Abstract

The project selection criteria are required for an effective project lifecycle, and the selected projects should correspond with organizational aims and objectives; yet, the organization lacks severely in its ability to act decisively on the problem. Hence, this study aims to highlight the best project selection criteria that are related to organizational success. In this manner, a quantitative survey approach was used, with closed-ended questions distributed to employees in Pakistan’s construction industry. The relationship between project selection criteria and organizational performance was evaluated using structural equation modelling in SmartPLS through measurement and structural models. The findings reveal that a significant positive correlation was found for all the project selection criteria, except for the financial criteria. Furthermore, the results demonstrate that project selection criteria are critical for organizational success; hence, the findings will assist organizations in making better project selection decisions.

Introduction

Organizations choose projects based on the many potential prospects that is why it is regarded as one of the most difficult decisions to make [1] . There are various aspects associated with project selection, such as cost, financial, and time-based criteria [2] and any mistreatment may result in an outbreak of an obstacle [3] , [4] . An organization’s project selection problems develop when there are inadequate resources to take advantage of; hence, project selection criteria are devised to select the cost-effective projects [5] , [6] . A significant part of project management-related research revolves around organizational performance [7] which is critical for the success and survival of today’s numerous commercial and economic operations due to market rivalry for cash, consumers and inputs [8] . Organizational performance is central to today’s industrial activity [7] , [9] and is considered a collection of all the businesses accomplishments which are then committed towards a structural goal for organizations in a given period. The notion of organizational performance is linked with the persistence and achievements of a firm [8] , [10] where several constructs have been linked and studied afterwards [11] . Organizational performance measures comprise several financial measures including budgeting, cash flow cash flow, cost-cutting, and profitability [12] .

The criteria used to select projects can vary depending on the organization’s goals, industry, and available resources. The relationship between project selection criteria and organizational performance is complex and multidimensional [13] , [14] . The influence of project selection on organizational performance has been studied in various fields, including information technology, engineering, and construction. A few studies suggest that selecting projects based on strategic alignment and financial feasibility can improve project outcomes and overall organizational performance [15] , while other studies have found that selecting projects based on risk and organizational capability can lead to better project outcomes and performance [16] . Hsu [17] investigated the relationship between project selection and organizational performance in the construction industry and found that project selection criteria, such as financial viability, strategic fit, and technical feasibility, had a significant impact on project success. Similarly, Lind and Culler [18] investigated that the effect of project selection on the performance of information technology projects and found that effective project selection was positively associated with project success and organizational performance. Beldek, et al. [19] studied the financial, social, technical, and risk criteria in the context of Turkish industries, however, the study was limited to the number of selection factors. Hence, adding upon on their outcomes, the current research has added two more criteria namely environmental and management support criteria in the context of Pakistani industries as supported by Bhatti, et al. [11] .

Conclusion

The relationship between project selection criteria and organizational performance is complex and multidimensional. Few studies have investigated this relationship in service industries and identified institutional, financial, risk and technical criteria as key criteria for project selection, however, still, there is a gap in the body of knowledge that has been covered by this work. Hence, this research aimed to investigate the impact of project selection criteria on organizational performance through a quantitative analysis. Based on the assessment, the general significant finding is the positive relationship between project selection criteria and organizational performance, which confirms previous studies’ findings emphasizing the crucial role of project selection criteria for individual and organizational performance. Overall, the results support the constructs and validate the positive relationships between the five project selection criteria mentioned above and organizational performance. Only the relationship between financial criteria and organizational performance was insignificant in this study. The findings of this research can aid higher-ups in construction organizations in better project selection for their organizations. This research contributes to previous literature by adding two more criteria namely environmental and management support criteria in the context of the construction industry.

Abstract

Recently, the defense industry in South Korea has been regarded with strong suspicion since a company responsible for producing parts for the aviation sector is being investigated for cost irregularities. Many people are concerned about these issues and the government is distrustful of defense industries. If the current situation continues, the defense industry market in South Korea (henceforth “South Korea”) will be hard to maintain. The South Korean government will have to rely on importing from abroad instead of buying products in the local market. This study looked at the sustainability of earnings management adopted in the defense industry of South Korea, exploring options for the government to maintain the scheme’s soundness. In particular, we used Kothari’s discretionary accrual as a proxy of earnings management and OLS method to analyze the relationship between them. The results are as follows. Firstly the firms with a high percentage of defense sales showed significant discretionary accruals; the higher the profit, the more likely it was that earnings adjustments were made; secondly, firms that had been certified by the government for defense cost-management were proven to be effective, because the earnings management activities were low compared to those of firms that did not have the defense cost-management certification; lastly, based on the accounting rules for the cost of defense products, it was found that significant results confirming defense firms were exercising their influence, through earnings management, on the improvement of the government system.

