Presentation of AOM paper: Understanding Project Based Production through Socio-technical Modularity

Understanding Project Based Production through Socio-technical Modularity

AOM 2012, Boston

Christian [email protected]

dk.linkedin.com/in/matute

Christian Thuesen ([email protected])2 DTU Management, Technical University of Denmark

Areas of interest


Project Based Production• An increasing amount the production in of our society is realized

through projects.

• Some examples are– construction industry (buildings, infrastructure…)– offshore projects (shipbuilding, oil & gas rigs…)– creative projects (movies, theatrical productions, festivals…)– IT projects (IT development, programming…)

• These cases on project based production (PBP) combines in various degrees technologies and practices from

industrialized production and project management


Order Chaos

Disciplinary Interdisciplinary

Hierarchy Network

Standardized Unique

Efficiency Creativity

Linear Iterative

Bureaucratic Dynamic

Codifying Experimenting

Repetition Innovative

Class Individual

Degeneration Stress

Challenges of Project based Production


Order Chaos

Disciplinary Interdisciplinary

Hierarchy Network

Standardized Unique

Efficiency Creativity

Linear Iterative

Bureaucratic Dynamic

Codifying Experimenting

Repetition Innovative

Class Individual

Degeneration Stress

Possible solution… modularity


What is modularization?• Modularity is an attribute of a complex system that advocates designing

structures based on– Minimizing interdependence between modules and – Maximizing interdependence within them

that can be mixed and matched in order to obtain new configurations without loss of the system’s functionality or performance (Baldwin and Clark 1997; Langlois 1992).

• Each module communicates and interacts with the others via standardized interfaces that allow modules’ decoupling

Source: Campagnolo & Camuffo 2009


Two ways to describe modularity

Source: (Fixson 2003)


Literature review of modularity

Campagnolo & Camuffo (2010) reviews 125 publications and finds:

• A complex field of studies offering different definitions, measures and applications of the modularity concept

• Three main units of analysis – product design modularity– production system modularity– organizational design modularity.


The shortcommings of existing theories

• Research is based on an assumption of technological determinism (Campagnolo & Camuffo 2010, p 279). hard to explain the dynamic contexts and social entanglements of modularity

• “Modularity is mostly studied in static situations…. In reality, however, no system is really static. Products change, processes evolve, organizations adapt, and innovations appear, and all of these changes are accelerating.” (Fixon 2006, p.31)

• No studies are capable of linking the three perspectives (Campagnolo & Camuffo 2010, p. 277).


Requirements to a reinterpretation • A reinterpretation of the concept of modularity should be

able to understand a system with– physical and material artifacts– social actors

• while at the same time both – handle stability and dynamism…


Ambition• to explore the possibilities for

understanding modularity from a socio-technical perspective in general and actor network theory in particular.

• More specifically is the intention to develop: an approach for analyzing the modularity

of Project Based Productions practices covering both social – technical and

dynamic – stable aspects.

• open up new avenues of research and practice.


Actor Network Theory• A theory of technology, science, social actors, society, nature and power,

all analyzed with the same conceptual framework (Callon 1986, Law 1992 & Latour 2005).

• Key concepts – Network– Actors– Translations

• Principle of symmetry– Covering both human and nonhuman actors– An actor is an network and visa versa

• Not a normative theory subscribing predefined analytical categories any importance

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Understanding the socio-technical modularity

Through: Actors…



Through: Actors, Network…



Through: Actors, Network, Translations…



Through: Actors, Network, Translations and Black boxes


Modularity in ANTModules = groups of actors (black boxes) which have stabilized over time.

Product modularity

stable collection of non human actors

Organizational modularity

stable collection of human (and non human) actors

Process modularity

translations processes with a high degree of repetition among certain actors


Types of modularity

Source: Campagnolo & Camuffo 2009

Processmodularity

Organizational modularity

Product modularity


Consequences

Modularity is a matter of perspective

Different types of modularity• Product, Process, Organizational• Customer, User, Market• Practices• Institutionalized


Consequences Modularity is in the making

Enables us to understand learning and innovation processes• Reproductive/Incremental• Disruptive/Radical

• Might be combined with existing normative modularization tools like MFD and PVM

Managerial challenge


Framework for understanding the socio-technical modularity of Project-based Production practicesDimension Questions

Market To whom is it produced / delivered? (customer/user/market)

Product What is produced / delivered?(product/service/experience)

Organizational Who is producing / delivering it? (organization/practice)

Process How is it produced / delivered? (process/practice)

Institutional How is it influenced by institutional actors?


Directions for further studies

“For a hammer everything is a nail”

we must be reflective in our approach for studying, designing and managing modularity

This opens up a research agenda regarding • Clarification of the concept of Modularity

(theoretical and practical)• Conducting empirical analysis of the modularity

of different socio-technical systems• Development of tools and practices for

studying, designing and managing modularity.


Questions and comments

Business

Presentation of AOM paper: Understanding Project Based Production through Socio-technical Modularity