Cross-functional teams Research Papers - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

2025, Deep Science Publishing

2025, Modern pedagogical education

The article considers an integrated approach to the formation of cross-functional managerial competence of an orientalist through experimental training in the discipline “Basic Oriental language (Chinese)”. The purpose of the research is... more

2025, EDUCARE

The emerging predominance of group learning in the business world represents a significant trend of group work assignments in the context of formal education. Group learning effectiveness and satisfaction has been analyzed on the basis of traditional theories of group dynamics. However, the assessment of learning effectiveness and satisfaction has its uniqueness and requires special attention. Based upon equity theory, we propose a model to highlight the significant impact of workload equity and mutual collaboration on members' performance and satisfaction in the group learning process. We conduct a study to validate the relationship and the results support our proposition. In addition, with reference to predicted outcome value theory, we propose that information transparency has a highly significant moderating effect in the group learning process. Hence, the findings of this study are consistent with the results of previous studies on team effectiveness that found conflicts and individual satisfaction to be negatively associated, and interpersonal understanding amongst team members to be positively correlated with team learning. On top of this observation, our study contributes to literature by highlighting the significance of information transparency in the group learning process. Finally, some implications, limitations, and recommendations of our study are discussed.

2025, AMCIS 2007 …

In the era of open and distributed innovation, Information Technology (IT) must be leveraged by organizations to reach, record and review ideas from internal (eg. employees) and external sources (eg. business partners). IT can support and... more

2024

In the information systems (IS) literature, there is a gap in understanding the role of middle managers (MMs) in the digital transformation in organizations. IS research has focused on understanding top management and user roles in IT-related transformational change but the role of MMs has rarely been examined. To fill this gap, this paper reports on an open-ended exploration of the influence and contribution of the MMs in the digital transformation of a large Finnish public sector meal production company. Data were collected from a ten-year digital transformation effort in the company. The analysis suggests that MMs play an active role in influencing both top management and end users and importantly shows that the role MMs play differs from one stage to another of the digital transformation of the organisation. The study identifies a three-stage model of modular digital transformation, where MMs acted as implementers and negotiators in the initial core digitalisation stage of digit...

2024, International Journal of Business Information Systems Strategies (IJBISS)

Agile methodologies play a pivotal role in enhancing flexibility, responsiveness, and efficiency within IT and information systems (IS) management. This study examines the evolving landscape of agile practices, providing a comprehensive exploration of key trends expected to shape the next decade. These include the adoption of hybrid methodologies that combine agile and traditional approaches, the increasing integration of artificial intelligence (AI) and automation to optimize workflows, and the growing reliance on remote agile teams to foster global collaboration. Utilizing a research-driven approach, the study identifies critical challenges faced by organizations, such as bridging skill gaps, overcoming cultural resistance, and balancing agility with governance requirements. Strategies to address these challenges are also proposed, emphasizing the need for continuous learning and customer-centric innovation. By offering actionable insights, this work aims to guide practitioners and researchers in navigating the complexities of digital transformation and unlocking the full potential of agile methodologies.

2024, Unpublished

Public service organizations, including museums and other cultural institutions, are facing unprecedented challenges in the work they do while at the same time navigating changing expectations about how work gets done. The success of... more

2024, International Journal of Managing Projects in Business

Purpose: The requirements of various participants of a project may be conflicting with the strategy of the project's parent organization and, consequently, the project may form its individual strategy independently to better align with the factors in its environment. We describe the formation of the strategy of a project as a response to the project's environment. We provide insight into a project's strategy formation, where the project does not merely reflect the strategy of the parent but where the parent is only one influential actor (of many) in the project's environment. Design/methodology/approach: To increase our understanding of the relationship between the project's environment, the strategy of the project based firm and the strategy formation of a project, we analyze a project of a metallurgy firm in the empirical case study. We use project literature and corporate venturing literature. We look for the dimensions of project strategy and the factors in the project's environment and we study how the factors in the environment shape the project's strategy. Findings: Our analysis suggests that factors in the internal and external environments affect the strategy formation with varying strength. The strategy of the case project was formed in a microlevel iterative processes, in interaction between dimensions of strategy of the project and factors in environment. The empirical case study suggests that a project initiated with factors having strong external influence has to face contradiction between the selected strategy and many related influential factors in the parent organization of the project. Originality/value: This paper contributes to our understanding of how the strategy of an individual project is formed through micro-level processes that are related to external and internal factors that affect the strategy formation.

