Work motivation as a determinant of organizational and professional commitment in case of temporary organizations : theoretical perspectives

The purpose of this paper is to present a theoretical framework to investigate the relationship between work motivation, organizational commitment, and professional commitment in temporary organizations. Through a review of theory, we contend that work motivation has two major patterns- internal motivation (that includes intrinsic, need-based, and self-deterministic theories), and external motivation (that includes cognitive or process-based theories of motivation) through which it has been investigated. We also subsume the nature of employee commitment to be of three types- affective, continuance, and normative. This commitment may either be towards organization or profession. A literature review reveals that the characteristics of the temporary organization - specifically tenure, and task - regulate the relationship between work motivation, and organizational commitment, and professional commitment. Relevant propositions are presented.

The use of virtual prototyping for hazard identification in the early design stage

Purpose: The construction industry is well known for its high accident rate and many practitioners consider a preventative approach to be the most important means of bringing about improvements. This paper addresses previous research and the weaknesses of existing preventative approaches and a new application is described and illustrated involving the use of a multi-dimensional simulation tool - Construction Virtual Prototyping (CVP). Methodology: A literature review was conducted to investigate previous studies of hazard identification and safety management and to develop the new approach. Due to weaknesses in current practice, the research study explored the use of computer simulation techniques to create virtual environments where users can explore and identify construction hazards. Specifically, virtual prototyping technology was deployed to develop typical construction scenarios in which unsafe or hazardous incidents occur. In a case study, the users’ performance was evaluated their responses to incidents within the virtual environment and the effectiveness of the computer simulation system established though interviews with the safety project management team. Findings: The opinions and suggestions provided by the interviewees led to the initial conclusion that the simulation tool was useful in assisting the safety management team’s hazard identification process during the early design stage. Originality: The research introduces an innovative method to support the management teams’ reviews of construction site safety. The system utilises three-dimensional modelling and four-dimensional simulation of worker behaviour, a configuration that has previously not been employed in construction simulations. An illustration of the method’s use is also provided, together with a consideration of its strengths and weaknesses.

Information system experts : definition, identification, and application

Experts’ views and commentary have been highly respected in every discipline. However, unlike traditional disciplines like medicine, mathematics and engineering, Information System (IS) expertise is difficult to define. Despite seeking expert advice and views is common in the areas of IS project management, system implementations and evaluations. This research-in-progress paper attempts to understand the characteristics of IS-expert through a comprehensive literature review of analogous disciplines and then derives a formative research model with three main constructs. A validated construct of expertise of IS will have a wide range of implications for research and practice.

Projecting change through construction innovation

In projecting change for the critical Australian construction industry, the CRC for Construction Innovation envisions a culture of self improvement through applied research and technology transfer. Construction Innovation is driving research outcomes into business practice in areas such as innovativeness, sustainability, procurement, project diagnostics and site safety. The group has also led the formation of an international alliance to ensure its activities are hitting the mark nationally and internationally. Through initiatives like these, the CRC for Construction Innovation is already providing a potent vehicle for change.

From the Editors

This special issue of the Project Management Journal (PMJ) presents a collection of six of the best papers presented at the International Academy of African Business and Development (IAABD) conference held on May 17–20, 2011, in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.

Forecasting success on large projects : developing reliable scales to predict multiple perspectives by multiple stakeholders over multiple time frames

Our aim is to develop a set of leading performance indicators to enable managers of large projects to forecast during project execution how various stakeholders will perceive success months or even years into the operation of the output. Large projects have many stakeholders who have different objectives for the project, its output, and the business objectives they will deliver. The output of a large project may have a lifetime that lasts for years, or even decades, and ultimate impacts that go beyond its immediate operation. How different stakeholders perceive success can change with time, and so the project manager needs leading performance indicators that go beyond the traditional triple constraint to forecast how key stakeholders will perceive success months or even years later. In this article, we develop a model for project success that identifies how project stakeholders might perceive success in the months and years following a project. We identify success or failure factors that will facilitate or mitigate against achievement of those success criteria, and a set of potential leading performance indicators that forecast how stakeholders will perceive success during the life of the project's output. We conducted a scale development study with 152 managers of large projects and identified two project success factor scales and seven stakeholder satisfaction scales that can be used by project managers to predict stakeholder satisfaction on projects and so may be used by the managers of large projects for the basis of project control.

