CERES :: Browsing by Author "Turner, Neil"

Browsing by Author "Turner, Neil"

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Open Access
Advancing temporal organizing: the case for a practising school in project-based organizing
(Academy of Management, 2022-07-06) Antonacopoulou, Elena P.; Turner, Neil; Altabbaa, Omar; Michaelides, Roula; Schuster, Andrew
Navigating complexity remains one of the key pragmatic challenges that call for temporal organizing as a response. Whilst project-based organizing is established as an approach integral to deploying temporal organizing we still know little about the lived experiences of project managers as they enact it. It, therefore, merits academic study and attention to analyze further how project-based organizing is practised and why it is practiced in unique ways that offer insights into the practical judgements that underpin project managers’ action choices. We present findings from a study investigating the lived experience of 43 project managers from key sectors in countries around the globe. We use the empirical findings of this qualitative study to show how project managers embody and not only enact the dynamics of temporary organizing in the ways they navigate project complexities and form their judgements on an ongoing basis. This process of practising is marked by leaps of faith that can mark new measures of project success beyond the traditional parameters of project completion on time and budget. This paper makes a compelling case for a new school of thought in advancing temporal organizing that we will call the ‘Practising School’, which informs our understanding of the dynamics of project-based organizing and offers insights into how practitioners navigate the ongoing project complexities inherent in project-based organizing. We pave the way for advancing a practice-based perspective for studying projectification and extend current conceptualizations of temporal organizing.
Open Access
Assessing adoption factors for additive manufacturing: insights from case studies
(MDPI, 2022-06-10) Handfield, Robert B.; Aitken, James; Turner, Neil; Boehme, Tillmann; Bozarth, Cecil
Background: Research on Additive Manufacturing [AM] provides few guidelines for successful adoption of the technology in different market environments. This paper seeks to address this gap by developing a framework that suggests market attributes for which the technology will successfully meet a need. We rely on classical technology adoption theory to evaluate the challenges and opportunities proffered by AM. Methods: We apply a framework of technology adoption and assess these parameters using seven case studies of businesses that have successfully adopted AM technology. Results: We find that successful business adoption is highly associated with the relative advantage of AM to rapidly deliver customized products targeted to niche market opportunities. Conclusions: Our findings provide a decision framework for AM equipment manufacturers to employ when evaluating AM technology across various market environments. All five adoption characteristics were found to be important however, the primary decision criterion is based on the relative advantage of AM over other, traditional, technologies. From a practitioner perspective, our research highlights the importance of AM in attaining a competitive advantage through responsive, customized production which can address the needs of niche markets.
Open Access
Conducting a practice-based study in a novel context: Methodological challenges
(British Academy of Management, 2017-09-07) Bond, Angela; Pilbeam, Colin; Turner, Neil
The methodological issue addressed in this paper is how to conduct a practice-based study in a novel context. We present and build on Korica, Nicolini and Johnson's (2015) proposal to explore managerial work from a practice perspective, and to understand the implications of temporary organisation for management practice (Bakker et al., 2016). We present an argument for using Schatzki’s (2002) site ontology and summarise the key features that are relevant to, and being applied in, a current empirical study. Using the study as an illustration we discuss the methodological implications of a practice-based study and conclude with recommendations for research.
Open Access
Covid-19 response of an additive manufacturing cluster in Australia
(Emerald, 2021-07-22) Boehme, Tillmann; Aitken, James; Turner, Neil; Handfield, Robert B.
Purpose The sudden arrival of Covid-19 severely disrupted the supply chain of personal protective equipment (PPE) in Australia. This paper aims to examine the development of a geographical cluster, which, through the application of additive manufacturing (AM), responded to the PPE supply crisis. Design/methodology/approach This longitudinal case study focuses on an AM cluster, which was developed to supply PPE in a responsive and flexible manner from 2019/2020. The study gathered data over three stages of cluster evolution: pre, during and post-peak Covid-19. Findings The type and nature of exchanges between organizations involved in the cluster established important insights into success factors for cluster creation and development. Using an established complexity framework, this study identifies the characteristics of establishing a cluster. The importance of cluster alignment created initially by a common PPE supply goal led to an emerging commercial and relational imperative to address the longer-term configuration after the disruption. Practical implications Clusters can be a viable option for a technology-driven sector when there is a “buzz” that drives and rapidly diffuses knowledge to support cluster formation. This research identifies the structural, socio-political and emergent dimensions, which need to be considered by stakeholders when aiming at improving competitiveness using clusters. Originality/value Covid-19 has rapidly and unexpectedly disrupted the supply chain for many industries. Responding to challenges, businesses will investigate different pathways to improve the overall resilience including on-/near-shoring. The results provide insights into how clusters are formed, grow and develop and the differentiating factors that result in successful impacts of clusters on local economies.