2024, International Journal of Research Publication and Reviews

The shift towards agile organizational design has become increasingly prominent in the digital age, as businesses seek to enhance flexibility, innovation, and adaptability. This study examines the influence of agile structures on employee engagement and performance, focusing on how these modern designs affect the overall productivity and satisfaction of the workforce. Agile organizational design, characterized by cross-functional teams, decentralized decision-making, and iterative processes, promotes responsiveness to market changes and customer demands. However, there is a growing need to understand its implications for employee well-being, motivation, and long-term organizational outcomes. Through a comprehensive review of existing literature and case studies from industries that have implemented agile methodologies, this research explores the effectiveness of agile frameworks in fostering a more engaged workforce. Key factors such as communication, autonomy, team dynamics, and leadership styles are analysed to assess their role in shaping employee behaviour in an agile setting. Furthermore, the study highlights potential challenges, including the risk of burnout and the complexities of managing a constantly evolving workplace structure. The findings suggest that while agile design can significantly improve employee engagement and performance, it requires careful alignment with the company's culture, leadership, and strategic goals to be truly effective. Organizations must also provide continuous support, training, and resources to ensure a smooth transition to and sustainable operation of agile systems. This research contributes to the growing body of knowledge on organizational design, providing insights for business leaders and HR professionals aiming to enhance employee satisfaction and overall productivity.

2024

In completing this research I am indebted and deeply grateful and express my sincere gratitude to the following people who stood by me to complete my studies and thesis-My wife, Arina for her encouragement, patience and for the personal sacrifices that she made in supporting me through this research. My twins Mélaine and Colhardt for giving up time with dad during the first three precious years of their lives. My parents, brothers and family for their interest and words of encouragement during this process. Dr Daan De Villiers, my supervisor, for the passion that he displayed for my research, as well as for his guidance, advice and continual prompt response. Daleen De Beer for the professional language editing. All the employees who contributed to the research project. DECLARATION I, the undersigned, hereby declare that this dissertation titled 'Significance of the Organisation's Climate on Cross-Functional Behaviour and Activities' is my own original work. It is being submitted in partial fulfilment of the degree Masters in Business Administration at the Graduate School of Business Leadership,

2024, Social Sciences

The modern challenges of business success make the use of interdisciplinary cross-functional teamwork necessary to tackle social and economic issues alike. The study examines the role of knowledge hiding in within-team coopetition, taking into account its subsequent factors influencing team efficiency. For the investigation, a self-made model was applied that associates the personality of individuals, their role inside the organization and work-environmental aspects with the individual’s behavior as the antecedent of within-team competition. The objective of this study revolves around the question of which factors apply to the efficiency of cross-functional teams. The modern concept of interdisciplinary coopetition faces more difficulties than traditional teams regarding voluntary adoption in new environments. The model was empirically applied to a dataset of 129 participants working in cross-functional teams. Three hypotheses were drafted and statistically evaluated. The factor of knowledge hiding was evaluated as one of the crucial factors blocking the efficiency of team-based work, based on the results from the literature review. This was further fueled by antagonistic behavior and a competitive supervisor. The empirical findings further elaborate that individuals with a competitive supervisor tend to be more antagonistic and competitive themselves. Equally, a highly developed personality trait of antagonism correlates positively with knowledge hiding, thereby resulting in the limiting of team performance. Surprisingly, competitiveness among individuals is negatively correlated with knowledge hiding, indicating that different personality traits and different real-life situations react drastically differently towards competitive environments. The results close the research gap of a strategic necessity for supervisors and managers designing business organizations alike, namely, that an individually adapted and situationally aware leadership is indispensable for a successful cross-functional team approach, even more than in traditional team compositions. As for now, only the effects on personality in educational environments were discussed in previous research.