Introduction

In South Korea, defense scandals have recently become problematic [1]. The company that produces parts for the aviation sector is being investigated for cost irregularities. There is mounting suspicion that illegal costs in the defense industry are rising. Many people are concerned about these issues and the government is distrustful of defense industries. If the situation continues, the defense industry market in South Korea will be hard to sustain. Preventing earnings management in the defense industry is thought to be the first step to achieving transparency to help strengthen South Korean military power. The South Korean government will need to rely on importing instead of buying products in the local market. In this study, the relationship between the characteristics of domestic defense firms and earnings management in South Korea were examined.

We studied the unique cost structure of the defense industry, which compensates for profits based on the costs incurred, and examined the cost-management certification system in terms of the share of defense sales, the political cost hypothesis, and the characteristics of defense firms arising from the asymmetry of cost information between the government, which is the consumer, and the defense industry, which is the supplier.

Conclusions

This study aimed to examine the earnings management behavior of firms in the defense industry in South Korea and find a solution for the government to reduce the earnings management. The results of the study are as follows.

First, firms with higher defense product sales increased their degree of earnings management. This differs from the study by Kim et al. [13] that showed that the higher the reliance on the defense industry is, the lower the reported profit is recorded. That is, for defense firms, a profit-centered system does not produce only one result, but creates different earnings management systems that can increase and/or reduce reported profit.

Second, the defense industry cost-management system, which shares cost management information about defense firms, was examined in relation to earnings management. We found that the level of earnings management was lower for the companies with the certified system than those without the system. This can be interpreted in two ways. Firstly, for a company that has the certified defense cost-management system, due to the information asymmetry between the government and the company about the decrease in costs after the implementation of the system, the level of earnings management decreased; secondly, the firms with the certified system have already received the cost-related certification from the government because they did not engage in earnings management activities. Of these two interpretations, the latter is valid because the system for cost control in defense firms has been in effect since 2012. However, because there is not enough data (4 firms in 2012, 9 in 2013, and 12 in 2014), the effectiveness of the test could not be measured.

Abstract

The aim of this study is to demonstrate the importance of Cultural Intelligence (CQ) in management performance through measurable performance assessment. In an empirical study, “Cultural Intelligence and Management Competencies”, managers provided a self-assessment and their subordinates also reported on their performance. Correlation analysis of the results of this study was used to examine the relationship between managers’ CQ and their Management Competencies. Among the factors examined (CQ, gender, origin, age, work experience, position and education), the level of CQ of managers correlates significantly with their management competencies. Our findings indicate that managers with higher CQ are more effective in their leadership roles, and we conclude that the CQ of leaders contributes to a more positive perception of leadership performance in teams that are characterized by significant cultural diversity.

Introduction

Cultural Intelligence, a 21st century concept, determines the extent of workers’ success in foreign cultures, but also provide an answer to why dealing with issues that arise from cross-cultural problems can cause failure or success. The name used for this concept is Cultural Intelligence, which was abbreviated by Ang as CQ, “short for cultural intelligence quotient” [1]; both forms (Cultural Intelligence and CQ) are used in research and the literature equally for the cultural intelligence model itself and the measured level of cultural intelligence, which can be confusing. In this study, the CQ abbreviation is used for both.

The individual relationships of a person living in a foreign culture have an impact on their life, their resilience and, of course, their performance in the workplace. The ways in which people can be successfully encouraged to work better vary from nation to nation and culture to culture. For all these reasons, there is a growing need for more and more people—whether managers or subordinates—to excel in their professions and to successfully overcome intercultural barriers, whether at home or in cultures and countries other than their own [2].

 Results

4.1. Results of RQ1

To assess the CQ of the managers, the scores given by the subordinates filling in the CQS were used. The first step to investigate the possibility of measuring CQ was to test the validity of the CQS. This was followed by an examnation of the scores obtained based on the different characteristics of the managers (i.e., gender, age, educational level, position).

4.1.1. Checking the Validity of the CQ Scale

For the research, the Cultural Intelligence Center’s Cultural Intelligence Scale (CQS) was used. The scores received were then used to check the validity of the CQS questions and corresponding dimensions. To check this, principal component analysis was performed on the questions of the scales and the internal consistency of the resulting sets of questions was examined using Cronbach’s alpha analysis.

