in details and provide guidelines for personal project management tools. Design/methodology/approach – Semi-structured interviews similar to that in several other PIM exploratory studies were carried out focusing on project fragmentation, information overlap and project context recreation. In addition, the authors enhanced interviews with sketching approach not yet used to study PIM. Sketches were used for articulating things that were not easily expressed through words, they represented a time stamp of a project context in the projects’ lifetime, uncovered additional tacit knowledge behind project information management not mentioned during the interviews, and were also used to find what they have in common which might be used in prototype designing. Findings – The paper presents first personal project definition based on the conceptualisations derived from the study. The study revealed that the extensive information fragmentation in the file hierarchy (due to different organisational needs and ease of information access) poses a significant challenge to context recreation besides cross-tool fragmentation so far described in the literature. The study also reveals the division of project information into core and support and emphasises the importance of support information in relation to project goals. Other findings uncover the division of input/output information, project overlaps through information reuse, storytelling and visualising information relations, which could help with user modelling and enhancing project context recreation. Research limitations/implications – On of the limitations is the group of participants that cannot represent the ideally generalised knowledge worker as there are many different kinds of knowledge workers and they all have different information needs besides different management practices. However, participants of variety of different backgrounds were observed and the authors converged observations into points of project information management similarities across the spectrum of different professions. Nevertheless, its observations and conceptualisations should be repeatable. For one, some of the issues that emerged during this work have been to different extents discussed in other studies. Practical implications – The empirical findings are used to create guidelines for designing personal project information management tools: support the selective focus on information with the division into core and supportive information; visualise changes in project information space to support narratives for context recreation; overcome fragmentation in the file system with selective unification; visualising project’s information relationship to better understand the complexity of project information space; and support navigating in project information space on two axes: time and between projects (overlaps through information). Originality/value – The study presents a longitudinal insight into personal project information management. As such it provides a first formal definition of personal project from the information point of view. The method used in the study presented uses a new approach – sketching in which participants externalised and visualised personal information and projects they discussed. The insights derived from the study form design implications for personal project management tools for knowledge workers.

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