2024, International Journal of Interactive Mobile Technologies

The study examines the behaviour of two characteristic traits on knowledge retention, mediated using modern smartphone usage in the corporate environment of cross-functional teams. For the investigation, a selfmade model was applied that associates the personality, focusing on the traits of neuroticism and openness towards new concepts and statistically evaluates the effect of increased technological usage. A dataset of 101 individuals working in cross-functional teams was used to test the model. A total of four main hypotheses were developed and statistically tested. Exalted presence of openness towards new experiences was evaluated as a critical factor leading to decreasing knowledge retention. Furthermore, although it was deducted, that neuroticism could not be verified as a knowledge limiting factor in the applied model, smartphone usage could drastically reduce its potentially dangerous factors by using efficient and short communication channels, reaffirmation and commendation by higher-ups and colleagues alike to bolster the missing self-esteem and self-consciousness of neurotic individuals. In contrast, openness was not connected significantly to deliberate knowledge hiding, as individuals incorporating this trait presumably tend to use technological tools of all kinds inherently due to their eagerness to experiment.

2024, International Journal of Product Lifecycle Management

This study aims to extend the product portfolio management (PPM) practices to cover all lifecycle phases and product portfolio layers by the means of comprehensively analysing the current PPM literature and the relevant practices of ten case companies. The principal results of this study include designing ontologies for the potential new business process hierarchy and for new PPM process concept over product lifecycle phases and portfolio layers. The new PPM concept proposal has Author been discussed and validated within a case company focus group to acknowledge the obtained comments. The results of this study can help cross-functional management teams in creating and implementing a process management approach for active PPM practices.

2024, Knowledge Solutions

In a Word Virtual team management is the ability to organize and coordinate with effect, a group whose members are not in the same location or time zone, and may not even work for the organization. The predictor of success is-as always-clarity of purpose. But group participation in achieving that is more than ever important to compensate for lost context. Virtual team management requires deeper understanding of people, process, and technology, and recognition that trust is a more limiting factor compared with face-to-face interactions.

2024, International Journal of Technology Management

In a growing number of industries, firms' survival and competitiveness depend on how well they can leverage on past experience, reusing and recombining knowledge to innovate their products and processes. This entails managing the sharing and transfer of a huge amount of knowledge from one project to another over time, fostering synergy and learning. Many firms are thus investing in new Information and Communication Technology (ICT) applications like three-dimensional Computer Aided Design (3-D CAD), internal and external computer communication networks and Product Data Management (PDM) systems. On the basis of the results of three exploratory case studies, and a survey of 79 companies, this paper investigates relations between different approaches to knowledge transfer and patterns of adoption of ICT applications also exploring effects on firms' innovation capabilities in the long term. The results of this study and their managerial implications are not trivial: different choices in terms of ICT applications can have long term effects on a firm's innovation performance.

2024

En un mercado competitivo, la eficiencia, la agilidad y la capacidad de adaptación serán claves para el éxito. Este artículo presentará la implementación de equipos cross-funcionales con Scrum en Impulsora Sahuayo, Sucursal Chihuahua, como una estrategia para impulsar el crecimiento y la rentabilidad del negocio. Se analizará el impacto en proveedores, almacenamiento, logística, competidores y clientes, integrando áreas como sistemas, cuentas por cobrar, recursos humanos, ventas, despachadores y auxiliares. Se destacarán ejemplos concretos que ilustren cómo Scrum mejorará la gestión del inventario, la eficiencia operativa y la satisfacción del cliente. La conclusión resaltará el impacto positivo esperado en la eficiencia, la rentabilidad y la capacidad de adaptación al mercado.

2024

This thesis is submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of MRes

2024, International Journal of Product Lifecycle Management

2024, European Management Journal

During the recent decades, management research has paid a lot of attention to the importance of middle managersÕ involvement and middle managersÕ knowledge in the running of innovative organizations. This study is in line with a growing literature on the crucial role of middle managers in developing organizational capabilities and subsequently in improving company performance. It is suggested that the involvement of middle managers adds value not only to the implementation of strategy but also to its formulation. The objective of this study is to examine how the involvement of middle managers in the strategy making process and their autonomy contribute to developing organizational capabilities and, as a result, to improving firm performance. In other words, we tested the mediating role of organizational capabilities on the relationship between middle man-agersÕ involvement, middle managersÕ autonomy and company performance. To this end, we conducted a quantitative empirical study among 372 European companies that reveals that organizational capabilities play a mediating role in the relationship between middle managersÕ involvement, middle managersÕ autonomy and firm performance.