Open Access
A framework for understanding managerial responses to supply chain complexity
(Emerald, 2018-06-04) Turner, Neil; Aitken, James; Bozarth, Cecil
Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the nature of supply chain complexity and extend this with literature developed within the project domain. The authors use the lens of ambidexterity (the ability both to exploit and explore) to analyse responses to complexity, since this enables the authors to understand the application of known solutions in conjunction with innovative ones to resolve difficulties. This research also seeks to investigate how managers respond to supply chain complexities that can either be operationally deleterious or strategically beneficial. Design/methodology/approach The authors develop a descriptive framework based on the project management (PM) literature to understand response options to complexity, and then use interviews with supply chain managers in six organisations to examine the utility of this framework in practice. The authors ask the research question “How do managers in supply chains respond to complexities”? Findings The case study data show first that managers faced with structural, socio-political, or emergent supply chain complexities use a wide range of responses. Second, over a third of the instances of complexity coded were actually accommodated, rather than reduced, by the study firms, suggesting that adapting to supply chain complexity in certain instances may be strategically appropriate. Third, the lens of ambidexterity allows a more explicit assessment of whether existing PM solutions can be considered or if novel methods are required to address supply chain complexities. Practical implications The descriptive framework can aid managers in conceptualising and addressing supply chain complexity. Through exploiting current knowledge, managers can lessen the impact of complexity while exploring other innovative approaches to solve new problems and challenges that evolve from complexity growth driven by business strategy. Originality/value This study addresses a gap in the literature through the development of a framework which provides a structure on ways to address supply chain complexity. The authors evaluate an existing project complexity concept and demonstrate that it is both applicable and valuable in non-project, ongoing operations. The authors then extend it using the lens of ambidexterity, and develop a framework that can support practitioners in analysing and addressing both strategically necessary supply complexities, together with unwanted, negative complexities within the organisation and across the supply chain. Keywords
Open Access
Governance in a crisis and the decision to replace the project manager
(Sage, 2025-02) Pinto, Jeffrey K.; Davis, Kate; Turner, Neil
This article explores the concept of governance behaviors during project crises, which demand rapid responses. Grounded in the Cynefin model for decision-making and inspired by Iftikhar et al., (2021), we sought to explore in greater detail the challenge of a particular and common response to crisis: project manager replacement. We address governance as essentially a two-level function: sensemaking under crisis conditions and offering guidance within the critical early stages of project manager replacement, when the need for governance is crucial. Finally, this article offers some guidance for the employment of governance within different Cynefin complexity domains for maximizing effective replacement steps.
Open Access
Hits and (near) misses: Exploring managers’ actions and their effects on localised resilience
(Elsevier, 2019-11-29) Turner, Neil; Kutsch, Elmar; Maylor, Harvey; Swart, Juani
Resilience is clearly a desirable attribute, but characterising it is challenging, especially as it can be understood either as the response to an incident, or its successful avoidance. Individual- and organizational-level resilience are established fields of study, whereas mid-range, managerial-level, evidence of how ‘localised’ resilience (e.g. in the department, work unit or project) is achieved is lacking. We ask the question ‘What do managers do to support resilience?’ We report on a study carried out with senior staff from five major UK-based organizations. From our qualitative data investigating critical incidents and ‘near-misses’, we unpack the key (ongoing) actions that managers undertake, and show that these can be understood as a complex interweaving of exploitative and exploratory activities. We also identify five response archetypes utilised when an incident occurs. We show the simultaneity of multiple enabling and responding arrangements and, in so doing, uncover the ‘messy’ characteristics over time which enable the awareness and containment of potential and realised adversities, i.e. resilience.
