Business Studies

Teams and Complexity - merging theories towards a Finite Structure_Abstract

by Dimitris Antoniadis

To be published as a chapter in the book: 'Chaos and Complexity Theory for Management: Nonlinear Dynamics' (Ed. S.Banerjee) - Summer 2012

The process of structuring teams in projects is not implemented and practitioners have lost confidence in the process.... more The process of structuring teams in projects is not implemented and practitioners have lost confidence in the process. In order to improve the current status there is a need for a major rethink, one that will enable the structuring of teams/complex adaptive systems. Therefore using deductions drawn from research results, regarding the implementation of the process and the effects of complexity, a tentative proposal for a Finite Structural approach will be made for setting up and testing the structure of teams. This will be done by integrating a number of progressive theories not only from the field of organisation design but also from engineering, physics and psychology with theories such as Social Network Theory, Actor-Network Theory, Finite Element Analysis, complexity, clustering and cross functional team behaviours. This chapter will present the above and throw the gauntlet for discussion and improvement of the approach that will enable project managers, and not only, to improve the process of structuring of teams.


Keywords
Finite Structuring, Organisation design, Structuring project teams, Complexity, Project Management, Finite Element Analysis.

Leadership style and the management of the effects of complexity_Abstract

by Dimitris Antoniadis

To be published as a Chapter in the Book: 'Chaos and Complexity Theory for Management: Nonlinear Dynamics' (Ed. S.Banerjee) - Summer 2012

Within any organisation be that a project or a company department a number of people / ‘systems’ come together to... more Within any organisation be that a project or a company department a number of people / ‘systems’ come together to perform tasks and deliver the expected outcome. In the process of performing those tasks a number of interconnections are generated that reinforce one another and result in behaviours that are very different to the norm and cause complexity. The author presents results from a wider research in construction which investigated the effect(s) of socio-organo complexity on project performance and particularly through the attribute of leadership style adopted. The results proved the nonlinearity between performance and complexity and lack of actions that will manage the effects of complexity. A framework was developed, validated and presented in this chapter, which, by using the characteristics of complexity, allows the measurement of the current level of actions and provides a set of additional actions that will enable management of complexity through the leadership style.


Keywords
Complexity, Management Style, Performance, Project Management.

Are Construction Professionals Good Strategic Managers?

by Dimitris Antoniadis

Published in proceedings of: PM-04 Conference, Greece 2008

The ability to formulate strategy involves synthesising complex, uncertain and often ambiguous information that... more The ability to formulate strategy involves synthesising complex, uncertain and often ambiguous information that necessitates a continuous need for senior managers to develop appropriate cognitive attributes.  Professionals involved in strategy formulation should be able to exhibit flexibility along with creativity to ensure that the organisation they lead is steered in the right direction in response to a changing and demanding business environment.  This paper is set out to explore the strategy formulation capabilities of construction professionals.  A range of senior managers from multidisciplinary construction organisations were interviewed in order to explore the various factors that contribute to the strategy formulation capabilities of the professionals.  The key factors identified were knowledge and skills. It is suggested that such an evaluation can have a significant role in increasing and improving strategic thinking, thereby enhancing the process of strategy formulation by construction professionals.

Keywords
Capability, Strategy Formulation, Construction, Professionals Project Management

Exploring complexity in construction projects

by Dimitris Antoniadis

Published in proceedings of conference: PM-04, Greece, 2008

Construction projects involve and generate a number of interfaces between the various parties as these come together... more Construction projects involve and generate a number of interfaces between the various parties as these come together to deliver the output. Projects are typically characterised by complexity and previous analyses have been conducted mainly
from the technical perspective. Only recently the subject of complexity has been linked to non-technical project aspects such as behavioural, social, cultural and interconnections. This paper is set out to describe the initial findings from 31 interviews with construction Project Managers which were carried out as part of an extensive investigation into socio-organisation complexity and its characteristics as this is created by the interconnection structures. In addition to the interviews, a
postal survey and five case studies have been carried out all focusing in the areas of selecting project team members, structuring the project team and the management style followed by the Project Managers. Results indicate that complexity although recognised is not defined and is identified predominantly by the control and mechanistic parts of project management processes.