2023, Journal for the advancement of performance information and value

The sub-process of selecting team members, as in people not organizations, is not applied. It is however a fact that interconnections and boundaries are formed between individuals within a team and teams as a whole within the project and these cause complexity. Complexity characteristics have been identified and if project practitioners understand how these affect the process of selecting team members they will be able to manage its affects. A study was conducted with construction project practitioners from six organizations, which included questionnaires and interviews and investigated the level of implementation of team member selection and the level of actions taken / techniques used to manage the effects of complexity of interconnections. The results concur with previous findings that existing techniques are not implemented but also confirm that the process is not considered as means to manage the effects of complexity. Based on these findings a framework was developed which not only promotes the process and a number of the existing techniques but also enables practitioners to take appropriate action(s) for the management of the effects of complexity of interconnections using its characteristics.

2023

Every day, Academic Affairs can find ways to improve. There’s no better time than right now.

2023, Communications of The ACM

CROSS-FUNCTIONAL, ENTERPRISE, AND infrastructure systems integrate information across an organization for use by multiple stakeholders. 14,22 Development or configuration of these large, multimillion-dollar projects is normally overseen by top management in conjunction with the central information technology (IT) department. 21 There is, however, an increasing number of such systems arising from functional areas or departments in which users work, with central IT and top management being challenged to implement controls on these systems only after they go live. 13 Consider the following examples based on interviews conducted in recent years. Half were with chief information officers (CIOs). The other half were with their end users. Our aim was to understand the factors leading to bottom-up enterprise information systems. The first example is from a mid-size hospital in Auckland, New Zealand, where doctors had contracted with a paging service. In the second, university faculty adopted the Moodle learning-management system instead of their locally supported system. CIO: "This guy … who built this thing and hosted it out of a literally a garage somewhere in London, and they said, 'Well, we'd like to trial this.' And he said 'fine.' So they set up a trial using that hosted environment … they actually implemented it into something like 12 or 16 wards. It was just so successful that after the first month it grew like wildfire." Another CIO: "Blackboard was the official system … People said, 'We want to bring the Moodle environment test mode, and it will only be in test mode, and we will see how that goes… so they started using lectures on them, so it became a production environment. But it was under their control sitting somewhere on some server, and they've got an organization functionally dependent on shadow IT." Bottom-up enterprise information systems are not sanctioned by central IT, the official group within an

2023

The present study is a qualitative analysis of the tensions that occur in cross-functional teams (CFTs) and the way in which they can affect the teams' accomplishments. The research is focused on a single case, COHTTEC 2005, a program aimed at transforming new technologies into businesses that took place in Lisbon, Portugal, starting March 2005. In this program, participants were organized in cross-functional teams that included researchers and management students. Semi-structured interviews were made to a sample of 17 participants. These interviews were recorded and transcribed. A table was then elaborated based on the primary data provided by the subjects and these data were classified in different categories. A three-stage model of group dynamics is proposed. The major findings of this project point to the role of interpersonal relationships on group outcomes. More specifically, several patterns associated with team malfunction were uncovered, the clearest ones being autocrat...

2023, European Conference on Information Systems

2023, BCK/CCG Coaching Resources

Test your knowledge and explore the nature of 15 different leadership styles.

2023

In this paper we provide a foundation for a new generation of services and tools. We define new ways of capturing, sharing and reusing information and intelligence provided by single users and communities, as well as organizations by enabling the extraction, generation, interpretation and management of Collective Intelligence from user generated digital multimedia content. Different layers of intelligence are generated, which together constitute the notion of Collective Intelligence. The automatic generation of Collective Intelligence constitutes a departure from traditional methods for information sharing, since information from both the multimedia content and social aspects will be merged, while at the same time the social dynamics will be taken into account. In the context of this work, we present two case studies: an Emergency Response and a Consumers Social Group case study.

