Steve McGrath - Academia.edu (original) (raw)
Papers by Steve McGrath
International Journal of Managing Projects in Business, Sep 5, 2017
Purpose-To create a 'refined' (with unnecessary elements removed) definition of the term stakehol... more Purpose-To create a 'refined' (with unnecessary elements removed) definition of the term stakeholder, thereby removing confusion surrounding use of this term from the general and project management arenas. Design/methodology/approach-A method of deriving refined definitions for a group of terms by ensuring there are no unnecessary elements causing internal conflict or overlap is adopted and applied to resolve the confusion. Findings-The refined definitions of stake and stakeholder are in terms of an interest and activity. This avoids all extensions of meaning introduced by defining particular types of stakeholders and/ or their degrees of impact. It also resolves the multiplicity of conflicting meanings possible when silent or assumed qualifiers of a word are ignored, restricting definition to, for example project stakeholders or stakeholders of a firm. These definitions are carried forward into a mapping of the stakeholder locus of interest on an activity rather than a company base, enabling generic categorisation of stakeholders to be proposed for use in both private and public sectors. A governance difficulty with the term customer also emerged and a resolution to this is proposed. Research limitations/implications-Resolution of the academic contention around the definition of stakeholders will facilitate future research endeavours by removing confusion surrounding the term. It can also provide clarity in governance arrangements in public and private sectors. Verification of the method used through its success in deriving this 'refined' definition suggests its suitability for application to other contested terms. Practical implications-Projects and businesses alike can benefit from removal of confusion around the definition of stakeholder in the academic research they fund and attempt to apply. Social implications-A refined definition of the stakeholder concept will facilitate building social and physical systems and infrastructure, benefitting organisations, whether public, charitable or private. Originality/value-Clarity resulting in the avoidance of confusion and misunderstanding together with their consequent waste of time, resources and money.
International Journal of Managing Projects in Business, Apr 17, 2018
Purpose-To remove confusion surrounding the terms responsibility and accountability from the gene... more Purpose-To remove confusion surrounding the terms responsibility and accountability from the general and project management arenas by creating 'refined' (with unnecessary elements removed) definitions of these terms. Design/methodology/approach-A method of deriving refined definitions for a group of terms by ensuring there is no internal conflict or overlap is adopted and applied to resolve the confusion. Findings-The confusion between responsibility and accountability can be characterised as a failure to separate the obligation to satisfactorily perform a task (responsibility) from the liability to ensure that it is satisfactorily done (accountability). Furthermore, clarity of application can be achieved if legislative and organisational accountabilities are differentiated and it is recognised that accountability and responsibility transition across organisational levels. A difficulty in applying accountability in RACI tables is also resolved. Research limitations/implications-Clear definition of responsibility and accountability will facilitate future research endeavours by removing confusion surrounding the terms. Verification of the method used through its success in deriving these 'refined' definitions suggests its suitability for application to other contested terms. Practical implications-Projects and businesses alike can benefit from removal of confusion around the definitions of responsibility and accountability in the academic research they fund and attempt to apply. They can also achieve improvements in both efficiency and effectiveness in undertaking organisation-wide exercises to determine organisational responsibilities and accountabilities as well as in the application of governance models. Social implications-Refined definitions of responsibility and accountability will facilitate building social and physical systems and infrastructure, benefitting organisations, whether public, charitable or private. Originality/value-Clarity resulting in the avoidance of confusion and misunderstanding together with their consequent waste of time, resources and money.
International Journal of Managing Projects in Business, Sep 2, 2019
Purpose-The purpose of this paper is to investigate confusion among project management practition... more Purpose-The purpose of this paper is to investigate confusion among project management practitioners about the role of steering committees. Design/methodology/approach-Semi-structured interviews were conducted with highly experienced participants selected from a range of industries and disciplines in Queensland, Australia. Findings-Six separate confusions on the role of steering committees were identified within that practitioner community. However, despite participants expressing various opposing views, they had actually come to the same working arrangements for their committees; all that was missing was a common conceptualisation of these working arrangements and consistent terminology. Research limitations/implications-The paper provides clear evidence to the academic literature that confusion over the role of steering committees actually exists within the practitioner community and identifies six separate ways in which this occurs. It also identifies a problematic error in the widely used PRINCE2 governance model. Clarity in committee governance arrangements will facilitate future research endeavours through removal of confusion surrounding committee labelling and accountability. Practical implications-A committee decision tree model that guards against all six confusions is proposed for practitioner use, providing a means of avoiding unnecessary internal conflict within organisational governance arrangements. It can be used to check TORs (Terms of Reference) of existing or proposed committees, facilitating organisational efficiency and effectiveness. The suggested renaming of PCGs from project control groups to project coordination groups, and discontinuance of the practice of labelling committees that cannot authorise their decisions as either steering committees or boards, further supports this. Social implications-Reconciliation of terminology with actual practice and the consequent clarity of governance arrangements can facilitate building social and physical systems and infrastructure, benefitting organisations, whether public, charitable or private. Originality/value-Clarity regarding committee accountability can avoid confusion, misunderstanding and consequent waste of time, resources and money.
