Handling Innovative People

In innovative environments or departments, where employees must be motivated to produce new ideas, products or processes, is critical to consider not only technical skills but soft skills such as communication, leadership, responsibility and teamworking. The result of an innovation team goes beyond the optimum performance that is asked of a standard team, since they usually set ambitious goals that allow to go beyond the current state of the art and this makes the operation of these teams especially delicate. As a result, general considerations about work teams are considered, focusing on the model of Tuckman’s team development sequence and Belbin Theory. Last but no least, a section is dedicated to “what to pay attention to in groups” as a key issue. As a conclusion, the working group can be an effective management tool for companies to solve difficult and complex problems. In the case of innovative profiles, special attention must be paid to the motivations of these people, who are often different from others. The authors have identified all these aspects as key issues to research and they will dedicate the following academic courses to study in detail some specific roles and their implication in successful innovative projects

Educando en competencias transversales a través de la asignatura de ingeniería de proyectos. Caso de estudio en el máster de Ingeniero de Minas. [Teaching transversal competences in the project management subject. Case of study: Master of Mining Engineering]

El contexto global y el acelerado cambio tecnológico en muchos de los sectores de la ingeniería obliga a que los futuros ingenieros deban aportar soluciones competitivas. En el presente trabajo se muestran resultados sobre competencias transversales como la creatividad, la comunicación y el trabajo en equipo. La creatividad es una de las competencias transversales más valoradas por el tejido industrial. Especial relevancia tiene los diferentes roles de un equipo y la importancia de uno de ellos para el éxito en el desarrollo de un proyecto. El caso de estudio que se presenta parte de un ejercicio realizado en el master de ingeniero de minas impartido por la Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, donde se han identificado roles clave para el desarrollo de proyectos innovadores desde una visión holística. [The global context and accelerated technological change in many engineering sectors means that future engineers must provide competitive solutions. In the present work results are shown on transversal competences such as creativity, communication and teamwork. Creativity is one of the transversal competences most valued by the industrial fabric. Special relevance has the different roles of a team and the importance of one of them for success in developing a project. The case study is part of an exercise carried out in the master of mining engineer taught by the Polytechnic University of Madrid, where key roles have been identified for the development of innovative projects from a holistic view.

Análisis de roles de equipo presentes y su implicación a través de la asignatura de ingeniería de proyectos. Caso de estudio en varios másteres de la Universidad Politécnica de Madrid. [Analysis of present team roles and their implication through the subject of project engineering. Case of study: Several Masters of the Universidad Politécnica de Madrid.]

El futuro mercado de trabajo de los actuales estudiantes de ingeniería demandará profesionales preparados para trabajar en equipo, una de las competencias transversales más valoradas por el mercado de trabajo. En este trabajo se presenta la aplicabilidad de la teoría de Belbin en la formación de equipos y la importancia de la presencia de los distintos roles en el desempeño del equipo. Además se presenta un caso de estudio a través de un ejercicio realizado en un master de ingeniero impartido por la Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, donde se han identificado roles clave para el desarrollo de proyectos innovadores desde una visión holística. Se pretende así estudiar el proceso de creación de equipos de trabajo y la influencia de este proceso en el éxito de los equipos de trabajo para después extender este análisis a otros másteres de la Universidad Politécnica de Madrid en la que los autores colaboran. [The future job market of current engineering students will require professionals prepared to work as a team, one of the transversal competences most valued by the labor market. This paper presents the applicability of Belbin’s theory in the formation of teams and the importance of the presence of different roles in team performance. In addition, a case study is presented through an exercise carried out in an engineering master's degree taught by the Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, where key roles have been identified for the development of innovative projects from a holistic perspective. It is intended to study the process of creating work teams and the influence of this process on the success of work teams.

La educación de las nuevas generaciones como agentes del cambio. Caso de estudio sobre el reto de la diversidad de género en tecnología e ingeniería desde la UPM.

La brecha de género en tecnología tiene, en 2023, un gran impacto para las mujeres, tanto a nivel de acceso, al no atraer a las más jóvenes a realizar sus estudios o proyectarse en el sector, como a nivel de continuidad en el ámbito profesional, con elevadas tasas de abandono y barreras específicas. Los autores de este trabajo tienen el convencimiento de la necesidad de tratar este alcance en el aula, con el alumnado, y así se está haciendo desde la Universidad Politécnica de Madrid. En este trabajo se muestran resultados sobre el cambio de percepción que provoca en los y las estudiantes el estudio de la cuestión en profundidad. Cabe preguntarse hasta qué punto las nuevas generaciones de estudiantes son conscientes de la situación, lo que refleja la importancia de tratar este alcance en edades tempranas, para que reflexionen y trabajen en este sentido en su vida profesional, como agentes del cambio

Desarrollo de un modelo de creación de equipos de trabajo asociado a proyectos innovadores exitosos