2023, Information Systems Frontiers

2023, Corporate Communications: An International Journal

article-type="back-matter" dtd-version="1.1d1" xml:lang="en">CCIJ<journal-id... more

article-type="back-matter" dtd-version="1.1d1" xml:lang="en">CCIJ10.1108/CCIJCorporate Communications: An International JournalCCIJ1356-3289Emerald Publishing Limited607228<article-id pub-id-type="

2023, Technovation

Though there has been plenty of research into new product success factors, only a few studies have tried to analyse whether these factors are important in different settings. In this study, we propose and test a model that links physical proximity among functional units, presence of product champions, crossfunctional harmony, and new product program performance. The moderating effects of perceived technological turbulence on relationships between new product performance and its antecedents are also tested. Our results, obtained from 151 managers working for Spanish firms with a R&D department, confirm the different impact of these factors on the three measures of performance considered and also on two groups of organizations, the ones that perceive high technological turbulence and the ones that perceive low technological turbulence.

2023, Journal of Engineering, Design and Technology

Purpose The implementation of project-based learning (PBL) activities in the curricula of engineering students has become a consolidated method to improve their skills. The purpose of this paper is to share the experience acquired by the authors from a decennial case-study on a student team PBL activity focused on design and development of human-powered vehicles (HPVs). A review of the project evolution, boundary constraints and management choices could provide inspiration and suggestions to faculty staff that would like to set-up similar experiences for engineering students in their universities. Design/methodology/approach A student team was funded by the authors in 2008 to gather engineering students interested in design and construction of HPVs. In the past decade, the team has grown from 10 up to 60 students enrolled per year and stimulated to develop a range of HPV designs for sports and mobility. The project management evolved as a consequence to com ply with the growing ambi...

2023, Industrial Marketing Management

Demand-supply alignment as a means for value creation in the marketplace is not a new concept either in the marketing or supply chain management literature. Recent developments in demand chain management (DCM) revamp this issue, which is particularly critical for today's firms. DCM studies, however, remain isolated from wider academic debates and are unclear on the processes required for the demand-supply alignment inside the firm, incurring the risk of becoming irrelevant. Through a systematic literature review and qualitative content analysis, we leveraged the existing knowledge on interfaces between intra-firm departments to identify the dimensions of demand-supply alignment and map the drivers, enablers and consequences of implementing such an alignment. These outcomes, together with theoretical perspectives, are used to improve the idea of DCM, ground theoretical reflections on the concept and suggest avenues for research. This study should interest researchers and practitioners willing to adopt the DCM strategy.

2023

Advancements in CMOS technologies have led to an era of Internet Of Things (IOT), where the devices have the ability to communicate with each other apart from their computational power. As more and more sensitive data is processed by embedded devices, the trend towards lightweight and efficient cryptographic primitives has gained significant momentum. Achieving a perfect security in silicon is extremely difficult, as the traditional cryptographic implementations are vulnerable to various active and passive attacks. There is also a threat in the form of "hardware Trojans" inserted into the supply chain by the untrusted third-party manufacturers for economic incentives. Apart from the threats in various forms, some of the embedded security applications such as random number generators (RNGs) suffer from the impacts of process variations and noise in nanometer CMOS. Despite their disadvantages, the random and unique nature of process variations can be exploited for generating...

2023, Strategy & Leadership

Every merger and acquisition deal presents a different goal and a different mix of critical issues to manage. Making, consummating, and integrating a deal puts pressure on chief executives to play multiple leadership roles and switch quickly from one role to another throughout the merger process. The roles employed vary dramatically with the type of deal and how ambitious the strategy. As the rationales for transactions have changed, new challenges have evolved, especially for those leading the deals: leaders must establish and communicate the strategic vision for the merger ‐‐ they need to explain the top four or five sources of value in the deal and what the core values and culture of the new organization should be; leaders must cheer on the stakeholders to generate enthusiasm for the merger or acquisition, and to confront fear and uncertainty in its various forms; leaders must close the deal; leaders captain change by managing the integration of the two entities; and leaders crus...