International Journal of Managing Projects in Business, May 6, 2020
Purpose: To determine if there is confusion in governance terminology amongst experienced managem... more Purpose: To determine if there is confusion in governance terminology amongst experienced management and project management practitioners. Design/ methodology/ approach: Practitioner interviews and subsequent analysis. Findings: Significant differences in governance terminology were found. The participants had nevertheless arrived at similar operating arrangements for their committees, even though they came from different segments of different industries and did not agree on the definition of governance. It was possible to develop a list of working parameters for operation of these committees from their responses. The labelling of committees associated with governance as steering or decision-making was found to be problematic and various causes/ motivations for the differing definitions of governance having arisen were detected. These ranged from altruism, through dogmatic belief in particular frameworks, to enhancing career prospects/ ego. Research Implications: The sample came from organisations and industries in one state in one country. The need for review of governance terminology used in various project management practitioner reference documents and methodologies was identified. Practical Implications: Projects and business alike can potentially achieve improvements in efficiency and effectiveness through consistency of terminology and the clarity this brings to governance arrangements and committee operations. Social Implications: Creation of a unifying feature within the project and management literature, shifting the understanding of governance and its boundaries and limitations. This will help progress governance from complexity to simplicity, from an art to an understandable practice, from a concept that has been hijacked for partisan and political purposes to a lean social tool which can be put to use for the benefit of organisations, whether public, charitable or private.
Speaking Management, 2021
International Journal of Managing Projects in Business, 2015
Purpose– The purpose of this paper is to resolve and remove from the governance arena in general ... more Purpose– The purpose of this paper is to resolve and remove from the governance arena in general and the project arena in particular, conflict which occurs when parties do not realise they have different meanings for common governance terms.Design/methodology/approach– Review literature on definitional confusion in general and on governance in particular and develop a method for defining an internally consistent group of terms, then apply this to a group of terms in the governance arena.Findings– Several important subjects commonly arranged under the governance banner do not actually constitute governance (strategy, behaviour, decision making).Research limitations/implications– Further work is necessary to remove similar confusion in other closely related areas, including power itself and authority as well as project and general management terms such as responsibility and accountability.Practical implications– Projects and business alike can potentially achieve significant improveme...
Speaking Management, 2021
International Journal of Managing Projects in Business, Sep 5, 2017
Purpose-To create a 'refined' (with unnecessary elements removed) definition of the term stakehol... more Purpose-To create a 'refined' (with unnecessary elements removed) definition of the term stakeholder, thereby removing confusion surrounding use of this term from the general and project management arenas. Design/methodology/approach-A method of deriving refined definitions for a group of terms by ensuring there are no unnecessary elements causing internal conflict or overlap is adopted and applied to resolve the confusion. Findings-The refined definitions of stake and stakeholder are in terms of an interest and activity. This avoids all extensions of meaning introduced by defining particular types of stakeholders and/ or their degrees of impact. It also resolves the multiplicity of conflicting meanings possible when silent or assumed qualifiers of a word are ignored, restricting definition to, for example project stakeholders or stakeholders of a firm. These definitions are carried forward into a mapping of the stakeholder locus of interest on an activity rather than a company base, enabling generic categorisation of stakeholders to be proposed for use in both private and public sectors. A governance difficulty with the term customer also emerged and a resolution to this is proposed. Research limitations/implications-Resolution of the academic contention around the definition of stakeholders will facilitate future research endeavours by removing confusion surrounding the term. It can also provide clarity in governance arrangements in public and private sectors. Verification of the method used through its success in deriving this 'refined' definition suggests its suitability for application to other contested terms. Practical implications-Projects and businesses alike can benefit from removal of confusion around the definition of stakeholder in the academic research they fund and attempt to apply. Social implications-A refined definition of the stakeholder concept will facilitate building social and physical systems and infrastructure, benefitting organisations, whether public, charitable or private. Originality/value-Clarity resulting in the avoidance of confusion and misunderstanding together with their consequent waste of time, resources and money.
