This thesis documents an investigation into the nature of the influence exercised by participants in inter-organisational collaboration. The outcome of the research is a four dimensional framework which is intended as a conceptual device to aid practitioners in developing their understanding of this focal phenomenon. The framework identifies four important dimensions of influence: Influence Processes that Build Credibility, Relationships and Reciprocity in Collaborations; Resources for Building Influence in Collaborations; Bases of Influence - a tension appears to exist between influence attempts that are either characterised by rational behaviour or by emotive behaviour; Contextual Features of Collaboration - characteristics such as interdependence and asymmetrical relationships and perceptions of power that typically act as drivers that give rise to influencing behaviours among participants. The framework is distinctive in nature because of its potential to aid practitioners in a practical way to explore the nature of influence enacted by participants specifically within a collaborative context. It is also intended to provide a structured approach to navigating the complex field of relevant extant literature. The main dimensions of the framework could be presented as handles for reflective practice (Huxham and Vangen, 2005) and used to stimulate dialogue as to: how influence processes could be enacted; the types of resources that may enable the enactment of influence; the underlying tension between rational and emotive behaviour and the contextual features that may stimulate influencing behaviour. In this sense the framework could be used both as a diagnostic tool and a developmental tool. In this context the theoretical insights offered in the form of the conceptual framework central to this research may be considered as an extension of the theory of collaborative advantage (Huxham and Vangen, 2005).

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Change as a product of technology deployment projects has been investigated by management literature for some time, resulting to a rich texture of theoretical paradigms. However, this research stream has focused on change as an outcome, a 'product' of a project, imposed or 'sold' upon usually mainstream operations- services, organizational processes etc. Research on project relations has focused on the behaviour outside the project-that of the stakeholders. Most literature and research recommendations focus on how to manage and handle stakeholders and focus on how to change their behaviour, externally of the project.

Industrial projects are often complex and burdened with time pressures and a lack of information. The term 'soft-project' used here stands for projects where the ‘what’ and/or the ‘how’ is uncertain, which is often the experience in projects involving software intensive systems developments. This thesis intertwines the disciplines of project management and requirements engineering in a goal-oriented application of the maxim ‘keep all objectives satisfied’. It thus proposes a method for appraising projects. In this method, a goal-oriented analysis establishes a framework with which expert judgements are collected so as to construct a confidence profile in regard to the feasibility and adequacy of the project's planned outputs. It is hoped that this appraisal method will contribute to the activities of project ‘shaping’ and aligning stakeholders’ expectations whilst helping project managers appreciate what parts of their project can be progressed and what parts should be held pending further analysis. This thesis offers the following original contribution: an appreciation of appraisal in the project context; a goal-oriented confidence profiling technique; and: a technique to produce goal-refinement diagrams – referred to as Goal Sketching. Collectively these amount to a method for the ‘Goal Refinement Appraisal of Soft-Projects’ (GRASP). The validity of the GRASP method is shown for two projects. In the first it is used for shaping a business investigation project. This is done in real-time in the project. The second case is a retrospective study of an enterprise IT project. This case tests the effectiveness of forecasting project difficulty from an initial confidence profile.

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This study focuses on exploring the effect of conflict towards the social dynamics of the self-managed project team (SMPT) in small and medium sized knowledgeintensive firms (KIFs). Literature suggests that the implementation of SMPTs not only increases productivity in organisations but also contributes towards increasing employees’ involvement as the team is being managed by the team members rather than a formal leader who exists within the team. The team process involves people in different areas of expertise working together resulting in different opinions and views that are likely to cause conflicts. Thus, it is crucial for organisations to create understanding on the role of conflict and how it is managed within the SMPT in order to ensure the successfulness of this particular type of team. This study contributes to the understanding of how the SMPT is being influenced by different types of conflict and their management strategies as well as the extent of external leader involvement in conflict situations. This longitudinal study comprises of evidence collected through semi-structured interviews involving face-to-face interviews and weekly telephone interviews for twelve weeks with the managements and team members from six SMPTs in three small and medium sized KIFs in Malaysia. The in-depth exploration of conflict occurrences in SMPTs reveals the interrelatedness between different types of conflict as well as different approaches of conflict management strategies being adapted by SMPTs. The evidence suggests that over time, the positioning of external leaders in SMPTs change as a result of how conflict is managed. These empirical findings are developed into proposed models of the transformation of SMPTs.

Complex Engineering Product (CEP) modification businesses cover a wide range of project types. The diversity of the projects and the interaction of different stakeholders introduce difficulties in cost estimating. Also, the uncertainties and unknowns typical of these projects induce significant changes of scope as the project develops. A new approach for historical cost data re-use has been applied in this study that addresses the disjoints in business processes and data typical of complex engineering organisations. A model has been developed to make explicit and integrate the scope and cost in CEP modification projects. To integrate the different project stakeholders views while maintaining a common project vision the concept of the integrated Work Breakdown Structure (iWBS) has been developed. The concept is based on the combination of a project template, a rigid and a f1exiDle part for a project WBS. The iWBS allows for the flexibility required by the different people when carrying out their job and enhances the communication by allowing rapid response to changes. The data structure supports cost data re-use at two levels,' from project to project and between different phases of a project. A bid process has been defined to structure the business decision activities and participants, identifying explicit decision points where changes can affect the data structure. Thus, dealing with the changes typical of CEP modification projects. The study has used a case study approach based on the aircraft modification industry where detailed learning has been presented. The study contributes to a better understanding of CEP modifications and cost estimating for this type of businesses.

Purpose - To provide a unifying paradigm of project success by developing a generic model of project stakeholder satisfaction, through identifying the various theoretical constructs that contribute to it, researching their nature, relationship, dynamics and identifying any mechanisms involved. Design/methodology/approach - Initially from the project literature success and satisfaction were reviewed from the traditional approach of stakeholders and success criteria, however, a number of complementary constructs were found to contribute to stakeholder satisfaction. The multi-disciplined approach allowed the inductive development of two conceptual models the first related to the antecedents of satisfaction and the second related to a model of project stakeholder satisfaction. The conceptual models were reviewed in a case study setting consisting of experienced project team members involved in two concurrent projects taking place locally. The technique used to review and develop the model with the case study members was predominately a structured interview, however, where necessary and in order to capture the richness of qualitative data from the informants this technique was supplemented by the critical incident technique. Findings - The proposed models have implications both at theoretical and applied levels. The mapping and sequencing of satisfaction identifying how success criteria, service quality and value construct contribute to stakeholder satisfaction provides an explanation of the antecedents of satisfaction. The Model of Project Stakeholder Satisfaction identifies the influences, relationships and dynamics involved in the determination of stakeholder project satisfaction. The study also provides a success criteria hierarchy of twelve components, (four that relate to the output of a project and eight that relate to how project is delivered) that contribute to the satisfaction equation. The study also develops the argument that the formation of stakeholder attitude provides a natural boundary of when stakeholder satisfaction should be measured.