Keywords
Project Complexity, Complexity Characteristics, Project Performance, Construction

Case Study: London Heathrow Terminal 3 – Pier 6 Project Control

by Dimitris Antoniadis

Published in proceeding of conference: PM-03 Greece, 2004

A major process within Project Management, which supports the Project Manager (PM) and the Team to set up, coordinate... more A major process within Project Management, which supports the Project Manager (PM) and the Team to set up, coordinate and subsequently monitor the project is that of Project Control.
Standard structures, i.e. Work Breakdown Structure (WBS), Cost Breakdown Structure (CBS), etc., as described in the Project Management Book of Knowledge (PM BoK), and other project coding need to be defined from the very early project stages. Management of interfaces between Planning, Estimating, Cost Control, Commercial and Finance disciplines, as well as processes such as Change Control, Progress Monitoring / Reporting, level(s) of rolling up of information from Contractors, Suppliers, Designers, Consultants, etc. is the ‘work arena’/environment where Project Control performs its daily functions.
British Airports Authority (BAA) responding to developments in the aircraft industry, specifically the introduction of the Airbus A380 – the biggest passenger carrier – is constructing in Heathrow Terminal 3 a Pier (Pier 6) that will accommodate all its demands.
Pier 6 which is the second biggest project within BAA, with tight budgetary and time demands, health and safety, energy and environmental demands, a large number of interfaces, and the requirement for passenger segregation, follows the standard company wide Major Project Process.
A large number of parties, Construction Manager, contractors, suppliers, design consultants and suppliers are working together through the different project stages to deliver the project.
This paper will describe the approach taken by the Project Control Manager and the Project Management team in setting up, and rolling out the Project Control processes and systems. In doing so, this case study will point out the number of benefits, at project as well as company level, that are derived from having and performing proper Project Controls.

KEYWORDS
Project control, Project Structures

Who works for whom, why and how: - A review of Resource and Project Management issues in a Client Organisation

by Dimitris Antoniadis

Published in the proceedings of the IPMA Congress 2004

Resource Management is a conflict-laden process especially in a Client organisation where a number of Design Engineers... more Resource Management is a conflict-laden process especially in a Client organisation where a number of Design Engineers are employed to support projects from inception to design and construction. Newbold R.C. [1] gives a list (see table below) of ‘What we want’ and ‘What we do to get it’ in Project Management.

What we want What We Do
1. Make projects on time 1. Try to make tasks on time
2. Produce more projects 2. Try to make people more efficient
3. Shrink project times 3. Try to shrink task times
4. Projects are within budget 4. Detailed Risk Analysis
5. Customer Satisfaction 5. Make more detailed specifications

In an extensive review of human resource management, leadership theories and employment modes, [2] suggest that certain leadership styles are more likely to be effective in managing workers in some employment modes than others. A number of authors [3, 4, 5, 6] also review the effect of leadership and describe how different employee groups have different characteristics and expectations.

This paper builds on current knowledge and extensive practical experience with Client organisations.  It will also put forward for consideration a number of recommendations, which have been tested in a real environment, covering the process of ‘human’ Resource Management as well as the responsibilities of the two main players - the Resource Manager and Project Manager. It will also highlight the benefits to the Company and furthermore the reasons for a Company wide approach to Resource Management. However, it should always be borne in mind that every Company has its own character, history and a above all a large number of individuals that create the character of the organisation.

Human Resource Management, in the project world and in particular in a Client’s Design office, is a conflict-laden process, which in many cases is amplified with the incomplete introduction of matrix management/ organisation  [7]. Without going into the details on the Resource Manager’s job description it will have to be agreed that the post is mainly responsible for (from the ‘What We Do’ list above):
• Dealing with items 1 and 2,
• Taking appropriate action(s) for item 3, as and when required, and
• The Quality of the output

This paper will identify and describe what the issues are, and then put forward detailed points for discussion regarding Resource Management.  For a better understanding and analysis, issues will be divided into global and local.
By global we mean Company level, where Senior Management will have to choose the appropriate overall approach, guidance and resolution of the issues arising.
By local issues we mean those that can/have to be resolved by the Human Resource Manager (hereafter called Resource Manager). G.Reiss [8] has described in detail the mechanics of resourcing in terms of resource allocation, aggregation, ‘aggravation’, levelling, smoothing, etc. and therefore this will not be expanded in this paper.

