Thesis (PhD)--University of Stellenbosch, 2003. / 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. / 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.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:sun/oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/16059 |
| Date | 04 1900 |
| Creators | Kleingeld, Anton W. |
| Contributors | Ross, V., Lorenzen, L., University of Stellenbosch. Faculty of Engineering. Dept. of Process Engineering. |
| Publisher | Stellenbosch : University of Stellenbosch |
| Source Sets | South African National ETD Portal |
| Language | en_ZA |
| Detected Language | Unknown |
| Type | Thesis |
| Format | xv, 190 leaves : ill. |
| Rights | University of Stellenbosch |
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