By Lee FosterPhD Candidate

QUT Business SchoolDec 2015THINK DO

DECIDE

Innovation Performance

Knowledge Knowledge Gap

Feedback FeedbackEnvironment

Structure of a complex adaptive organisation (adapted from Figure 10.9 and 10.11 in von Krogh and Roos (1995: 178, 182))

Complex project based organisations ◦ uncertainty, ambiguity, non-linearity, emergence, numerous

stakeholders and inter-connections (Cooke-Davies et al., 2007)

◦ Innovation provides: Effective response to emergent factors Improve efficiency of delivering complex projects Improve stakeholder engagement in complex projects (Cooke-Davies et al., 2007; Head, 2010; Damanpour and Aravind, 2011; O'Reilly and Tushman, 2013)

Innovation - complex constructs: evolutionary, relational, temporal, cultural (Garud et al., 2013)

Complex Adaptive System theory◦ Explains innovative behaviour◦ Explains how to manage for Complexity◦ (Cooke-Davies et al., 2007; Garud et al, 2011)

Gap – insufficient grounding of the theoretical perspectives of CAS to explain the behaviour of innovation processes in a CPBO

1. How does complex adaptive system theory inform the mechanisms of innovation in complex project based organisations?

2. How can managing for innovation from a complex adaptive system perspective influence project success in a complex project based organisation?

•Environment•Feedback•Performance gap

Driver

•Culture•IdentityStructure

•Power•Strategy•Priorities

Decision

•Competence•THINK•DO•Efficiency

Performance

•35 interviews and focus group events, complete after saturation (Malhotra, 2006)•Project managers, directors, management, innovators and innovation managers, governance managers

•Seqwater

Sample:

Purposive, Convenience

•Project will first be socialised via intranet, newsletters, speaking to relevant managers

•Individuals will be identified and approached Recruitment Process

•Semi-structured interviews (Foddy, 1993)•Examine archival data (general company information, strategic, operational and cultural features)

•Longitudinal over 2 years (McLeod et al., 2012) (Roberts et al., 2004)

Data Collection Procedure

•Two recording devices will be used and then transcribed•A write-up of observations will be completed following each of the interviews (Blaikie, 2009)

Measurement Instrument

•The data will be analyzed inductively (Seale, 1999)•Synthesize themes•Model building•Coding, Nvivo

Analysis Technique

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1155-1179 (2007). Eisenhardt KM. “Building Theories from Case Study Research.” The Academy of Management Review 14: 532-550 (1989) . Foddy WH.. "The need to provide response frameworks." In Constructing questions for interviews and questionnaires: theory and

practice in social research. Cambridge, England: Cambridge University Press, 1993, p.76-89, 181-188. Garud R, Gehman J and Kumaraswamy A. “Complexity Arrangements for Sustained Innovation: Lessons from 3M Corporation.”

Organization Studies 32: 737-767 (2011). Garud R, Tuertscher P and Van De Ven AH. “Perspectives on Innovation Processes.” Academy of Management Annals 7: 775-819

(2013) . Head BW., "How can the public sector resolve complex issues?: strategies for steering, administering and coping." Asia-Pacific

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68-86 (2012). O'Reilly C and Tushman M. “Organizational Ambidexterity: Past, Present and Future.” Academy of Management Perspectives 27:

324-338. (2013) Roberts TL, Cheney PH, Sweeney PD, et al. "The Effects of Information Technology Project Complexity on Group Interaction."

Journal of Management Information Systems, 21: 223-247 (2004). Seale C. The quality of qualitative research, London: SAGE, 1999. von Krogh G and Roos J. Organizational Epistemology, St. Martin's Press, 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10010, 1995. Yin RK. Case study research: design and methods, Thousand Oaks, Calif: Sage Publications, 2003.