Boundary Spanning Competencies and Information System Development Project Success

Information System Development (ISD) relies on cross-functional teams with distinct cultures and nonoverlapping knowledge. Developing a shared understanding of the business needs and associated IS solutions by drawing upon these disparate knowledge sets is critical for project success. We adopt a “practice” view of system development, which emphasizes the relevance of knowledge boundaries between different communities in a system development process. We extend this perspective by testing the impact of different forms of boundary-spanning competencies and practices on ISD success. By analyzing 136 ISD projects in a global US automotive OEM, we show that the presence of boundary spanning roles, acculturative processes, and cross-domain knowledge and experience acquisition are significant factors positively affecting IS development success. We also demonstrate that facilitative boundary spanning roles - ambassador, coordinator, and scout - moderate the relationship between accumulated IS business domain knowledge and ISD success and that IS business competence is determined by acculturation among IS teams, and the technical competence of the IS team. This suggests that IS teams with low levels of business domain knowledge may be able to mitigate this deficit by exhibiting boundary spanning behaviors to enhance the flow of information across the knowledge boundaries

Work 4.0 and the Need for Boundary-Spanning

The evolution of a digital world driven by and generating substantial volumes of data is also changing the way people work and associated specializations, characterized as ‘Work 4.0’ in Europe. Smart devices and the use of data analytics is getting work done more effectively but new skills are needed to develop and use these tools. Agility is a requisite capability. Different communities of practice need to work together, possibly with new kinds of users, introducing a need for enhanced boundary-spanning skills and tools. Boundary-spanning activities take place at multiple organizational levels. Teams use boundary object tools as alignment mechanisms, but also create boundary objects (e.g. prototypes) to test alignment. Case observations from agile IS projects associated with large and small firms highlight the influence of context, a need for the use of multiple complementary boundary objects and for learning to use them effectively

Innovation as a community-spanning process: strategies to handle path dependency.

In this paper, we further develop and apply the notions of path creation and path dependency during technological innovation processes. The process of technological innovation is portrayed as an activity of spanning boundaries between and across communities of practitioners. Communities of practice are characterised by shared beliefs, evaluation routines and artefacts. These beliefs, routines and artefacts create powerful path-dependencies that inhibit path-breaking innovations. Based on exploratory empirical research, a model on handling path-dependency during the creation of technological innovations is proposed.Processes; Strategy; Evaluation; Innovations; Model;

Re-Framing the knowledge to action challenge through NIHR knowledge mobilisation research fellows. Comment on “CIHR Health System Impact Fellows: Reflections on ‘Driving Change’ Within the Health System"

The ambition of the Canadian Institutes for Health Research (CIHR) Health Service Impact (HIS) Fellowship initiative to modernise the health system is impressive. Embedded researchers who work between academia and non-academic settings offer an opportunity to reframe the problem of evidence uptake as a product of a gap between those who produce knowledge and those who use it. As such, there has been an increasing interest in the potential of people in embedded research roles to work with stakeholders in the co-production of knowledge to address service challenges. In this commentary, we draw on research and experiential evidence of an embedded researcher initiative, which has similar intentions to the HIS Fellowships programme: the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Knowledge Mobilisation Research Fellowship (KMRF) scheme. We outline the similarities and differences between the two schemes, and then consider the work, characteristics and skills, and organisational arrangements evident in operationalising these types of roles

Managing In Knowledge-Based Economies: Managing for Knowledge, Absorptive Capacity and Innovation

Management processes have evolved to meet changing internal and external environments through different organisational forms, systems and processes. The emerging phenomena of the knowledge based economy challenges not only the strategic management of a firm but also the understandings and competencies of managers, both individually and collectively. This paper examines the challenge of managing in the global networked context of the knowledge economy. Using the knowledge based view of the firm and knowledge of management processes, we argue that management in the twenty-first century involves not only the familiar processes of managing tasks, managing others and managing change, but also requires a strategic approach to managing for knowledge, absorptive capacity and innovation

On the Economics of Innovation Projects Product Experimentation in the Music Industry