An Initial Review of Project Reporting in the Context of Complexity

by Dimitris Antoniadis

Published in the proceedings of ICEC-IPMA Congress, 2006

Complexity theory, defined by the experts as the study of interconnections / interrelations of systems (1) and (2), is... more Complexity theory, defined by the experts as the study of interconnections / interrelations of systems (1) and (2), is increasingly introduced in the field of Project Management in order to establish what and how affects projects and their delivery.
A considerable part of system interconnections is through a written form of communication – reports, memorandum, emails etc., therefore this form of communication can be assumed to be the ‘carrier’ and/or the pathogen that introduces complexity.
The authors of this paper advocate that the project reporting process is near the centre if not at the centre of causing the occurrence of complexity.
They will review current literature on the subject of project reporting, identify the reasons and highlight the areas in the reporting process part of the ‘regulatory activities’ (3) that need to be considered in order to reduce / minimise complexity in the project environment and enable ease of decision-making in complex, as well as non-complex environment.

Keywords: project reporting, complexity, communication, information management

Project Reporting and Complexity

by Dimitris Antoniadis

Published in proceeding of Conference of the Association of Construction Research Management, 2006

All project life cycles from the shortest to the longest demand from the project teams some type of reporting. more All project life cycles from the shortest to the longest demand from the project teams some type of reporting.
Currently the construction industry perceives reporting as a bureaucratic contractual process that occurs as and when demanded by the Client or the Senior Manager.  It does not contribute as much as it should to the decision making process and frequently the faster pace of the project makes the reporting process redundant. Reporting, as part of the written form of communication within the project system, is considered as the means of interconnecting the numerous activities that contribute towards the delivery of the project and the actors that are involved in the project.  The interconnections or interrelations are established through the report writers (encoders) and the recipients of the reports (decoders) and these are affected by a number of factors.  These factors and the number of interconnections introduce complexity.
In this paper the authors will review current literature in project reporting and will present examples of reporting features that contribute to project complexity.  They will discuss some of the key reporting attributes under the context of complexity and will propose a conceptual approach to minimise complexity driven in projects through reports.  Finally they will highlight the future challenge(s) that are faced by academia and the industry with regard to reports.

Keywords: communication, complexity, information management, project reporting

Evaluation of risks using 3D Risk Matrix

by Dimitris Antoniadis

Published in proceeding of ISEC-02 Rome 2003

Concerns and criticism are raised from Risk Management (RM) workshop facilitators and participants regarding the... more Concerns and criticism are raised from Risk Management (RM) workshop facilitators and participants regarding the limitations of the current methodologies as well as the subjective nature of the outcomes.  These concerns impede the acceptance of RM workshops and the actual process.

This paper introduces the concept of 3D Risk Matrix, risk prisms and pyramids and the methodology for ana-lysing risks according to the position of their 3D ‘coordinates’.

Comparison of results between the common 2D analysis and the proposed 3D concept will prove how the lat-ter improves the decision making process, as well as supporting RM facilitators and participants to consider simultaneously a combination of factors, for example likelihood, impact on time and cost and thus achieve acceptance of the outcome (reducing subjective decision making).

The proposed methodology will also improve visualisation, communication and understanding of the RM workshop inputs as well as outputs.

Managing Complexity of Interactions in Projects: A Framework for Decision Making

by Dimitris Antoniadis

Published in: International Centre for Complex Project Management, Taskforce Report - Chapter 2 - Part V, Sep 2011

The management of projects transpires in a complex environment. The application of complexity theory to the management... more The management of projects transpires in a complex environment. The application of complexity theory to the management of projects can, therefore, enable the systematic consideration of the conditions that give rise to such complexity.  A number of authors have indicated that interfaces generate complexity (Baccarini, 1996; Gidado, 1996; Williams, 1999), however complexity can be associated more with the interconnection structures that link various objects and not the objects themselves (Lucas, 2000a). Projects, and in particular mega projects, often involve a large number of parties and subsequently interconnections. These interconnections can generate complexity which has defined characteristics (Lucas, 2000b). Understanding the characteristics of these interconnections, especially from a socio-organisational standpoint and how these affect the project performance, can contribute to the design of more efficient project delivery systems.  In particular, it should enable project managers to respond with the necessary actions and improve the setting up of projects, the management style adopted and the decision-making process.  The 16 characteristics directly relevant have been mapped onto project conditions (Antoniadis, 2006).
In the last decade the effects of complexity on projects have been researched and a number of proposals have been made in terms of managing its effects.  Although heuristic considerations exist, which suggest an exponentially decaying/inverse correlation between complexity and project schedule performance, very little has been done to identify the exact relationship.  Furthermore, most of the studies have been carried out on the technical side and very little has been investigated in terms of the socio-organisational aspects of complexity of interconnections and its effects, especially when implementing processes such as selecting team members, structuring the project team, or the management style adopted. Research in the past also indicated that socio-organisational processes that contribute substantially to the project management outcome, such as selecting project team members, structuring the project team and consideration given to the management style to be adopted, has been minimal to non-existent.
This paper presents the results from a survey, interviews and five case studies investigating the effect(s) of socio-organo complexity on project performance.  The findings from this research, although carried out in the UK construction industry with major organisations - clients and contractors - reflect the wider problems faced by the project management profession and generally organisations that deal with projects. It is concluded that basic socio-organisational processes are not implemented, complexity is not considered when implementing these processes and that the relationship between project performance and complexity, although one of an inverse correlation, does not resemble a straight forward exponential decay curve but rather one of an underdamped transient motion.  This relationship, not only confirms the non-linearity of project management, especially regarding socio-organisational issues, but it can also be proven very powerful considering the potential extrapolation and implementation of techniques already proven in the field of systems control.
Considering the above and the basic principle that if we know the characteristics of complexity then it is feasible to establish the means to manage its effects, a framework was developed and validated by project management practitioners.  The framework measures the level of implementation of the respective process against each complexity characteristic and by providing a set of actions enables Project Managers (PMs) and Team Leaders (TLs) to manage the effects of complexity of interconnections on the project through the respective project management processes.

