Exploring the resource manager role in a project-based organization

PurposeThe author aims to explore and provide new insights on the resource manager role in a matrix-like project-based organization. What is the content of this role and the challenges as perceived by role incumbents?Design/methodology/approachThis a case study of a large project department in an industrial organization. The main source of data is interviews with 12 respondents.FindingsThe author describes and analyzes several mechanisms related to the key tasks of resource allocation, competence development and performance appraisals. Key challenges are the magnitude of stakeholders, especially the relationship with the project manager. To cope with these challenges, resource managers engage in extensive networking and recurrent dialog with the project manager. In addition, system knowledge and a sociable personality are perceived to enhance coping.Research limitations/implicationsOne case. 12 interviews were conducted at one point in time. The resource manager is a specific type of line manager, complementing a task (project) manager. Hypotheses and research questions based on empirical findings are identified.Practical implicationsOrganizational structure and the content of managerial roles are important in order to understand HRM challenges and activities in project-based organizations. Networking, relation maintenance and system knowledge and sociable and creative mindsets are key success factors for resource managers in large matrix-like project-based organizations.Originality/valueOne of the few in-depth studies of the resource manager in a project-based organization. A novel organizational context for the study of roles in HRM. A number of suggestions for further research.

Design Thinking and Creative Technologies in Project Management: Multi-Stage Approach

The present article is devoted to the issues of applying design thinking and other creative technologies destined at the development of innovational solutions of the existing tasks and restrictions in project management processes. The authors are developing a conceptual framework by defining the focus of application of creative technologies in the project management practice as well as are proposing a custom approach to the application of the relevant instruments based on the project type and its lifecycle phases. The findings are made on the basis of fundamentals of project management, strategic management and design thinking methodology, as well as the authors’ own applied studies and experience in project and program management. The proposed approach allows broadening theoretical learnings on the project lifecycle stages from the perspective of creating and developing business innovations, as well as on the project manager role and skills, which in turn helps to resolve complex issues and controversies connected to the application of the existing project management methods in the organizational development and innovation product creation processes.

How Managers Maintain Control Through Collaborative Repair: Evidence from Platform-Mediated “Gigs”

This paper develops a new understanding about how “client managers”—those using platform labor markets to hire and manage workers—attempt to maintain control when managing skilled contractors. We conducted an inductive field study analyzing interactions between client managers and contractors in software development “gigs” mediated by a platform labor market. The platform provided multiple tools client managers could use for control, including in response to unexpected events. We found that, when managers used the tools to exert coercive control over contractors acting unexpectedly, it backfired and contributed to uncompleted project outcomes. In contrast, when they refrained from using the tools for coercive control in such circumstances and instead engaged in what we call collaborative repair, their actions contributed to completed project outcomes. Collaborative repair refers to interactions that surface misaligned interpretations of a situation and help parties negotiate new, reciprocal expectations that restore trust and willingness to continue an exchange. Client managers’ attempts at collaborative repair yielded fuller understanding of project-related breakdowns and shared investment in new expectations, facilitating effective control and completed projects. This study extends prior theories of control by characterizing the new client manager role created by platforms and demonstrating how initiating repair is integral for managers’ capacity to accomplish control in these comparatively brittle work relationships.

Individual variation in role construal predicts responses to third-party biases in hiring contexts

We theorize that individuals’ pre-existing beliefs about the hiring manager role (role construal) are associated with their tendency to condone bias accommodation in hiring contexts, in which a person aligns hiring decisions with the perceived biases of others. In two studies, we focus on human resources (HR) professionals’ endorsement of the role demand to prioritize candidate fit with others (e.g., supervisor) when making hiring decisions. Study 1 examined bias accommodation from a vicarious perspective, revealing that role demand endorsement is positively associated with viewing it as acceptable and common for another hiring manager to accommodate third-party bias against women. Study 2 examined bias accommodation experimentally from an actor’s perspective, showing lower preference for and selection of a female (vs. male) job candidate in the presence of cues to third-party bias against women, but only when role demand endorsement is relatively high. HR professionals in both studies indicated that third-party bias influences in hiring are relatively common. Responses in Study 2 provide preliminary evidence that the phenomenon of third-party bias accommodation might be relevant in the context of employment discrimination based on group characteristics other than gender (e.g., race/ethnicity, age). We discuss the practical implications of our findings for hiring professionals and for organizations seeking to increase diversity in their workforce.

4186 Single IRB and the CTSI: Liaison Model for the IRB Reliance Process

OBJECTIVES/GOALS: Navigating the NIH Single IRB Policy has been challenging for investigators, study teams, and Human Research Protection Programs (HRPP). In response, the Indiana Clinical and Translational Sciences Institute (CTSI) created an innovative Single IRB Project Manager role (sIRB PM), uniquely placed within the Indiana CTSI. METHODS/STUDY POPULATION: The Single IRB Project Manager role was created in 2018 by the Indiana CTSI in response to the NIH Single IRB Policy for Multi-Site Research. The role of the sIRB PM is to serve as a liaison between the Indiana University HRPP, lead site, coordinating center, and participating sites when Indiana University serves as the Single IRB. This model has proven useful to both the IRB and lead site, notably in the following ways: At study start-up, the sIRB PM can handle complicated communications among sites and the IRB at the same time the lead site is responsible for many other administrative tasks related to start-up. By absorbing the workload of IRB approval for multiple sites, the sIRB PM provides the lead site more capacity to handle other essential tasks.The sIRB PM translates new terminology and facilitates processes that are new for sites.RESULTS/ANTICIPATED RESULTS: Early assessment of this program is predominantly positive. The sIRB PM currently supports 24 external sites. In an NIA-funded 13 site study, all sites were added within 9 months of initial IRB approval of the protocol. This role fills a gap that benefits: IRB staff by allowing them to fulfill their duties of screening and review while leaving some of the reliance organization to the sIRBPM.Lead PI by allowing them to focus on conducting the research instead of the many administrative tasks required for single IRB review.Participating sites by having a liaison to enter their amendments and reportable events into an otherwise closed IRB software system.All parties by having the sIRB PM manage document organization, storage, and distribution study-wide.DISCUSSION/SIGNIFICANCE OF IMPACT: The CTSI sIRB PM role effectively shifts administrative work caused by the sIRB mandate by merging research coordinator experience with regulatory experience while building upon an existing strong relationship with the HRPP. Future focus is on process education, standardizing pricing structure, and ensuring sufficient budget support in grants.