Project radicalness and maturity : a contingency model for the importance of enablers of technological innovation
| dc.contributor.advisor | Ross, V. | |
| dc.contributor.advisor | Lorenzen, L. | |
| dc.contributor.author | Kleingeld, Anton W. | |
| dc.contributor.other | University of Stellenbosch. Faculty of Engineering. Dept. of Process Engineering. | |
| dc.date.accessioned | 2011-08-11T08:07:47Z | |
| dc.date.available | 2011-08-11T08:07:47Z | |
| dc.date.issued | 2003-04 | |
| dc.description | Thesis (PhD)--University of Stellenbosch, 2003. | en_ZA |
| dc.description.abstract | ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The main proposition of this study is that the notion of a single set of universal success factors (enablers) of innovation is naïve. Rather, the importances of different enablers are contextually based and dependent upon different kinds of projects and their attributes. By investigating the roles of project radicalness and maturity in governing the importance of enablers of innovation in the process industries, two major conclusions were made, viz. (1) the importance of enablers are significantly moderated by project attributes, and (2) the mutual interactions between moderators of enabler importance prevent the formulation of middle-range theories of innovation radicalness or maturity, which propose normative relationships between innovation attributes and enabler importance. Although a number of previous studies have posited such outcomes, this study provides empirical evidence thereof for a set of generic enablers of innovation. These findings have suggested that the modelling of innovation at the project level should follow a contingent approach. While contingency theory has widely been applied to correlate structural and environmental attributes when the unit of analysis is the organisation, the literature on project management has largely ignored the importance of project contingencies, assuming that all projects share a universal set of managerial characteristics. This void is addressed through the development of a contingency model of the influence of secondary contingencies (project radicalness and maturity) on the importance of enablers. It represents an integrative perspective of the contextual importance of a number of enablers (and constructs thereof) that have previously been investigated and reported independently. Given that theory development in project management is still in its early years, it may therefore be concluded that the study contributes to the validity of classical contingency theory arguments in the context of the project. Although it does not consider an exhaustive list of all possible contingencies, and findings thereof strictly pertain only to process innovation, it does represent a considerable step in the evolving process of theory development on the modelling of innovation at the project level. | en_ZA |
| dc.description.abstract | AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die studie poneer in hoofsaak dat die idee van ‘n enkele stel universele suksesfaktore (drywers) vir innovasie, eng is. Dit word eerder voorgestel dat die belangrikheid van verskillende drywers kontekstueel is en bepaal word deur verskillende tipes projekte en hul eienskappe. Na gelang van ‘n ondersoek na die rolle van projek radikaalheid en stadium van ontwikkeling in die bepaling van die belangrikheid van drywers van innovasie, is twee hoofgevolgtrekkings gemaak, naamlik dat (1) projekeienskappe ‘n beduidende invloed op die relatiewe belangrikheid van drywers het, en (2) die onderlinge interaksies tussen moderators van die belangrikheid van drywers dit verhoed om middelomvang teorieë van innovasie radikaalheid of stadium van ontwikkeling te formuleer, wat normatiewe verhoudings tussen die eienskappe van innovasies en hul drywers voorstel. Alhoewel sulke resultate deur ‘n aantal vorige studies gepostuleer is, verskaf hierdie studie empiriese bewyse daarvan in terme van ‘n generiese stel drywers van innovasie. Bevindinge in hierdie verband het getoon dat innovasie op die projek-vlak deur ‘n voorwaardelikheidsmodel gemodelleer moet word. Alhoewel voorwaardelikheidsteorie algemeen gebruik word om strukturele en omgewingseienskappe op organisatoriese vlak te korrelleer, het die projekbestuur-literatuur tot dusver grootliks die belangrikheid van projekvoorwaardelikhede geïgnoreer deur aan te neem dat alle projekte ‘n universele stel bestuurseienskappe deel. Hierdie leemte word geadresseer deur die ontwikkeling van ‘n voorwaardelikheidsmodel vir die invloed van sekondêre voorwaardelikhede (projek radikaalheid en stadium van ontwikkeling) op die belangrikheid van drywers. Dit verteenwoordig ‘n geïntegreerde perspektief van die kontekstuele belangrikheid van ‘n aantal drywers (en konstrukte daarvan) wat voorheen onafhanklik nagevors en gepubliseer is. Aangesien teorie ontwikkeling in projekbestuur steeds jonk is, word die gevolgtrekking gemaak dat die studie bydra tot die geldigheid van klassieke voorwaardelikheidsteorieargumente in die konteks van die projek. Alhoewel dit nie ‘n veelomvattende lys van alle moontlike voorwaardelikhede beskou nie, en die bevindinge daarvan streng gesproke slegs betrekking het op proses-innovasie, verteenwoordig die studie ‘n beduidende stap vorentoe vir teorie-ontwikkeling in die modellering van innovasie op die projek-vlak. | af |
| dc.format.extent | xv, 190 leaves : ill. | |
| dc.identifier.uri | http://hdl.handle.net/10019.1/16059 | |
| dc.language.iso | en_ZA | en_ZA |
| dc.publisher | Stellenbosch : University of Stellenbosch | |
| dc.rights.holder | University of Stellenbosch | |
| dc.subject | Technological innovations | en_ZA |
| dc.subject | Production planning | en_ZA |
| dc.subject | Production engineering | en_ZA |
| dc.subject | New products | en_ZA |
| dc.subject | Theses -- Process engineering | en_ZA |
| dc.subject | Dissertations -- Process engineering | en_ZA |
| dc.title | Project radicalness and maturity : a contingency model for the importance of enablers of technological innovation | en_ZA |
| dc.type | Thesis | en_ZA |