How does complex adaptive system theory inform innovation in complex project based organisations?

Innovation enables organisations to endure by responding to emergence and to improve efficiency. Innovation in a complex organisation can be difficult due to complexities contributing to slow decision-making. Complex projects fail due to an inability to respond to emergence which consumes finances and impacts on resources and organisational success. Therefore, for complex organisations to improve on performance and resilience, it would be advantageous to understand how to improve the management of innovation and thus, the ability to respond to emergence. The benefits to managers are an increase in the number of successful projects and improved productivity. This study will explore innovation management in a complex project based organisation. The contribution to the academic literature will be an in-depth, qualitative exploration of innovation in a complex project based organisation using a comparative case study approach.

Synthetic Evaluation Project - Nematodes

The project tests synthetic hexaploid wheats for resistance to root-lesion nematodes.

The Potential for a New Value Adding Industry for Noni Tropical Fruit Producers

Morinda citrifolia (noni) grows widely throughout the Pacific and is native to Australia. It is a source of traditional medicine amongst Coastal Aboriginal Communities in Cape York, the Pacific Islands and South East Asia, and in recent years has experienced significant economic growth worldwide through a variety of health and cosmetic claims. The largest markets for noni are North America, Europe, Japan, Mexico, Asia and Australia with the worldwide market for these products estimated at US$400 million.

Harvest strategy evaluation to optimise the sustainability and value of the Queensland scallop fishery. Queensland scallop fishery - FRDC Project No 2006/024 Final Report

Objective 1. Measure spatial and temporal trawl frequency of scallop grounds using VMS data. This will provide a relative measure of how often individual undersized scallops are caught and put through a tumbler 2. Estimate discard mortality and growth rates for saucer scallops using cage experiments. 3. Evaluate the current management measures, in particular the seasonal closure, rotational closure and seasonally varying minimum legal sizes using stock assessment and management modeling models. Recommend optimal range of management measures to ensure long-term viability and value of the Scallop fishery based on a formal management strategy evaluation. Outcomes acheived to date: 1. Improved understanding of the survival rates of discarded sub-legal scallops; 2. Preliminary von Bertalanffy growth parameters using data from tagged-and-released scallops; 3. Changing trends in vessels and fishing gear used in the Queensland scallop fishery and their effect on scallop catch rates over time using standardised catch rates quantified; 4. Increases in fishing power of vessels operating in the Queensland scallop fishery quantified; 5. Trawl intensity mapped and quantified for all Scallop Replenishment Areas; 6. Harvest Strategy Evaluations completed.

Enhancing economic input to the CQSS2 Project report. Commissioned by the Fitzroy Basin Association.

The Fitzroy Basin is the second largest catchment area in Australia covering 143,00 km² and is the largest catchment for the Great Barrier Reef lagoon (Karfs et al., 2009). The Great Barrier Reef is the largest reef system in the world; it covers an area of approximately 225,000 km² in the northern Queensland continental shelf. There are approximately 750 reefs that exist within 40 km of the Queensland Coast (Haynes et al., 2007). The prime determinant for the changes in water quality have been attributed to grazing, with beef production the largest single land use industry comprising 90% of the land area (Karfs et al., 2009). In response to the depletion of water quality in the reef, in 2003 a Reef Water Quality plan was developed by the Australian and Queensland governments. The plan targets as a priority sediment contributions from grazing cattle in high risk catchments (The State of Queensland and Commonwealth of Australia, 2003). The economic incentive strategy designed includes analysing the costs and benefits of best management practice that will lead to improved water quality (The State of Queensland and Commonwealth of Australia, 2003).

Queensland Coastal Wetland Resources: The Whitsunday Region

This report provides key resource data for the ongoing assessment of the requirement for additional Marine Protected Areas (e.g. FHAs under the Queensland Fisheries Act 1994) in regions of high fish habitat value in the Whitsunday Region from Gloucester Island to Cape Hillsborough (hereafter referred to as the Study Area). The study also provides baseline information on the coastal wetlands within this Study Area for consideration in the Ramsar site nomination process. The project aimed to: 1. document and map the coastal wetland communities of the Study Area; 2. document levels of existing disturbance to and protection of the wetlands; 3. examine existing recreational, indigenous and commercial fisheries resources in the region; 4. evaluate the conservation values of the areas investigated from the viewpoint of fisheries productivity and as habitat for important and/or threatened species for future FHA/MPA declaration.