Abstract

Projects have become vital in initiating urban sustainability changes. In this study, we address the research gap regarding the dual role of a project in advancing change in public organizations and helping them to adopt roles in initiating and steering urban sustainability transitions. From a practice-theory perspective, we present longitudinal participatory action research on the activities of a project management team in a city organization. Our results show how praxes of a project team without hierarchical authoritative power to give orders or delegate change-related activities in the host organization create organization-level outcomes in the city’s organization and urban living lab contexts amongst external stakeholders. We contribute to project management studies by increasing the understanding of how short-term project activities foster long-term strategic changes in siloed and departmentalized host organizations while at the same time creating outcomes in the external urban living lab context. This provides novel insights into the evolving intermediary roles of projects that support city organizations in acting as leaders in urban sustainability transitions.

Introduction

Projects have become vital in initiating urban sustainability changes and there is a call for project studies focusing on sustainability transitions. Increasingly, cities and other host organizations use projects to become credible actors for sustainability. Sustainability transitions research (Köhler et al., 2019) has developed approaches to analyse the systemic nature of transitions, including the multi-level approach (MLP) and other, more horizontal approaches applied particularly in research on urban sustainability transitions (von Wirth et al., 2019). In project research, there is a rising orientation toward sustainability transitions. Most recently, Winch (2022) envisaged that projects in sustainability transitions will begin a new era in project research, Daniel (2022) developed an integrative framework between MLP and project research, and Bos-de Vos et al. (2022) studied system transformations through context dynamics, albeit not using the transition vocabulary. We contribute to the rising research orientation on projects supporting sustainability transitions with a focus on sustainability projects in city organizations.

Cities are key organizations in urban sustainability transitions. These transitions are multi-actor, multitemporal and multi-regime societal transformations coordinated by the city (Frantzeskaki et al., 2017). Niches that can instigate transitions in urban areas include urban living labs (ULL), in which sustainability innovations are created and experimented in collaboration between the city, companies, citizens, research institutes and other actors (Jørgensen, 2012, von Wirth et al., 2019). The transition accelerates when the niche innovations are translated and scaled up within and across cities to increase their transformative capacity. When they challenge the unsustainable regimes with the support from incumbent actors, they can gradually turn urban development into more sustainable pathways (Frantzeskaki et al., 2017). We recognize that sustainability transition in cities requires attention to two parallel directions. First, while cities are expected to be enablers of ULLs and the main leaders of urban sustainability transitions, they are not unitary actors, but rather divided into siloed bureaucratic departments in city administration. Each department tends to defend its own interests, conventional mindset, and budgetary status quo, and if these fragmented interests and practices are not aligned with the promotion of sustainability transitions, the city administration will lack the motivation to support multi-objective ULL projects and their continuities. Second, because experiments and projects are central to ULLs and essential to wider urban policy agendas for sustainability, it is questionable whether these short-term activities can support the long-term trajectories required for urban sustainability transitions (Torrens & von Wirth, 2021). While only the second challenge is in the focus of sustainability transitions research, the challenges are independent and create a dual-context problem in which a city organization has both internal and external barriers that hinder the promotion of urban sustainability transition.

Conclusions

Urban sustainability transitions that involve changes both in city organizations and the urban context represent a topical yet sparsely researched subject. By using project-as-practice approach and based on in-depth longitudinal action research to study a sustainability transition project in a city organization this research elucidates the ways in which a project enacts a dual role as both a niche intermediary in the urban context and an endogenous change facilitator within the city organization. Thus, the temporary short-term project increases the city organization’s transformative capacity to strengthen the city’s role as a leader in urban sustainability transitions in the long term. We show that the project practitioners’ enactment of sustainability transition in situated and emergent practices created favourable conditions for people to engage in sustainability change, challenged organizational boundaries and created commitment to sustainability transition across departments. This is evidence that the praxes in a sustainability project constitute and instantiate a macro-level sustainability change in the internal organizational context and the external ULL context.

The results of this paper have theoretical implications for the ongoing discussion of the roles of projects in sustainability transitions (Daniel, 2022; Winch, 2022; see also Winch et al., 2023). Daniel (2022) and Winch (2022) emphasize that projects with their teams and individuals are necessary on the level of technical execution, whereas host organizations promote the transition on the meso‑level through projects, portfolios, and programs. In terms of key aspects of project management (Pich et al., 2002), this division is based on instructionism (project using detailed, directive project planning and risk management) and selectionism (host organization putting several projects to work and then selecting the most promising results).

Abstract

     This research takes a novel approach to analyzing impact and benefit agreements (IBA) using multiple-criteria decision making (MCDM) and game theory. Local communities, which are often Indigenous communities, face with difficult decisions regarding the trade-offs of impacts vs. benefits from mineral resource development. Analyses of IBAs typically focus on their economic benefits but fail to consider environmental, socio-cultural, and other sustainability criteria. By not considering these criteria, current methods struggle to predict if an IBA is adequate or if it will be accepted. This research develops a model with MCDM that balances complex sustainability trade-offs for communities during mineral development negotiations. Bargaining positions of companies or impacted communities are also an essential, yet understudied factor in IBA analyses. Game theory is employed to show how bargaining positions can affect the compensation included in an IBA. In all, this research develops a model that can consider different criteria, value systems, and the implications of cooperation or competition to predict if an IBA will be accepted. This study provides recommendations, which can be applied other resource development projects which impact communities. The model shows the importance of flexibility in design, power dynamics in bargaining, cooperation, and knowledge sharing.