Open Access
How COVID-19 impacted the tacit knowledge and social interaction of global NPD project teams
(Taylor & Francis, 2022-02-18) Cecchi, Michele Angelo; Grant, Stuart; Seiler, Matthias; Turner, Neil; Adams, Richard; Goffin, Keith
Multinational, technology-intensive companies routinely use globally distributed R&D teams, but COVID-19 represented an additional challenge. Lockdowns and home-office working severely limit human interaction and can impact the communication, social interaction, and knowledge sharing critical to successful R&D. Our study investigated how COVID-19 affected R&D processes at three global companies, using a project complexity perspective. Although R&D managers responsible for global projects are accustomed to the challenges of managing communications, the fact that teams were forced into home-office working made new product development more difficult in several ways. Ensuring that technical details are understood by all members of dispersed teams is crucial. Of particular note, and central to our findings, is the emphasis that R&D managers placed on maintaining a high level of social interaction in their teams, and special efforts were needed to keep interactions at a sufficient level to foster the generation and transfer of tacit knowledge. The findings have strong implications for the way that R&D project management is likely to be conducted in a post-COVID-19 world, and we demonstrate how the complexity framework we used can benefit managers in navigating this and other challenges.
Open Access
How to enable ambidexterity in safety-critical software development
(Taylor & Francis, 2024-02-28) Turner, Neil; Baxter, David
In a competitive environment, continually improving new products and services requires new knowledge and novel solutions. Managing projects also requires the careful control of resources for effective delivery. Ambidexterity, the simultaneous achievement of novelty through exploration and efficiency through exploitation, is challenging to achieve in practice. The ways in which companies can achieve ambidexterity are context dependent. It is especially hard to promote new and uncertain concepts in situations where lives are at stake. This article reports on a case study of a safety-critical IT development project that successfully achieved ambidexterity. Leadership behaviors that support ambidexterity in this setting are critical. We highlight four leadership behaviors key to developing an environment where creative solutions can flourish.
Open Access
How to outsource agile projects effectively
(Taylor and Francis, 2022-01-06) Aoufi, Abdelkader; Schoeman, Magnus; Turner, Neil
Overview: Faced with a rapidly changing business environment, organizations are increasingly turning to Agile project management to deliver innovation programs. Deployment of Agile poses specific challenges, often because the required skills, measures, and management behaviors differ greatly than those of traditional project management. When faced with a need to outsource Agile project delivery to a third party, organizations often apply contractual approaches developed for traditional “waterfall” projects, which prove unsuitable. This study investigated the perspective of client-side advisors in Agile projects when delivery is outsourced to a third party. Client-side sourcing advisors are an important component of the Agile delivery ecosystem because clients often rely on advisors’ experience when scoping out and procuring digital transformation projects.
Open Access
Inter-organisational governance in megaprojects: a systematic review and an agenda for future research
(British Academy of Management, 2023-09-06) Pathak, Raj; Turner, Neil; Alinaghian, Leila
The review analysed 4,536 titles. 781 papers were selected for the title and abstract review after applying exclusion criteria and 81 papers were identified for the full review. Gioia method was applied to extract the first-order and second-order concepts and aggregate dimensions. The thematic analysis illustrates that megaprojects are delivered through multi-party settings and the governance is regarded as dynamic, processual and anchored in multiple levels. Megaproject governance mechanisms include informal and informal approaches. Committed leadership, collaboration, stakeholder management and culture are key components to enable the governance mechanisms. The main challenges in the implementation of a complex infrastructure project are not technical but are rather those related to how to govern the work in a complex inter-organisational setting that brings together a diverse set of actors who differ in their values, culture and goals.
Open Access
Leaders' framing of complex problems: The everyday institutional activity that enables and constrains adaptive responses in organizational settings.