Emilie Mosse and Anna Ginsberg walking in a park; Cape Martin Portraits; Groups; Women

Digital Image

Bringing up Children Gran’s Way: Insights from a research project on Indigenous child and youth mental health

Background In 2000, the Mater Child and Youth Mental Health Service Indigenous consultant saw that Indigenous families were isolated from kinship networks following the assimilation policy and clinicians were largely unaware of these socio-cultural histories. Experiences of marginalisation by mainstream society and services were exacerbated by assumptions clinicians made about this population. To enhance Mater’s care the consultant undertook research with Indigenous Elders. The project, “Bringing up Children Gran’s Way”, on which the presenter is the research advisor, was funded by AIATSIS. Aims Increase service quality Improve staff confidence, skills and satisfaction working with this population Promote the wellbeing of Indigenous families Acknowledge the significance of Elders and extended family networks. Methods Over 2006/07 the team used narrative and Indigenous methodologies, (e.g. yarning circles and the use of Indigenous research staff) to arrange and audio-record structured interviews with 19 Aboriginal Elders, on growing up and parenting. The participants were recruited by the Indigenous consultant and gave written consent, following ethical approval and information giving. The team immersed themselves in the material by repeated reading of the transcripts to note recurring themes in Elders’ narratives. Findings The recurring themes included the importance of cultural protocols and extended family; impacts of being ‘under the Act and stories of surviving change; culture, spiritualty and religion; trans-generational impacts; childrearing and the need to reconcile with Elders. Discussion The narratives show Elders resilience in the face of enduring impact of policies of genocide and assimilation. Clinicians need to approach their work with a deeper understanding of the diversity of clients’ social experience and cultural identity. Clinicians need to examine their own cultural assumptions about this population. Conclusion The dissemination of the knowledge and experience of Elders is a matter of social justice and crucial for the well-being of future generations and for improved service access.

Drainage and Irrigation Project Eastern Crimea

Digital image

A review of project evaluation methodologies to address net impacts and risks of toll road projects to the community

Project evaluation is a process of measuring costs, benefits, risks and uncertainties for the purpose of decision-making by estimating and assessing impacts of the project to the community. The effects of impacts of toll roads are similar but different from the general non-tolled roads. Project evaluation methodologies are extensively studied and applied to various transport infrastructure projects. However, there is no definitive methodology to evaluate toll roads. This review discusses the impacts of toll roads then reviews the limitations of existing project evaluation methodologies when evaluating toll road impacts. The review identified gaps of knowledge of toll evaluations. First, the treatment of toll in project evaluation, particularly in Cost-Benefit Analysis requires further study to explore the appropriate methodology. Secondly, the project evaluation methodology needs to place strong emphasis on empirically based risk and uncertainty assessment. Addressing the limitations of the existing project evaluation methodologies leads to improvements of the methodology in practical level as well as fills the gap of knowledge of project evaluation for toll roads with respect to net impacts to the community.

A review of project evaluation methodologies for toll road projects

Project evaluation is a process of measuring costs, benefits, risks and uncertainties for the purpose of decision-making by estimating and assessing impacts of the project to the community. The effects of impacts of toll roads are similar but different from the general non-tolled roads. Project evaluation methodologies are extensively studied and applied to various transport infrastructure projects. However, there is no definitive methodology to evaluate toll roads. This review discusses the impacts of toll roads then reviews the limitations of existing project evaluation methodologies when evaluating toll road impacts. The review identified gaps of knowledge of toll evaluations. First, the treatment of toll in project evaluation, particularly in Cost-Benefit Analysis requires further study to explore the appropriate methodology. Secondly, the project evaluation methodology needs to place strong emphasis on empirically based risk and uncertainty assessment. Addressing the limitations of the existing project evaluation methodologies leads to improvements of the methodology in practical level as well as fills the gap of knowledge of project evaluation for toll roads with respect to net impacts to the community.

Unpacking the impact of attachment to project teams on boundary-spanning behaviors

As business environments become even more competitive, project teams are required to make an effort to operate external linkages from within an organization or across organizational boundaries. Nevertheless, some members boundary-span less extensively, isolating themselves and their project teams from external environments. Our study examines why some members boundary-span more or less through the framework of group attachment theory. Data from 521 project-team members in construction and engineering industries revealed that the more individuals worry about their project team’s acceptance (group attachment anxiety), the more likely they are to perceive intergroup competition, and thus put more efforts into operating external linkages and resources to help their own teams outperform competitors. In contrast, a tendency to distrust their project teams (group attachment avoidance) generates members’ negative construal of their team’s external image, and thus fewer efforts are made at operating external linkages. Thus, project leaders and members with high group-attachment-anxiety may be best qualified for external tasks.