Introduction

     The mining industry is at a crossroads. Society’s growing demand for minerals continues to push for more mines, but many projects struggle to secure permits due to opposition from impacted Indigenous communities and other stakeholders. The continued growth of the mining industry impacts communities on countless socio-environmental levels, which are not easily accounted for during project evaluation. Impact and benefit agreements (IBAs) were developed to create collaborative solutions to balance the impacts and benefits of mineral development for communities. IBAs are contracts between impacted groups and project proponents that typically outline the benefits the community will receive, in terms of compensation and economic opportunities, as well as the strategies for impact mitigation (Gibson and O’Faircheallaigh, 2015). IBAs formalize a company-community partnership with the goal of reducing project delays and disruptions from protests, blockades, or legal opposition (Ali, 2003). The issue is that it is not well understood what exactly should be included in IBAs to balance the impacts vs. benefits of a project (Cascadden et al., 2021). There are several guidelines created for IBAs, e.g., Gibson and O’Faircheallaigh (2015), but there is a critical lack of formalized methods that can incorporate community values and predict if IBAs will be accepted and successful. The main questions of this research are: How can we predict if an IBA will be accepted? What are the main factors for a successful IBA? How can IBAs be better aligned to the wants, needs, and values of communities? And, what are the sustainability challenges with IBAs for mineral development projects? To better understand these questions, this research’s goal is to create a new method to analyze IBAs.

Conclusion and recommendations

     To summarize, the following list provides several key recommendations uncovered from this research for individuals looking to develop IBAs or predict if it will be accepted:

A project which provides alternatives which can trade-off between all important criteria, can make a project more likely to be accepted.

Before negotiations, bargaining factors should be analyzed to understand which group will potentially be at an advantage. The main factors–patience, knowledge, uncertainty, and power to make proposals–should be discussed and mediated.

Mineral policies should require proponents to provide flexible alternatives for all important criteria to communities.

Abstract

     This study offers a new perspective on how organisational factors influence migrant workers’ cultural intelligence (CQ) by examining a moderated mediation model of the mechanism underlying the relationship between perceived supervisor support and CQ. We tested our model using a survey on a sample of 462 migrants. We found that employees’ social exchange and subjective career success mediated the relationship between their perceptions of supervisor support and CQ. Furthermore, perceived organisational support moderated the social exchange–CQ relationship, and this relationship was stronger among workers with perceived high organisational support than for those with perceptions of low support. We also found that the indirect effect of employees’ perceived supervisor support on CQ via social exchange was stronger for those with perceived high organisational support than for those with perceptions of low support. This study contributes to a better understanding of factors that foster migrant workers’ abilities to navigate diverse workplaces.

Introduction

     Today’s global context is characterised by culturally diverse workplaces that require employees to have high levels of cultural competence if they are to successfully adjust to and survive in competitive work environments. Cultural competence (also referred to as cross-cultural competence or intercultural competence in the literature) is defined as “a set of congruent behaviors, attitudes, and policies that come together in a system, agency, or among professionals and enables that system, agency, or those professionals to work effectively in cross-cultural situations” (Cross et al., 1989, pp. iv-v). This concept is used widely in the workforce diversity literature in multicultural countries such as the USA, Canada and Australia, due to its important role in dealing with the issues involving minorities in the workplace. Indeed, cultural competency is an umbrella term for capabilities that help facilitate intercultural effectiveness (Ang et al., 2015). Despite a large literature on cultural competence, the conceptualisations and definitions of this construct are often ambiguous. Cultural competence is conceptualised as personal characteristics related to traits, attitudes/worldviews, capabilities or a mix of the above (Leung et al., 2014). However, cultural competence is conceptually distinct from cultural intelligence (CQ) in that cultural competence is a combination of ability and personality traits, which are specific to the knowledge of a country, while CQ is based on contemporary theories of intelligence, not specific to a particular culture, and distinct from personality traits (Ang et al., 2007, 2015).