A lo largo de esta tesis, se propone el estudio de los proyectos innovadores exitosos y de manera específica el papel que juegan los equipos de trabajo en los mismos para plantear un modelo de creación de equipos de trabajo que sirva como herramienta para desarrollar proyectos innovadores de éxito. La motivación final de esta línea de investigación es que si se conocen los aspectos que definen a los proyectos innovadores exitosos se podrá alimentar el modelo con las características que incluyen estos proyectos, predecir e incluso priorizar en una cartera de proyectos la asignación de recursos que serán necesarios. Para ello se profundiza en el valor de las competencias de la creatividad, el trabajo en equipo o la comunicación como claves para los proyectos de innovación. También se estudian las características particulares de los proyectos de innovación, profundizando en la metodología propuesta por el Project Management Institute (PMI) y presentando una herramienta de jerarquización de proyectos basada en un modelo matemático utilizando metodología AHP. Por último la profundización en los equipos de trabajo permite establecer una relación entre los proyectos innovadores exitosos y la composición de estos equipos, pudiendo así proponerse un modelo de creación de equipos como herramienta de diagnóstico y planificación de proyectos de innovación. ----------ABSTRACT---------- Throughout this thesis, the study of successful innovative projects and specifically the role that work teams play in them is proposed to build a model for the creation of work teams that serves as a tool to develop innovative projects of success. The final motivation of this line of research is that if the aspects that define successful innovative projects are known, the model can be fed with the characteristics that these projects include, predict and even prioritize in a portfolio of projects the allocation of resources that will be necessary. To this end, the value of creativity skills, teamwork or communication as keys to innovation projects is explored. The specific characteristics of innovation projects are also studied, delving into the methodology proposed by the Project Management Institute (PMI) and presenting a project ranking tool based on a mathematical model using AHP methodology. Finally, the deepening of work teams allows establishing a relationship between successful innovative projects and the composition of these teams, thus being able to propose a team building model as a diagnostic and planning tool for innovation projects

Multicriteria methodology and hierarchical innovation in the energy sector

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to state a hierarchy methodology to select the most promising innovative projects, based on the processes defined by the successful Project Management Institute. Design/methodology/approach – Open innovation is a new option for companies to acquire knowledge; however, in a changing and global market, it is necessary to define and select properly the proposals to be financially supported. A proven multicriteria decision methodology (MCDM) is recommended in this case to hierarchize alternatives. Moreover, analytical hierarchy process (AHP) has been considered in this study as a proven and simple MCDM. Findings – AHP has been demonstrated as a suitable option to evaluate innovative project proposals, thanks to its integration with the Project Management Institute methodology. A process example has been included to demonstrate its application. Research limitations/implications – Innovative projects and project proposal selection have always implied subjective criteria. Moreover, some of the processes defined in the methodology were not well defined in the project proposal. Practical implications – The management of a project portfolio in a rational way would help decision makers to fund the most promising projects/alternatives under consideration. In this way, the inherent risk of R&D projects would be minimized. Originality/value – The management of a portfolio of innovative proposals is less often addressed in the literature. This paper focuses on the hybridization of the criteria and processes described in the PMBOK Guide and an MCDM

Case Study of Innovative Projects - Successful Real Cases

In a global world, where the acceleration of technological changes is happening in all industrial sectors, a special focus is forced on innovation and creativity. The book has gathered a small number of sectors where innovation is being the main vector to achieve the competitiveness that companies are craving. The motivation to choose these sectors has been preceded by a careful selection in which we wanted to pick up those in which innovation is a key today. Different aspects push to create and innovate: the environment in general and in particular climate change is forcing to rethink sectors such as energy, infrastructure, water, biotechnology, materials, defense, education, or health. Dear reader, in your hand is a work that reflects the same spirit of the human being: curiosity and eagerness to overcome have allowed humanity to have evolved and still continue today

Key Issues for Management of Innovative Projects

This book gathers pioneering experiences based on the same concept: innovation. According to Schumpeter's research, there would be four types of innovations: product or service innovation (market introduction of a new type of good), process innovation (introduction of a new type of production), market innovation (introduction of a new market in a country or a new market structure), and innovation of matter (introduction of a new raw material). This book contains ten chapters organized in four main sections: (a) ""Strategic Issues,"" (b) ""Risk Management in Innovative Projects,"" (c) ""Economic Issues and Financing Innovation,"" and (d) ""Leadership and Teamwork."

Assessing transversal competences as decisive for project management

In the process of designing and solving problems related to engineering, the ability to find innovative solutions is becoming more and more relevant. Following this principle, engineers should acquire transversal competences through courses such as Project Evaluation and Risk Management, in which they learn to solve current problems through innovation. The project evaluation supposes an approach to the real world, since an idea is evaluated in the different phases of the logical cycle of a project, culminating with its techno-economic analysis and investment. Following the analogy, engineers develop and evaluate their ideas and present them to a group of professors and professionals posing as investors. The results present a holistic approach to the evaluation of ideas and the capacity of a team to develop engineering projects. The study performs an assessment methodology for an open-innovation concept, and the investor?s exercise may contribute to practical strategies to foster creative engineers

Reducing Energy Consumption and CO2 Emissions in Natural Gas Preheating Stations Using Vortex Tubes

This work proposes an innovative method for adjusting the natural gas from the grid to the consumer pipeline requirements in a full-scale pressure reduction station. The use of two counterflow vortex tubes instead of the traditional boiler to preheat the gas before throttling is demonstrated as a powerful alternative. Thus, a reduction of fossil fuel consumption is reached, which amounts to 7.1% less CO2 emitted. To ensure the optimal configuration, the vortex tube was thoroughly characterized in laboratory facilities using nitrogen as the working fluid. Various operating conditions were tested to determine the most efficient setup. Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) simulations were conducted with nitrogen to validate the behavior of the vortex tube. Subsequently, the working fluid was switched to methane to assess the performance differences between the two gases. Finally, the vortex tubes were deployed at a full-scale installation and tested under real consumption demand. The results obtained from this study offer promising insights into the practical implementation of the proposed method for adjusting the natural gas flow, highlighting its potential for reducing fossil fuel consumption and minimizing CO2 emissions. Further improvements and refinements can be made based on these findings