Multilevel analysis of ambidexterity and tagging of specialised projects in project-based information technology firms
22 Aug 2017-International Journal of Operations & Production Management (Emerald Publishing Limited)-Vol. 37, Iss: 9, pp 1185-1206
TL;DR: The study extends the concept of ambidexterity to the “within” project level and finds it relevant at the lowest level in the project-based structure.
Abstract: Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to understand the expression of ambidexterity at the “between” projects level as well as the “within” project level in project-based information technology firms (PBITF). The research also provides a framework for the classification of specialised projects. This classification is essential to clarify the level of attention the project will receive with respect to the appropriation of resources and the requisite management bandwidth.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper draws on a nine-month long field-based qualitative study and ensures a rigorous triangulation of the findings through an analysis of archival data and actual project artefacts.
Findings
The authors bring forth three critical implications for practice. First, strategizing ambidexterity at the level of “between” projects and “within” projects is heavily dependent on the interaction among distributed actors and partners. Second, routines and actions to deal with manpower constraints are completely different at these two levels. Lastly, the classification framework of specialised projects proposed here should enable firms to appropriately apportion resources to engagements that are strategic in nature.
Originality/value
The study extends the concept of ambidexterity to the “within” project level and finds it relevant at the lowest level in the project-based structure. Also, the framework for the classification of specialised projects that is provided will assist decision makers in PBIT firms to decide the organisational response to such projects.
Citations
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TL;DR: In this article, the authors assess the ability of project portfolio management practices to support the pursuit of ambidexterity at the project level through engagement with specific dimensions and mechanisms.
Abstract: The aim of this study is to assess the ability of project portfolio management practices to support the pursuit of ambidexterity at the project level through engagement with specific dimensions and mechanisms. The focus is on examining the operating/business model and challenges that are imposed on the firms, but deemed resolvable through the simultaneous pursuit of multiple projects emphasizing contradictory strategic goals. Data are obtained from multiple exploratory interviews of senior executives involved in project-level activities who were drawn from 12 case organizations in the Middle East. The study finds evidence of four forms of ambidexterity dimensions and mechanisms. Analysis undertaken against operating/business model and challenges of these dimensions and mechanisms of ambidexterity suggests that they are not only inter-related, but do so at various organizational levels.
19 citations
Cites background or result from "Multilevel analysis of ambidexterit..."
...This point is reiterated in his later works (see Turner et al. 2013a; Turner et al. 2016a) and the works of Liu et al. (2012) and Sohani and Singh (2017) who assert that while there is substantial research is available on organisation-level ambidexterity, insight on project-level ambidexterity is…...
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...From our understanding of the literature, PPM is critical to successfully achieving ambidexterity....
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...2013a, 2013b, 2014, 2015, 2016a,b; 2018) and the wider operations management discipline (Kortmann et al. 2014; Sohani and Singh 2017)....
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...Sohani and Singh (2017) examined the processes and routines utilised to operationalise ambidexterity finding amongst others that the nature of the interaction among various individual actors across different functional units (including at the level of the portfolio) of the organisation played a…...
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...…of scholars in the field of project management (Aubry and Lièvre 2010; Leybourne and Sainter 2012; Eriksson 2013; Turner and Lee-Kelley 2013; Turner et al. 2013a, 2013b, 2014, 2015, 2016a,b; 2018) and the wider operations management discipline (Kortmann et al. 2014; Sohani and Singh 2017)....
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TL;DR: In this article, the impact of exploitative and explorative QM practices on performance is investigated in a sample of German pharmaceutical firms and the results show that the impact is dependent on the competitive strategy pursued.
Abstract: This study aims to advance understanding about quality management (QM) practices by clarifying how competitive strategy conditions the impacts of exploitative and explorative QM practices on performance.,The authors apply partial least squares structural equation modeling to data from a sample of German pharmaceutical firms.,The results show that the impact of exploitative and explorative QM practices on firm performance is contingent on the competitive strategy pursued. Explorative QM practices are significantly more relevant for firms following a differentiation strategy, whereas exploitative QM practices are significantly more relevant for cost leaders. Furthermore, for strategically ambidextrous firms that follow simultaneously a cost and a differentiation focus, the interplay of the two QM practices matters.,This paper contributes to understanding which kind of management practices, exploitative and/or explorative, have greater performance impacts under certain competitive strategy conditions.
9 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the antecedents that facilitate three prevalent types of ambidexterity in project-based organizations in China are identified through an exploratory multiple-case study.
