Team characteristics beneficial for Open Innovation projects

This study discusses the importance of creating Open Innovation (OI) teams for optimizing costs of Research and Development (R&D), dividing risks and maximizing profits. The purpose of this study is to determine team characteristics beneficial for successful OI project, with the emphasis on the fact that such teams are formed of professionals belonging to different organizations, both private and state-owned, with different educational and professional backgrounds and personal qualities. This purpose is supported by three sub-objectives: to observe the phenomenon of OI and its implementation in emerging economies, particularly in Russia; to specify professional and personal competencies of OI team members essential for the successful collaboration; and to identify the role of the leader in OI teams. The theoretical part of this study consists of knowledge from academic literature related to OI, cross-functional and innovation teams and leadership in innovation. The practical part of the study is presented in the form of multiple case study, and the empirical research is based on six semistructured interviews collected in October 2014 from the CEOs, Innovation Managers and Technical Directors of innovation companies participating actively in OI projects. The findings of the study demonstrate that many of the necessary competencies are equal for innovation or cross-functional teams and OI teams, such as professionalism and communication skills. However, due to the specific nature of OI, additional personal characteristics were recognized as beneficial for OI teams, such as flexibility, empathy and success-orientation. The role of the leader is also considered as a critical success factor for OI teams, with the emphasis on flexibility and autonomy. The findings of the study contribute to understanding the connection between notions of team member, team climate and team leader, and its influence on OI project success. Thus, the main purpose of the study is providing support for existing knowledge on OI teams and developing new insights into this newly emerged topic.

Evaluating Methods of Calculating the Fixed Fee on Professional Service Contracts

The South Carolina Department of Transportation routinely retains Professional Consulting Engineering firms to provide engineering design and related professional services for the preparation of construction plans or design-build Request for Proposal bid packages for a wide variety of Federal-aid Highway Program roadway and bridge construction projects throughout South Carolina.The purpose of this project is to examine the current process of determining a "Fair and Reasonable" fixed fee for professional service contracts and to evaluate possible alternative methods including practices in other states that may improve the process, particularly in light of the considerable variation in audited overhead rates among consulting firms. In reviewing such alternative methods particular attention will be given to evaluating the potential impact of the method as an incentive to consulting firms to effectively manage their overhead costs.

Identifying the knowledge management structures in enterprise systems projects

Enterprise System (ES) implementation and management are knowledge intensive tasks that inevitably draw upon the experience of a wide range of people with diverse knowledge capabilities. Knowledge Management (KM) has been identified as a critical success factor in ES projects. Despite the recognized importance of managing knowledge for ES benefits realization, systematic attempts to conceptualize KM-structures have been few. Where the adequacy of KM-structures is assessed, the process and measures are typically idiosyncratic and lack credibility. Using the ‘KM-process’, itself based in sociology of knowledge, this paper conceptualizes four main constructs to measure the adequacy of KM-structures. The SEM model is tested using 310 responses gathered from 27 ES installations that had implemented SAP R/3. The findings reveal six constructs for KM-structure. Furthermore, the paper demonstrates the application of KM-structures in the context of ES using the Adaptive Structuration Theory. The results demonstrate that having adequate KM-structures in place, while necessary, is not sufficient. These rules and resources must be appropriated to have greater positive influence on the Enterprise System. Furthermore, the study provides empirical support for knowledge-based theory by illustrating the importance of knowledge use/re-use (vs. knowledge creation) as the most important driver in the process of KM.