The paper is conceptual, combining project and economic organization literatures in order to explain the organization and management of market-based projects. It dedicates particular focus to projects set up in order to facilitate product innovation through experimentation. It investigates the internal vs. market economies of scale and scope related to projects, as well as the issues of governance, planning and coordination related to reaping such economies. Incorporating transaction cost perspectives as well as considerations of labour markets, the paper explains the management of market-organized innovation projects by virtue of localized project ecologies and local labour markets of leaders and boundary spanners. It illustrates its arguments with a case study of the Recorded Music industry.Project management, product innovation

Work 4.0 and the Identification of Complex Competence Sets

In our progressively more interconnected world, some people may be displaced from their traditional occupations by intelligent agents and smart machines. At the same time there may be a shortage of people skilled in the development of these technologies, and societal changes may see more people undertaking a succession of short-term project assignments. This is leading to studies of future competency requirements (called Work 4.0 in Europe) and the evolution of agile human resources management systems. A focus on mapping accessible individual competence sets is emerging, facilitated by the identification of associated information systems. In this paper we explore challenges in the identification of current and future competency requirements and in competency mapping to facilitate agile operations. We also introduce the concept of competency relationship mapping

Entrepreneurial Capabilities and Resources: Sustainable Competitive Advantage through Innovation and Opportunism

Firm resource theory specifies the conditions under which resources and capabilities may lead to sustainable competitive advantage. Using the emerging organization as an example, we use firm resource theory to identify some of the resources important to the entrepreneurial capabilities of innovation and opportunism

How HRM control affects boundary-spanning employees’ behavioural strategies and satisfaction : The moderating impact of cultural performance orientation

This study examines how cultural performance orientation moderates the influence of human resource management (HRM) controls on boundary-spanning employees’ behavioural strategies and satisfaction.HRM control; national culture; performance orientation; boundary-spanning employees; salespeople

Competency profiling for product managers

Although the product manager’s role in the corporate sector is considered highly important and approached in literature (Gorchels, 2003; Haines, 2009; McNaughtan, 2013), there is still considerable ambiguity when we refer to the role and responsibilities of product managers and the factors that drive effective performance. Also, besides being an occupation with approximately 86 years old, there’s still no reference of product management in the U.S. Occupational Information Network (O*NET) data-base. Additionally, a strong and organized source of knowledge available to the product management practitioner is lacking and the number of academic courses to prepare product managers is still small. For the reasons stated above, it is important to build a product manager’s competency profile in order to help both companies in their recruitment processes and professionals who want to progress in their career. With the view of achieving the proposed goals, we developed a competence matrix based fundamentally on two authors that have recurrently published about the topic (Linda Gorchels e Zuzana Wroblowská) and on Roe’s architectonic model (Bartram & Roe, 2005). Afterwards, a survey has been conducted with product managers from various areas. Results are discussed at the light of theory and according to the proposed goals of this work.Embora a importância do cargo de gestor de produto no sector empresarial seja reconhecida e bastante documentada na literatura (Gorchels, 2003; Haines, 2009; McNaughtan, 2013), existe ainda alguma ambiguidade em relação à função e às responsabilidades da profissão, bem como aos fatores que geram um desempenho eficaz. Adicionalmente, sendo a gestão de produto uma ocupação com aproximadamente 86 anos, carece ainda de referência na base de dados ocupacional americana (O*NET). Além disso, não está ainda desenvolvida uma fonte de conhecimento completa e estruturada que agregue toda a compreensão atual da profissão e existe somente um pequeno número de cursos disponíveis aptos para prepararem os gestores de produto para o seu futuro. Por estes motivos, é importante que se trace um perfil de competências para o gestor de produto, de forma a ajudar tanto as empresas nos seus processos de recrutamento, como os próprios profissionais que procuram progredir na carreira. Para alcançar os objetivos propostos foi criada uma matriz de competências baseada fundamentalmente em duas autoras que têm publicado frequentemente sobre o tema (Linda Gorchels e Zuzana Wroblowská) e no Modelo Arquitectónico de Roe (Bartram & Roe, 2005). Posteriormente foram aplicados questionários a gestores de produto de variadas áreas. Os resultados são discutidos à luz da literatura e de acordo com os objetivos propostos