RESULTS

Preliminary analyses

     We performed CFA to test the measurement model. Table 1 shows that the 5-factor model fits the data well, with (χ2[314] = 1045.91, SRMR = 0.04, CFI = 0.91, RMSEA = 0.07). The 5-factor model is much better than the 1-factor model (χ2[324] = 3888.23, p < 0.01, SRMR = 0.11, CFI = 0.57, RMSEA = 0.15) and the null model (χ2[351] = 8696.36, p < 0.01). The CFA results indicate that the five variables in this study are distinct. Since the data were self-reported, common method variance (CMV) may have influenced the results. As suggested and used by prior researchers (Podsakoff et al., 2003), we tested the extent of CMV in the data. If CMV exists, the 5-factor model with a method factor should fit the data significantly better than the 5-factor model. After running the analysis, the CFA results show that the 5-factor model could slightly benefit from the addition of the common method factor; however, the gain in model fit was very small (SRMR change = 0.00, CFI change = 0.01 and RMSEA change = 0.00). These results suggested that CMV was not a critical issue in this study, although it is present.

Abstract

     In the present time of innovation, conveyor is an exceptionally indispensable part and has huge significance for material handling in various process and manufacturing industries. It is made with precisions, and the expenses are relatively high and should work with better productivity. The selection of the best conveyor is a crucial task, and the designers need to recognize different attributes that will influence the functionalities of the conveyor system to limit bottlenecks in the system. Researchers have worked on strategies for finding the best optimum solution for various selection problems, but conveyor selection using selected methods is not reported. Therefore, the present work aims to the selection process of the best option for conveyor by using four selected decision-making methods such as analytical hierarchy process, technique of order preference by similarity to ideal solution, compromise ranking method and Deng’s similarity-based method. The selection is done among four alternatives based on six attributes, viz. fixed cost each hour, variable cost each hour, conveyor speed, product width, product weight and flexibility. The analytical hierarchy process is used to determine weights of the attributes based on relative importance of each attribute. It is observed that A3 conveyor is best suitable conveyor. Hence, the proposed strategies help manufacturers to examine and choose the best conveyor.

Introduction

     Nowadays, the material handling conveyors are the backbone of many industries. A conveyor system is a mechanical device that moves items from one location to another. It is utilized in a variety of processing and manufacturing industries. The different conveyor systems have been established for conveying materials or products from one location to another, depending on the speed of handling, nature, amount, size and weight of commodities to be carried. The determination of the best option of conveyor for developing a dependable and efficient conveyor system will save money and increase production and lowering the risk of workers operating it. The appropriate planning of material handling is also required for minimizing the delivery time, and it leads to lower overall expenses of the manufacturing and improves customer service and reduces inventory cost. In India, 80% of material handling is done by conveyors in most of the industries and the worldwide transport framework market size is projected to arrive at USD 10.6 billion by 2025, from an expected worth of USD 8.8 billion in 2021. Thus, various processing and manufacturing plants are improving the performance of conveyor systems. Therefore, best conveyor must be chosen to reduce impact and wear of the conveyor and thereby increase durability and strength.

Conclusions and future work

     The evaluation of available conveyor and selection of best suitable conveyor is very crucial and important decision for any process industry. The several more conveyors with different properties and specifications are also available. The selection of improper conveyor can directly or indirectly affect the productivity and efficiency of any process industry. Thus, it is important to select the best conveyor for better material handling. The present work shows the easy and logical scientific study to guide any decisionmaker for selecting any best alternative. The methodology done in the present work helps decision-maker to take qualitative decision. The four selected decision-making methods, viz. AHP, TOPSIS, VIKOR and Deng’s similarity-based methods, are used for solving the proposed problem. The AHP method is used for obtaining weights of all attributes and is applicable for the remaining methods as well. It is found from the ranks obtained using selected methods that A3 conveyor is the best suitable choice for material handling among the four alternatives. It is observed that ranking of conveyor has some deviation in the rankings due to different mathematical approaches used in the four methods. Finally, it is concluded that these methods are very helpful for making decision in complex problems.

Abstract

     The similarity measure in this paper is verified for Pythagorean fuzzy sets (PFSs). We point out that a similar measure for two PFSs is a Pythagorean fuzzy value (PFV). To calculate the similarity measure of two PFSs, it is logical that their similarity should be vague. Therefore, we introduce for the first time, as far as we know, the similarity measures for two PVFs is the same as PFV. For calculating PFV of similar measure, we first present the method for calculating Pythagorean similar measure for two PFV by using T-norm and S-norm and then extend it to calculate similar measure for two PFSs. Finally, a numerical example is provided to illustrate the validity and applicability of the presented decision-making method.

Introduction

     In many multi-criteria decision making (MCDM) problems, the decision maker has to use vague (qualitative) values to decide. In the face of qualitative values, for the first time, Bellman and his associates introduced the theory of fuzzy sets (FSs) using mathematical modeling. In making decision with fuzzy sets, the decision maker considers only the degree of correctness of the option and cannot take into account the degree of incorrectness. Continuing this trend, Atanassov in [1] introduced the intuitionistic fuzzy sets (IFSs) theory which is a generalization from FSs which included both the degrees of membership and non-membership.

