Success-enhancing Mechanisms in Temporary Organizations
Author
Ruth, Thomas Kristian
Term
4. term
Publication year
2018
Submitted on
2018-05-31
Pages
75
Abstract
Tidligere forskning (Ruth, 2017) peger på, at agile projektmetoder rummer skjulte succesmekanismer, som kan løfte projekters ellers lave succesrate. Dette speciale undersøger, hvorfor disse mekanismer virker. Målet er at gøre det lettere at designe og vurdere effektive projektmetoder og at udfordre klassiske, rationelle projekttilgange ved at tilføje et adfærdsteoretisk perspektiv. Undersøgelsen stiller to spørgsmål: 1) Hvad kendetegner de enkelte succesmekanismer? 2) Hvorfor skaber de effektive arbejdsprocesser i midlertidige organisationer (dvs. projekter, der samler et team for en begrænset periode)? Metoden var kvalitativ: 12 semi-strukturerede og ustrukturerede interviews med erfarne ledelseskonsulenter og projektledere i store organisationer blev indsamlet, transskriberet, kodet og analyseret. Analysen mundede ud i ni temaer, som blev brugt som søgeord i et litteraturstudie. Dette gav 31 videnskabelige artikler, især inden for motivations- og organisationsteori, som kunne forklare én eller flere mekanismers effekt. Resultater: Otte succesmekanismer blev beskrevet og opdelt i to typer. Type 1 er mentale processer, der får folk til at vælge at arbejde effektivt. Type 2 er synlige, observerbare processer, der påvirker den konkrete, effektive adfærd. Fem mekanismer var Type 1, tre var Type 2, og alle otte blev defineret. For at forklare, hvorfor mekanismerne virker, blev relevante motivations- og organisationsteorier anvendt på interviewdata. Type 1-mekanismerne kunne delvist forklares som indre (iboende) og ydre (udefrakommende) motivationsmekanismer, mens de anvendte motivationsteorier ikke kunne forklare den udvalgte Type 2-mekanisme. Samlet set skabte mekanismerne effektive arbejdsprocesser, fordi aktørerne var motiverede til at handle effektivt, og fordi de prioriterede projektets fælles, samarbejdende mål over asociale og ineffektive individuelle mål. Mekanismerne var særligt virkningsfulde, når deltagerne var i samme rum, arbejdede med co-creation (samskabelse) og brugte visuelle hjælpemidler.
Prior research (Ruth, 2017) suggests that agile project methods contain underlying success mechanisms that can raise projects’ otherwise low success rates. This thesis examines why these mechanisms work. The aim is to make it easier to design and assess effective project methods and to challenge classical, rational project approaches by adding a behavioral perspective. Two questions guided the study: 1) What characterizes each success mechanism? 2) Why do these mechanisms create effective work processes in temporary organizations (i.e., projects that bring a team together for a limited time)? Method: A qualitative design was used. Twelve semi-structured and unstructured interviews with experienced management consultants and project managers in large organizations were collected, transcribed, coded, and analyzed. The analysis produced nine themes, which became search terms for a literature review. This review yielded 31 scientific articles—especially from motivation and organization theory—that helped explain the effects of one or more mechanisms. Findings: Eight success mechanisms were described and grouped into two types. Type 1 are mental processes that lead people to choose to work effectively. Type 2 are observable processes that shape concrete, effective behavior. Five mechanisms were Type 1 and three were Type 2, and all eight were defined. To explain why the mechanisms work, relevant motivation and organization theories were applied to the interview data. The Type 1 mechanisms could be partly explained as intrinsic (internal) and extrinsic (external) motivation mechanisms, whereas the motivation theories used could not explain the selected Type 2 mechanism. Overall, the mechanisms created effective work processes because participants were motivated to act efficiently and because they prioritized the project’s collective, collaborative goals over asocial and inefficient individual goals. The mechanisms were particularly effective when people were co-located, used co-creation, and employed visual aids.
[This abstract was generated with the help of AI]
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