2023, Journal of Artificial Societies and Social Simulation

This paper is a comprehensive presentation of a framework for the modeling, the simulation and the analysis of power relationships in social organizations, and more generally in systems of organized action. This framework relies on, and slightly extends, the Crozier and Freidber's sociology of organized action (also called strategic analysis), which supports a methodology for understanding why, in an organizational context, people behave as they do. SocLab intends to complement the discursive statement of sociological analyses with a formal formulation easing the objectivization of findings. It consists of a meta-model of organizations, a model of bounded-rational social actors behavior and analytical tools for the study of the structural properties of organizations.

2023, Academy of Management Proceedings

2023, Proceedings of the American Society for Information Science and Technology

2023

Die ZBW räumt Ihnen als Nutzerin/Nutzer das unentgeltliche, räumlich unbeschränkte und zeitlich auf die Dauer des Schutzrechts beschränkte einfache Recht ein, das ausgewählte Werk im Rahmen der unter

2023

Problem statement: Although, literature proves the importance of the technology role in the effectiveness of virtual research and development (R&D) teams for new product development. However, the factors that make technology construct in a virtual R&D team are still ambiguous. The manager of virtual R&D teams for new product development does not know which type of technology should be used. Approach: To address the gap and answer the question, the study presents a set of factors that make a technology construct. The proposed construct modified by finding of the field survey (N = 240). We empirically examine the relationship between construct and its factors by employing the Structural Equation Modeling (SEM). A measurement model built base on the 19 preliminary factors that extracted from literature review. The result shows 10 factors out of 19 factors maintaining to make technology construct. Result: These 10 technology factors can be grouped into two constructs namely Web base com...

2023, International Journal of Management and Enterprise Development

The present study discusses the development of strategic renewal through the role of middle managers who pay proper attention to changes in their respective business environments. The following three approaches are used in this study: strategic renewal, the attention-based view and the strategic role of middle managers and uses the state-owned enterprise infrastructure in Indonesia to illustrate that middle managers can influence the course of a firm's strategy. Middle managers at a particular position are more likely to change their firm-level strategies. Middle managers exert their influence by directing the attention of the top management to strategic opportunities. Such an effort is possible if middle managers pay attention to the changes in the firm's environment, which requires support from several organisational factors as well. However, such a middle manager role is more effective when it is played by managers who are knowledgeable and experienced.

2023, International Journal of Management and Enterprise Development

2023, Mental Health and Social Inclusion

Purpose Peer support is increasingly being introduced into mainstream mental health services internationally. The distinctiveness of peer support, compared to other mental health support, has been linked to values underpinning peer support. Evidence suggests that there are challenges to maintaining those values in the context of highly standardised organisational environments. The purpose of this paper is to describe a “principles-based” approach to developing and evaluating a new peer worker role in mental health services. Design/methodology/approach A set of peer support values was generated through systematic review of research about one-to-one peer support, and a second set produced by a UK National Expert Panel of people sharing, leading or researching peer support from a lived experience perspective. Value sets were integrated by the research team – including researchers working from a lived experience perspective – to produce a principles framework for developing and evaluati...

2023

Factors that influence knowledge sharing among knowledge workers in organizations can seriously affect performance and productivity because poor understanding of these factors can de-motivate knowledge sharing culture and attitude in the organizations The aim of this investigation is to study the factors that influence knowledge sharing in organization and the relationship between those factors. The study looks at six factors: Information Technology, Learning Strategy, Outcome Expectations, Trust, Reward and the role of affect in this research. The role of Affect is introduced into this research base on strong evidence highlighted by many related works that support the significance of affect that can influence knowledge sharing in organizations. This research interviewed 13 individuals from a total of five (5) participating organizations to collect their views on questions designed to solicit important details pertaining to factors discussed above. The outcomes of our findings highl...

2023, International Journal of Organizational and Collective Intelligence

Social Media intelligence allow the knowledge of competitor's moves and the analysis of trends from the communications exchanged in the networks of individual consumers, making it easy for companies to develop solutions according to their clients and prospects desires. There are several characteristics that describe the quality of information that will allow the analysis of the value of the information used. Information is an important aid in the decision making process and must be of quality to improve its value. Marketing trends and competitive information is needed to clear decision-making about what products develop, for what customers, at what cost, through which distribution channels, reducing the uncertainty that a new product/service development always brings. Learning how to extract quality information, unbiased, valuable for business, from these social tools is the aim of this work, sharing with the interested parties some ways of using it for their profit and competit...