Abstract: Through an exploratory multiple-case study in the context of project-based organizations in China, this study aims to identify the antecedents that facilitate three prevalent types of ambidexterity...
8 citations
Cites background from "Multilevel analysis of ambidexterit..."
...Sohani and Singh (2017) examine ambidexterity in the “within” project level and the “between” projects level; Lee- Kelley (2018) applies the ambidexterity theory in the development of project management staff....
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TL;DR: In this paper, the authors investigate the labour supply chain of Indian technical immigrants in the United States and reveal a latent phenomenon of broker-induced precarity that results from the labor supply chain and explore how aspirational jobs are becoming precarious ones.
Abstract: The primary purpose of this article is to investigate the labour supply chain of Indian technical immigrants in the United States. The two important findings that emerge are as follows: First, the study unearths a latent phenomenon of broker‐induced precarity that results from the labour supply chain and explores how aspirational jobs are becoming precarious ones. Second, the study provides a foundation for devising policies and interventions to make the process of the labour supply chain less detrimental to the Indian technical immigrants. This article draws on a seven‐month‐long field‐based qualitative study and ensures a meticulous triangulation of the findings through an analysis of archival data and actual artefacts related to manpower movement across the labour supply chain.
7 citations
Cites background from "Multilevel analysis of ambidexterit..."
...Instead of starting with the existing constructs and their interlinkages, we began with an area of investigation and allowed constructs and their interrelationships to emerge there from (Sohani and Singh, 2017; Strauss and Juliet, 1990)....
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TL;DR: Results show that technology has a dual nature where it enhances as well as diminish the engagement of drivers, and the identity of a professional and the flexibility offered by this app-based work fosters engagement for drivers aswell as customers.
Abstract: With the advent of mobile application-based aggregator models, engaging stakeholders has become more challenging as the lines separating external and internal customer are blurred. This study deciphers the points of engagement and points of disengagement for the major stakeholders viz. drivers and commuters for the cab aggregators in India. Through semi-structured interviews of cab drivers and triangulation through media reports, interviews of customers, bank officers and regional transport officers, the authors elicit what enhances customer and driver engagement and what reduces it. Results show that technology has a dual nature where it enhances as well as diminish the engagement of drivers. The identity of a professional and the flexibility offered by this app-based work fosters engagement for drivers as well as customers. Changes in organizational and government norms are a source of disengagement. The theoretical and practical implications are also discussed.
4 citations
References
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TL;DR: Drawing on the extensive literature in organizational theory and management, ambidexterity is advocated as a viable solution to systems development organizations attempting to harness the benefits of both agile and traditional development.
Abstract: Emerging evidence seems to indicate that most systems development organizations are attempting to utilize both agile and traditional approaches. This study aims to understand the reasons organizations feel the need for this unlikely juxtaposition and the organizational challenges in sustaining the opposing cultures. Drawing on the extensive literature in organizational theory and management, we advocate ambidexterity as a viable solution to systems development organizations attempting to harness the benefits of both agile and traditional development.
224 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors discuss how PBOs in the construction industry can manage the exploration/exploitation paradox at different organizational levels by using cooperative procurement procedures to facilitate both exploration and exploitation of knowledge and technologies in construction projects.
194 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors provide a foundation to guide future research on project capabilities based on three main contributions: drawing upon research on dynamic capabilities and organisational ambidexterity, they suggest that innovative and routine dimensions of project capabilities are developed and mobilised to deal with the variety of exploratory and exploitative conditions facing an organisation.
185 citations
TL;DR: The most comprehensive and widely used program management framework in the UK, Managing Successful Programmes, is published and used by the Office of Government Commerce, and purports to be pragmatic guidance in the form of key principles and techniques.
184 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors examined the relationship between exploration and exploitation innovation and business performance in small and medium enterprise (SME) service firms, and examined the interaction between the two innovation orientations in predicting business performance.
Abstract: Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the relationship between exploration and exploitation innovation, and business performance in small and medium enterprise (SME) service firms. Furthermore, the paper also examines the interaction between the two innovation orientations in predicting business performance, and the influence of size in the effectiveness of each of them in enhancing business performance.Design/methodology/approach – Using empirical data drawn from 180 managers in Australian service organisations, this study also compares the effect of ambidextrous innovation on business performance within these SMEs.Findings – The findings show that, controlled for size, neither of the innovation orientations show significant, direct relationships with firms' performance. However, ambidextrous innovation was positively associated with business performance, indicating a synergy between exploration and exploitation. Further examination indicates the relationship between exploration/exploitation ...
183 citations