(Cranfield University, 2020-08) Hayman, Miles; Denyer, David; Turner, Neil
The principal issue of interest underpinning this study is captured in the assertion of Heifetz et al. (2009) who stated that the most common cause of organizational failure is a consequence of treating complex problems (adaptive challenges in their words) as reducible, technical problems. The overall study has explored how and under what contextual conditions leaders' framing of complex problems influences organizational responses over time. The study is important since, despite the burgeoning body of literature on leadership, very little empirical research is available to deepen understanding and potentially explain how an organization actually achieves an adaptive response to a complex problem. This research project is designed around three core papers; a systematic literature review and two qualitative empirical research studies. The studies employ complementary interview techniques to elicit how individual leaders think about addressing complex problems within an organizational context and their perceived effectiveness of organizational response. Study 1 used the Repertory Grid technique (Kelly, 1955) to deepen understanding of leaders' personal constructs and study 2 used semi-structured interviews to reveal rich descriptions of the specific contextual conditions influencing leaders' framing processes. A total of 38 and 42 interviews were completed in studies 1 and 2 respectively, with experienced leaders from three hierarchical cohorts in the British Army (junior, middle and senior leaders). The empirical findings are relevant to future research in the problems, leadership, institutional theory and framing literature domains. Methodological contributions are also made in the application of a critical realist perspective to epistemologically diverse literatures, to deepen understanding of the structural forces influencing leaders' framing of complex problems in an organizational setting. Finally, several practical recommendations relevant to management practice are offered.
Embargo
Managing complex projects
(CRC Press, 2024-08-21) Turner, Neil; Davis, Kate; Cantarelli, Chantal C.
Complexity is an issue that affects all projects. Project managers know this, but it can be difficult to express the realities they face in a language that others can easily grasp. In this chapter we draw on research that identifies three different kinds of project complexity – structural, socio-political, and emergent, and look at practical response techniques to these. We offer a complexity framework to help managers deal with these challenges. We then show how this can be used both as a problem-solving tool, and also as a method to draw out lessons learned at gate reviews or at the completion of the work.
Open Access
Managing disruptions in complex projects: the antifragility hierarchy
(European Academy of Management (EURAM), 2024-06-28) Usher, Greg; Cantarelli, Chantal C.; Davis, Kate; Pinto, Jeffrey K.; Turner, Neil
Projects are prone to a variety of disruptions across their development cycle, requiring that effective organizations develop strategies for proactively recognizing disruption likelihood and swiftly responding to these events. This paper explores a hierarchy of responses to disruption, based on Taleb’s (2012) theory of antifragile system behavior. Following this reasoning, we suggest that when faced with project disruptions, organizations need to investigate the means to trigger a “convex” response that increases value through antifragile thinking. We propose an “antifragile hierarchy” in which four key responses to project disruption are demonstrated, with a range of strategies available for addressing these disruptions. This hierarchy offers a novel conceptualization of responses to project disruption events, suggesting that the options available to organizations facing disruptions range from fragile (the least effective) to antifragile (the most constructive). Finally, we offer a set of strategies for effectively responding to disruptions to promote antifragility in projects.
Embargo
Managing sudden unexpected disruptions in complex projects: the antifragility hierarchy
(Taylor and Francis, 2024-12-31) Usher, Greg; Cantarelli, Chantal C; Davis, Kate; Pinto, Jeffrey K; Turner, Neil
Projects are prone to a variety of sudden unexpected disruptions across their development cycle, requiring that effective organizations develop strategies for proactively recognizing disruption likelihood and swiftly responding to these events. This paper explores a hierarchy of responses to disruption, based on Taleb’s theory of antifragile system behavior. Following this reasoning, we suggest that when faced with project disruptions, organizations need to investigate the means to trigger a ‘convex’ response that increases value through antifragile thinking. We propose an ‘antifragility hierarchy’ in which three key responses to project disruption are demonstrated, with a range of strategies available for addressing these disruptions. This hierarchy offers a novel conceptualization of responses to project disruption events, suggesting that the options available to organizations range from robust (the least effective) to antifragile (the most constructive). Finally, we offer a set of strategies for effectively responding to disruptions to promote antifragility in projects.