Temporal boundary objects in megaprojects : mapping the system with the integrated master schedule

Recently, a stream of project management research has recognized the critical role of boundary objects in the organization of projects. In this paper, we investigate how one advanced scheduling tool, the Integrated Master Schedule (IMS), is used as a temporal boundary object at various stages of complex projects. The IMS is critical to megaprojects which typically span long periods of time and face a high degree of complexity and uncertainty. In this paper, we conceptualize projects of this type as complex adaptive systems (CAS). We report the findings of four case projects on how the IMS mapped interactions, interdependencies, constraints, and fractal patterns of these emerging projects, and how the process of IMS visualization enabled communication and negotiation of project realities. This paper highlights that this advanced timeline tool acts as a boundary object and elicits shared understanding of complex projects from their stakeholders.

From the Editor

The five articles appearing in this issue reflect the depth of project management research in terms of delineating and clarifying the different philosophical positions, advancing the concepts, and applying innovative research methods. These articles focus on the ontology of project management research (“Foundations of Project Management Research: An Explicit and Six-Facet Ontological Framework” by Gauthier and Ika), project management practices relevant to different types of projects from a practitioner’s perspective (“An Empirical Identification of Project Management Toolsets and a Comparison Among Project Types” by Besner and Hobbs), the effect of project management processes on project performance (“Project Management Knowledge and Effects on Construction Project Outcomes: An Empirical Study” by Chou and Yang), determining the success metrics at different stages of a project (“A Perspective Based Understanding of Project Success” by McLeod, Doolin, and MacDonell), and identifying project success parameters and critical success factors from the point of view of different project actors in largescale projects (“Forecasting Success on Large Projects: Developing Reliable Scales to Predict Multiple Perspectives by Multiple Stakeholders Over Multiple Time Frames” by Turner and Zolin), and understanding project success from the points of view of different project stakeholders...

From the editor

In this issue of the Journal, the articles presented to the readers cover the breadth and depth of project management research and practice by addressing the relationship between project strategy and managing projects (Patanakul and Shenhar, “What Project Strategy Really Is: The Fundamental Building Block in Strategic Project Management”), on the need to align corporate strategy with program management (Ritson, Johansen, and Osborne, “Successful Programs Wanted: Exploring the Impact of Alignment”), identifying metrics to measure program success across project contexts (Shao, Müller, and Turner, “Measuring Program Success”), managing individual projects by identifying major risks in customer relationship management (CRM) implementation projects (Papadopoulos, Ojiako, Chipulu, and Lee, “The Criticality of Risk Factors in Customer Relationship Management Projects”), application of earned value management (EVM) to aerospace projects (Kwak and Anbari, “History, Practices, and Future of Earned Value Management in Government: Perspectives From NASA”), and capturing tacit knowledge of construction project professionals to determine the optimal construction site layout (Abdul-Rahman, Wang, and Siong, “Knowledge Acquisition Using Psychotherapy Technique for Critical Factors Influencing Construction Project Layout Planning”)...

From the Editor

In this issue of the Journal, the articles considered reflect the depth of research and practice that is unique to project management discipline. The range of topics addressed includes managing project contracts (Chan et al., “A Comparative Study of the Benefits of Applying Target Cost Contracts Between South Australia and Hong Kong”), managing project complexity (Chronéer and Bergquist, “Managerial Complexity in Process Industrial R&D Projects: A Swedish Study”), identifying early warning signs in complex projects (Williams et al., “Identifying and Acting on Early Warning Signs in Complex Projects”), project risk management (Krane, Olsson, and Rolstadås, “How Project Manager–Project Owner Interaction Can Work Within and Influence Project Risk Management”), exploring decisions regarding outsourcing and alignment of the project management office (Martins and Martins, “Outsourcing Operations in Project Management Offices: The Reality of Brazilian Companies”), and project management practices at strategic and tactical levels of the organization leading to sustainable development (Herazo, Lizarralde, and Paquin, “Sustainable Development in the Building Sector: A Canadian Case Study on the Alignment of Strategic and Tactical Management”).

From the Editor

The five articles appearing in this issue of the journal reflect the breadth of project management research and the cross-fertilization of ideas from other management disciplines with project management. These articles focus on the evolution of project management theory (“A Bibliometric View on the Use of Contingency Theory in Project Management Research” by Hanisch and Wald), interfirm knowledge management and learning in project networks (“Exploring Negotiation Through Boundary Objects in Global Design Project Networks” by Di Marco, Alin, and Taylor), learning within one project organization (“Organizational Learning in Project-Based Companies: A Process Thinking Approach” by Koskinen), identifying the factors affecting project performance (“Factors Causing Design Schedule Delays in Turnkey Projects in Taiwan: An Empirical Study of Power Distribution Substation Projects” by Yau and Yang), and considering the antecedents of negative employee behavior and its consequences for project team performance (“Counteracting Free-Riding With Team Morale—An Experimental Study” by He).