2022

The manufacturing industry is going through a transition from developing of products to the provision of product-service systems (PSS). Earlier research has identified different types of PSS offers in this product-service transition, from product offers that include services as “add-on”, to the sale of services that include tangible goods as “add-on”. This paper addresses what consequences this has on manufacturing organizations undergoing product-service transition. The purpose of the paper is to clarify key success factors for organizational changes needed in the transition process of developing different types of PSS offers. The results are based on the ongoing case study of a manufacturer in the aerospace domain; the analysis approached organizational transformation from organizational theory perspective. The study identified four key areas that need to be considered in the organizational transformation to PSS development: Business strategy and decision-making, Internal organiza...

2022, Proceedings of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, Part B: Journal of Engineering Manufacture

The second part of this article reports our query into the essential characteristics of effective engineering networks in the current business environments through case studies focusing on engineering design, manufacturing engineering, and engineering services. The engineering networks of four global leading companies were studied to refine, enrich, and extend the preliminary understandings gained from the first part of this article. The case studies suggested essential characteristics of effective engineering networks in four main areas, including (1) efficient engineering processes, (2) effective engineering learning, (3) flexible engineering resources, and (4) digital engineering environment. This contributes to the theoretical understanding of international engineering operations by bridging a missing link between the engineering network theories and the unique nature of engineering. It is expected that the findings can help managers to improve the performance of their engineeri...

2022, Corporate Communications: An International Journal

2022, 2017 IEEE Technology & Engineering Management Conference (TEMSCON)

Today, the manufacturing industry is under increasing pressure to rapidly develop and manufacture innovative designs in much shorter timeframes in order to keep up with growing customer demands and quickly gain new business. Implementing Design for Manufacturing (DFM) methods can help achieve this by integrating manufacturing knowledge into the design process early in the product development phase. This can prevent potentially known manufacturing defects from occurring and save costs associated with late design changes. The management of this process in complex manufacturing environments is very challenging as it requires constant structuring and feedback of data from production to the engineering teams. This investigation focuses on how the communication of manufacturing knowledge from the production data can be hindered by factors within the overall organization. The findings confirm that using tools to manage knowledge needs to be combined with addressing the existing communicati...

2022, Proceedings of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, Part B: Journal of Engineering Manufacture

The UK Government considers its Aerospace Industry a remarkable success story, enjoying a global market share of 17% in 2015. The capture, management and sharing of employee knowledge is seen as vital if the industry is to remain highly innovative and retain its pre-eminent position internationally. Aerospace manufacturers, such as BAE Systems, often have to re-engineer business processes routinely to ensure their survival. Knowledge sharing in the industry is seen as challenging due to the dispersed nature of its operations and multi-tier supply chains. This article, through a 5-year participant-observation study at the World’s second largest aerospace and defence organisation, BAE Systems, proposes a new paradigm for virtual knowledge sharing in dispersed aerospace product development based on emergent social software platforms such as Enterprise 2.0 technologies. The developed framework and methodologies are applied to the bespoke BAE Systems’ engineering lifecycle process to val...

2022

The performance of cross-functional workgroups is the keystone of a matrix organization, yet the majority of them have proven to be ineffective most of the time. In an abundant number of scientific publications, we can find a variety of solutions suggesting improvement of matrix functioning by re-enforcing or disputing existing policies and procedures underpinning the definition of a matrix organization. Notwithstanding the need for clarity about roles, responsibilities, and procedures, these theories leave mostly unexplored the social and emotional impact of matrix organizations’ typical power-balancing on the participants in cross-functional teams. Using a psychoanalytical approach, this study aims to promote a deeper understanding of the effects of the asymmetrical power and trust conditions on the ability to build relationships and foster cooperation within these teams. The ethnographic study draws on 10 in-depth interviews with participants of a key cross-functional project of ...