     Atanassov and Gargov [2] presented an interval valued IFS (IVIFS) as a generalization and an intuitionist fuzzy sets (IFS) that makes use of interval value instead of a real number.

Conclusion

     We have successfully introduced a new definition for similarity measure for Pythagorean collections, which is also a PFV. We define the similarity measure of the two PFVs with a PFV, using T-norm, and S-norm and we generalized it to PFS. This method is used for decision making with Pythagoras value, using similarity measure. The advantages of this method include:

     Calculating the similarity size in the form of PFSs takes more information into decision making, and we lose a lot of information, if converted to a real number.

Abstract

     The weight and reliability of an individual assessment are two important concepts considered in the evidential reasoning (ER) approach. Through analyzing the existing studies on the combination of individual assessments with both their weights and reliabilities considered in the ER context, their deficiencies are identified in accordance with two principles. One principle is developed in the situation where a specific individual assessment is fully unreliable and the other is developed in the situation where all individual assessments are fully reliable. To address the deficiencies, this paper proposes a new method. In the method, a combination process that takes into account both the weights and reliabilities of individual assessments simultaneously is developed to generate the overall assessment. It is theoretically proven that the combination process satisfies the two principles. Three ways are designed to help a decision maker to flexibly provide individual assessments and determine their reliabilities. A strategic project evaluation problem for an enterprise located in Changzhou, Jiangsu, China is analyzed using the proposed method as a case study to demonstrate its validity and applicability. These are highlighted by its comparison with two existing methods.

Introduction

     When facing real world problems or challenges, people usually need to take into account multiple diverse or conflicting perspectives to make satisfactory decisions. To facilitate the analysis of problems, multiple criteria decision making (MCDM) methods have been applied (Hafezalkotob et al., 2019; Liao et al., 2020; Ma et al., 2018). Representative applications include the selection of sustainable suppliers (Girubha et al., 2016), the evaluation of new product pricing strategies (Baykaso ˘glu et al., 2017), the selection of socially responsible investments (Bilbao-Terol et al., 2016), the evaluation of logistics performance in hospitals (Longaray et al., 2018), and the evaluation of photovoltaic cells (García-Cascales et al., 2012). In studies on MCDM, criterion weights are commonly considered although their meanings may be different. They are generally used to make trade-offs among criteria (Butler et al., 1997, 2001).

     There is another important concept associated with each criterion as implied in the work of Yang and Xu (2013), which is reliability. Reliability is a very common concept usually associated with specific meanings in different contexts. For example, in the context of system, reliability is evaluated to improve system performance or safety (Wang et al., 2011); while in the context of underground structures, reliability is measured by the probability that the structures have been safe over a period of time (Wang & Fang, 2018). Differently, in the context of MCDM, the reliability of a criterion means the reliability of the individual assessment on the criterion. When all data are available and the judgments of a decision maker are not explicitly required, most MCDM methods can find a solution by comprehensively considering all data. However, when the judgments of a decision maker are necessary, many MCDM methods may be able to generate a solution that is consistent with what is anticipated by the decision maker. This paper focuses on the second type of situations. In such cases, the reliability of an individual assessment should be explicitly considered in the analysis of the MCDM problems. Unfortunately, in existing studies, criterion weights are usually considered to make tradeoffs among criteria under the assumption that all individual assessments are fully reliable and thus reliabilities of criteria are not explicitly considered in MCDM processes. This assumption may not be valid in many practical cases and may result in a solution that is not satisfactory or acceptable to a decision maker. An example of breast cancer screening is provided to demonstrate this.

Conclusions

     To focus on MCDM problems modeled by belief functions with the consideration of the weights and reliabilities of individual assessments, the deficiencies of existing studies in two extreme situations and general situations are analyzed. To overcome the deficiencies, a new MCDM method with belief functions is proposed. In the method, a new process is designed to combine individual assessments with their weights and reliabilities. The process is theoretically proven to be correct in two extreme situations and is numerically demonstrated to be correct in general situations. To make the new process applicable, three ways are designed to help a decision maker flexibly provide individual assessments and correspondingly obtain their reliabilities. The generation of a solution is then presented. The proposed method is applied to solve the SPE problem for an enterprise that primarily provides high-quality gear boxes for high-speed trains. Through the data in the SPE problem, the main contributions of the proposed method are highlighted by its comparison with existing studies.