Open Access
Masterplanning
(2012-04-01T00:00:00Z) Turner, Neil; Lee-Kelley, Liz
Open Access
Mind the gap: Towards performance measurement beyond a plan-execute logic
(Elsevier, 2023-05-08) Maylor, Harvey; Geraldi, Joana; Budzier, Alexander; Turner, Neil; Johnson, Mark
Project performance measurement aims to identify deviations from intended goals and reduce ‘the gap’ between actual and expected performance. However, despite extensive measurement and control efforts, the gap is hard to close and, intriguingly, not necessarily related to the project's perceived performance, which is what will ultimately influence a stakeholder's satisfaction. Based on service quality research, this study explores the differences between perception and expectations of performance. Our mixed method study involving eighteen interviews and 85 survey responses in an IT-enabled change context shows that expectations and perceptions are fundamentally different concepts. As they are different, managing the gap between expectations and perceptions may be a nugatory task. The paper expands the literature on project performance measurement by questioning its foundations and offering a first step towards developing a more dynamic and subjective understanding of project performance that is consistent with a project's evolving nature.
Open Access
Peer effects and intentional entrepreneurial behaviour: a systematic literature review and research agenda
(Wiley, 2022-12-08) Portyanko, Sergey; Reinmoeller, Patrick; Hussels, Stephanie; Turner, Neil
What role peers play in individuals’ decisions to become entrepreneurs and to what extent peer effects play a role in influencing behaviours at the various stages of business venturing are important questions for scholars and policymakers. This systematic review takes stock of the recent additions to the literature around the phenomenon of peer influence in entrepreneurship. The review identified 2894 documents which were then narrowed down through three consecutive filtering stages. We thematically analysed the final sample of 27 empirical studies that shed light on how individual peers influence the process and outcomes of these individuals’ entrepreneurial intentions and behaviour, allowing for critical analysis. We propose a conceptual schema of social influence that occurs in interactions among entrepreneurial individuals within business venturing and across the three stages of pre-formation, formation and growth. Our framework reconciles the conceptual classification around discovering, evaluating and exploiting entrepreneurial opportunities with the mechanisms of social influence affecting entrepreneurial behaviours. Grounded in the findings of the literature review, this framework synthesizes peer influence in entrepreneurship with the tripartite distinction of the behavioural motives recognized in contemporary theories of social influence. We suggest promising directions for further research on how interactions with peers might affect individuals’ entrepreneurial behaviours.
Open Access
PMO managers' self-determined participation in a purposeful virtual community-of-practice
(Elsevier, 2016-11-03) Lee-Kelley, Liz; Turner, Neil
Communities-of-practice (CoPs) have received significant attention within a variety of literatures but we remain largely ignorant of the potential of purposefully-created CoPs in global organisations. In this context, the challenge is likely to be convincing ‘masters’ (Wenger, 1998) on the merits of joining the conversation on practice at a distance, thus making the willingness for exchange a key to the quality and longevity of the community. We posed the question “Why would busy, dispersed, knowledgeable professionals want to join and participate in a deliberately-organised CoP?” Our 2-year collaborative action study allowed us to observe the CoP and its membership at close range. We conclude that autonomy, competence and belonging underscore participation, co-production and diffusion of innovative problem-solving and practice beyond the CoP. The study will inform organisations contemplating similar interventions and also serves as a basis for further investigation and theory building on organized CoPs by the research community.
Open Access
Project-to-project learning in global new product development.
(Cranfield University, 2023-06) Cecchi, Michele Angelo; Goffin, Keith; Turner, Neil
This thesis deals with project-to-project learning in global new product development (NPD). Based on a Systematic Literature Review on knowledge management and NPD management, it shows that limited empirical research exists to explain the factors that influence project-to-project learning and that limited guidance is provided to NPD practitioners wanting to implement knowledge management initiatives in global NPD. An in-depth case study is presented of three global NPD project teams in a large multinational organization active in the design and manufacture of complex systems for the automotive sector. Three research questions and five research propositions are built to guide empirical research on project-to-project learning. Case study methodology using data from observations, surveys, interviews and reviews of documents are used to uncover the project-to-project learning behaviour of global NDP teams. A three-step approach to data analysis is used to review the case study with the help of knowledge flow mapping, thematic coding and survey data analysis. The research shows that radical, global NPD project teams need high volumes of both internal and external knowledge to be successful and that an intrinsic bias exists at different seniority levels, impacting on knowledge management. The research also shows that both social and structured knowledge management initiatives are effective and are used for project-to-project learning in global NPD. Finally, the implications of research findings for NPD practitioners and researchers are discussed.

Browsing by Author "Turner, Neil"

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