International Journal of Managing Projects in Business, Apr 17, 2018
Purpose-To remove confusion surrounding the terms responsibility and accountability from the gene... more Purpose-To remove confusion surrounding the terms responsibility and accountability from the general and project management arenas by creating 'refined' (with unnecessary elements removed) definitions of these terms. Design/methodology/approach-A method of deriving refined definitions for a group of terms by ensuring there is no internal conflict or overlap is adopted and applied to resolve the confusion. Findings-The confusion between responsibility and accountability can be characterised as a failure to separate the obligation to satisfactorily perform a task (responsibility) from the liability to ensure that it is satisfactorily done (accountability). Furthermore, clarity of application can be achieved if legislative and organisational accountabilities are differentiated and it is recognised that accountability and responsibility transition across organisational levels. A difficulty in applying accountability in RACI tables is also resolved. Research limitations/implications-Clear definition of responsibility and accountability will facilitate future research endeavours by removing confusion surrounding the terms. Verification of the method used through its success in deriving these 'refined' definitions suggests its suitability for application to other contested terms. Practical implications-Projects and businesses alike can benefit from removal of confusion around the definitions of responsibility and accountability in the academic research they fund and attempt to apply. They can also achieve improvements in both efficiency and effectiveness in undertaking organisation-wide exercises to determine organisational responsibilities and accountabilities as well as in the application of governance models. Social implications-Refined definitions of responsibility and accountability will facilitate building social and physical systems and infrastructure, benefitting organisations, whether public, charitable or private. Originality/value-Clarity resulting in the avoidance of confusion and misunderstanding together with their consequent waste of time, resources and money.
International Journal of Managing Projects in Business, Sep 2, 2019
Purpose-The purpose of this paper is to investigate confusion among project management practition... more Purpose-The purpose of this paper is to investigate confusion among project management practitioners about the role of steering committees. Design/methodology/approach-Semi-structured interviews were conducted with highly experienced participants selected from a range of industries and disciplines in Queensland, Australia. Findings-Six separate confusions on the role of steering committees were identified within that practitioner community. However, despite participants expressing various opposing views, they had actually come to the same working arrangements for their committees; all that was missing was a common conceptualisation of these working arrangements and consistent terminology. Research limitations/implications-The paper provides clear evidence to the academic literature that confusion over the role of steering committees actually exists within the practitioner community and identifies six separate ways in which this occurs. It also identifies a problematic error in the widely used PRINCE2 governance model. Clarity in committee governance arrangements will facilitate future research endeavours through removal of confusion surrounding committee labelling and accountability. Practical implications-A committee decision tree model that guards against all six confusions is proposed for practitioner use, providing a means of avoiding unnecessary internal conflict within organisational governance arrangements. It can be used to check TORs (Terms of Reference) of existing or proposed committees, facilitating organisational efficiency and effectiveness. The suggested renaming of PCGs from project control groups to project coordination groups, and discontinuance of the practice of labelling committees that cannot authorise their decisions as either steering committees or boards, further supports this. Social implications-Reconciliation of terminology with actual practice and the consequent clarity of governance arrangements can facilitate building social and physical systems and infrastructure, benefitting organisations, whether public, charitable or private. Originality/value-Clarity regarding committee accountability can avoid confusion, misunderstanding and consequent waste of time, resources and money.
International Journal of Managing Projects in Business, May 6, 2020
Purpose: To determine if there is confusion in governance terminology amongst experienced managem... more Purpose: To determine if there is confusion in governance terminology amongst experienced management and project management practitioners. Design/ methodology/ approach: Practitioner interviews and subsequent analysis. Findings: Significant differences in governance terminology were found. The participants had nevertheless arrived at similar operating arrangements for their committees, even though they came from different segments of different industries and did not agree on the definition of governance. It was possible to develop a list of working parameters for operation of these committees from their responses. The labelling of committees associated with governance as steering or decision-making was found to be problematic and various causes/ motivations for the differing definitions of governance having arisen were detected. These ranged from altruism, through dogmatic belief in particular frameworks, to enhancing career prospects/ ego. Research Implications: The sample came from organisations and industries in one state in one country. The need for review of governance terminology used in various project management practitioner reference documents and methodologies was identified. Practical Implications: Projects and business alike can potentially achieve improvements in efficiency and effectiveness through consistency of terminology and the clarity this brings to governance arrangements and committee operations. Social Implications: Creation of a unifying feature within the project and management literature, shifting the understanding of governance and its boundaries and limitations. This will help progress governance from complexity to simplicity, from an art to an understandable practice, from a concept that has been hijacked for partisan and political purposes to a lean social tool which can be put to use for the benefit of organisations, whether public, charitable or private.
Speaking Management, 2021
International Journal of Managing Projects in Business, 2015
Purpose– The purpose of this paper is to resolve and remove from the governance arena in general ... more Purpose– The purpose of this paper is to resolve and remove from the governance arena in general and the project arena in particular, conflict which occurs when parties do not realise they have different meanings for common governance terms.Design/methodology/approach– Review literature on definitional confusion in general and on governance in particular and develop a method for defining an internally consistent group of terms, then apply this to a group of terms in the governance arena.Findings– Several important subjects commonly arranged under the governance banner do not actually constitute governance (strategy, behaviour, decision making).Research limitations/implications– Further work is necessary to remove similar confusion in other closely related areas, including power itself and authority as well as project and general management terms such as responsibility and accountability.Practical implications– Projects and business alike can potentially achieve significant improveme...
Speaking Management, 2021