Abstract

     The role of different types of intelligence in the occurrence of conflict in global virtual teams (GVTs) has largely been overlooked in the literature. As suggested by the theory of multiple intelligences, this study explores how cultural intelligence (CQ) and emotional intelligence (EQ) influence the occurrence of interpersonal, task and process conflicts in GVTs. Furthermore, by drawing on the contingency theory of task conflict and performance in groups and organisational teams, we examine the impact of these different types of conflict on the performance of GVTs. Utilising multilevel analysis, we tested the research model using a sample of 810 graduate and undergraduate business students from 38 different countries who worked in 232 GVTs. The results show that the CQ and EQ of the team members reduce the occurrence of the three different intragroup conflicts in GVTs. We also demonstrate that process conflict negatively affects GVT performance. We discuss the implications for research and practice.

Introduction

     A 2018 survey showed that 89 % of white-collar employees worked at least occasionally in virtual teams, often with team members located in different countries (Culture Wizard, 2018). The COVID-19 pandemic has likely further increased that number as organisations were forced to shift to telework, and international travel was largely banned. Millions of people worldwide have been working in home offices due to widespread lockdowns and health concerns (Li et al., 2020), and the telework rates will likely remain higher than the pre-pandemic levels, even after the stay-at-home orders are lifted. Bartik et al. (2020) suggest that more than one-third of the firms that have switched to remote working believe that they will continue to work virtually even after the COVID-19 crisis. As organisations increasingly rely on global virtual teams (GVTs), understanding the dynamics and performance in this form of the organisational unit becomes more critical than ever.

Findings

     Table 4 presents the descriptive statistics and Pearson correlations. CQ is statistically and positively correlated with EQ (p < .01), meaning the higher the level of CQ within the team, the higher the overall EQ of the team members. EQ is statistically and negatively correlated with both task conflict (p < .05) and process conflict (p < .01) and statistically and positively correlated with team performance (p < .05). This implies that as the level of EQ decreases within the team, the risk of process and task conflict within the team increases. Moreover, a higher EQ level within the team improves the team’s performance. Finally, process conflict is statistically and negatively related to team performance (p < .01), suggesting that as the level of process conflict decreases, it raises the level of performance within the team.

Abstract

     The cost of public construction projects is a central topic in project management. However, studies have primarily focused on cost at the project level, not on cost management at the portfolio level. In this paper, we take the perspective of a government agency, conducting a strategic initiative to increase cost-efficiency in their portfolio of construction projects. We use an action research approach to investigate the dynamics of the initiative and the implementation of resulting actions to achieve lasting change towards cost-efficiency. Co-creating actions for cost-efficiency together with the project teams was important for the success of the strategic initiative. For successful implementation, alignment of the objectives of the initiative with organizational strategy, and knowledge transfer between projects is central. This study expands the project management literature regarding strategic cost management of portfolios of construction projects and provides practical guidance for organizations.

Introduction

     Any project-based organization (PBO) that wants to achieve lasting change needs to take action. For a lasting effect, the changes need to be institutionalized, which implies learning from temporary actions to permanent practices. A wide specter of challenges that occur in such settings, has been studied in the literature (e.g. Saunders et al., 2008; Stensaker et al., 2008; Kunisch et al., 2019; De Melo et al., 2020). However, these studies tend to focus more on theory than on what happens in reality. This study responds to the need for more practice-based research in the field that explores the reality of strategic enactment through a project portfolio (Clegg et al., 2018) and uncovers linkages between practices, organizational learning and change (Brunet, 2019). Additionally, Klessova et al. (2020) ask for more empirical studies to understand the processes that influence knowledge integration in the context of innovation projects.

     In this paper, we report on an empirical study concerning how a public organization conducted an initiative to lower the overall cost of their construction projects. Project cost is a complex issue and influenced by many factors. However, it is relevant to all types of projects as it can be a decisive factor in whether to invest at all, when choosing between project alternatives, or in a client’s decision of which organization will conduct a project.

Conclusions

     In the previous chapter, we have discussed the results of this study and answered the research questions. In the following paragraphs, we will present the study’s contribution to both theory and practice and discuss the validity of the study as well as suggestions for further research.

6.1. The study’s contribution to project management knowledge

     This study contributes to the project management literature by providing a rich empirical account of a strategic cost-efficiency initiative in a project-based organization, which has not been previously focused on in the literature. Applying an organizational sociology perspective to the initiative shifts the focus from individual projects to the portfolio as a unit of analysis. The observed dynamics of the strategic initiative align with previous research on the necessity of sensemaking through action in the implementation of change activities (Stensaker et al., 2008). It also adds the dimension of a project-based organization to the findings by Willems et al. (2020) with respect to how the autonomy of strategic initiatives influences the implementation of results in the permanent organization.

Abstract

     The utilization phase is critical for overall solution value creation, but solution providers and customers alike struggle to manage this phase effectively. We employed the resource interaction approach (RIA) in a case study of a Swedish clean-tech company with three failed solution projects. We identified three challenges associated with co-creating solution value during utilization: (1) new interfaces between the solution outputs and the customer’s other relevant resources become manifest during use; (2) the standardized parts of the solution are created in specific contexts and hence may not perform as expected if the customer’s use context is considerably different; and (3) gradual changes in the solution outputs and the customer’s other relevant resources are difficult to detect and assess. We develop three propositions based on these findings. This study contributes to the solutions literature as one of the first empirical studies to investigate challenges in solution utilization from an RIA perspective.

Introduction

     Faced with rampant commoditization, manufacturing companies are increasingly moving to differentiate themselves by offering solutions (Worm et al., 2017). By solutions, we mean customized product–service combinations that render a specific output relevant to their business customers (Nordin and Kowalkowski, 2010, Worm et al., 2017)—for example, Philips combining lighting fixtures and related services into a lighting solution that ensures energy-efficient lighting for Schiphol Airport (Ramaswamy & Pieters, 2021). Solutions are expected to deliver superior value for providers and customers alike compared with traditional, “pure” product or service offerings (Cova and Salle, 2007, Evanschitzky et al., 2011, Ulaga and Reinartz, 2011). In this article, we focus on the value of the solution for customers. Referring to Macdonald et al. (2016), we define solution value as all customer-perceived consequences arising from a solution that facilitate (or block) the achievement of the customer’s goals.

Conclusions

     In this study, we investigated the challenges that customers experience when utilizing a new solution that interacts with other resources in their use context. To achieve this, we employed a RIA to analyze the challenges related to solution value co-creation during the solution utilization phase. Based on an in-depth case study of three failed projects by a Swedish clean-tech company, we found three challenges for cocreating solution value during solution utilization: (1) new resource interfaces related to solution output that manifest themselves in use and in a specific context, (2) hidden resource imprints of standardized parts of the solution that are unsuitable for the solution use context, and (3) inconspicuous gradual changes in resources over time and their unclear implications for solution value creation. These three challenges led us to identify an overarching challenge of co-creating solution value in solution utilization: actors’ inability to access the knowledge required for successful resourcification of the solution and its outputs developed over time and in different contexts. Based on these findings, we put forward three propositions that can be tested and further developed in future studies.

Abstract

     A fundamental challenge for interorganizational innovation projects is employing diverse actors’ knowledge, expertise and perspectives for situation-specific demands of complex innovation. Innovation advancement is dependent on the degree to which knowledge is used and synthesized to address emerging and situation-specific demands of innovation. The goal of this study is to shed light on organizing for joint knowledge creation in a strategic interorganizational innovation project. Based on an inductive analysis of interview data from one strategic interorganizational innovation project, we identified the iterative process, self-organizing working groups and dynamic participation as practices through which the actors involved arranged and enacted their joint efforts, namely, knowledge creation and progress of innovation. This study contributes to research on managing strategic interorganizational projects by suggesting that organizing, which involves structural and informal organizing practices, supports managing strategic interorganizational projects where the diverse actors’ knowledge integration is at the core of the innovation project’s goals.

Introduction

     Complex and radical innovations are, almost without exception, strategic achievements that demand the integration of expertise and efforts of diverse actors and are increasingly conducted as temporary joint projects between formal organizations (Czarniawska, 2018). These interorganizational projects bridge diverse actors in different geographical locations and provide an attractive environment to combine knowledge and resources for innovations that would not be achievable by any of the actors alone (Dougherty & Dunne, 2011). Earlier research has tended to view interorganizational projects from the perspective of the focal organization (Klessova et al., 2020), with less emphasis on (1) innovation projects that are conducted outside the control of any single organization (Phillips, 2015;vom Brocke & Lippe, 2015) and (2) how the actual knowledge creation, understood as a joint development of new knowledge among a set of actors (Bhatt, 2000; Gray, 1989; Nonaka & Toyama, 2003), is organized in these projects.

Conclusion

     This study aims to advance understanding of managing strategic projects by shedding light on organizing for knowledge creation in an interorganizational innovation project. Through an empirical qualitative analysis of an interorganizational innovation project that developed and applied novel ways of organizing strategic collaboration, this study advances understanding on projects in which knowledge creation is at the core. By bridging research streams of knowledge management and project management, this study focuses on knowledge creation as a core of organizing and targets organizing practices through which the actors enact and arrange joint knowledge creation and progress of innovation. The findings show that the identified iterative process, self-organizing WGs and dynamic participation are practices that foster joint knowledge creation and advancement of innovation in the strategic project taking place between organizations.