A Framework for the Managment of Complexity in Projects

by Dimitris Antoniadis

Published in: International Journal of Construction Project Management. Vol 3(1), 2011

Interconnections and boundaries between the project parties have been identified as causing complexity which, if not... more Interconnections and boundaries between the project parties have been identified as causing complexity which, if not managed, leads to reduction in performance. Understanding the characteristics of complexity of interconnections, and how these affect organising projects and the management style, will enable the development and implementation of innovative project actions and tools.  The authors present results from a study of UK construction organisations on the influences of complexity generated by the interconnections. The results have significant implications on how project teams are put together and managed; they also enabled the development of a framework for managing complexity of interconnections in projects.

Keywords
Complexity, Projects, Organisation, Management Style

Rethinking Project Organisation and Management

by Dimitris Antoniadis

Published in Journal of Civil Engineering and Architecture Vol 5(1), 2011

How projects should be organised and managed are two important aspects of the role that Project Managers perform and... more How projects should be organised and managed are two important aspects of the role that Project Managers perform and the processes involved can be linked to the measurement of the project management outcome.  Recent studies indicate that these processes are not implemented and concerns have been raised. The authors present an investigation into the current practices of the three soft project management subject matters of selecting project team members, structuring the teams and the management style followed in the construction industry in UK and their reflection upon the project management outcome.  The results confirm the concerns raised and indicate that the current levels of implementation by practitioners delivers only acceptable as opposed to successful level of project management outcome.  The findings call for a reconsideration of the approach taken when deciding how to organise and manage project teams and a redress towards improving project management outcome.

Keywords: Construction project organisation, management style, project management outcome

Structuring of Project Teams and Complexity

by Dimitris Antoniadis

Published in the IPMA Journal Project Perspectives 2012 - Sep'11

Project activities at the various levels within the delivery process have an influence on each other. This generates... more Project activities at the various levels within the delivery process have an influence on each other. This generates interconnections and boundaries between the activities as well as the individuals within a team, and teams as whole entities, within the project. The interconnection structures often give rise to complexity, which could lead to a reduction in performance if the resulting interface is not purposefully and efficiently managed. Understanding the characteristics of complexity caused by interconnections and their effect on the performance will enable better management of project teams. The authors present the results of a multi-method study of construction organisations to highlight the effects of complexity generated by the interconnections. Complexity in the management of projects and in particular the sub-process of structuring teams are reviewed in order to investigate the level of actions required to manage the effects of complexity. The results from the study have significant implications for the way the sub-process of structuring teams in projects is currently conducted and present opportunity for achieving innovation in the organisation of project teams.

Keywords: Complexity, Interconnections, Structuring of Project teams, Project Management processes, Project performance

Socio-organo Complexity and Project Performance

by Dimitris Antoniadis

Published in the IJPM - Vol 27(7)

Technical complexity has always been considered a factor which affects project performance. Scheduling and other... more Technical complexity has always been considered a factor which affects project performance. Scheduling and other mechanisms have been proposed which allow for the management of these effects. However, the effect of the complexity of interconnections, and in particular those caused by social interfaces and boundaries between the various teams, have not been investigated. Socio-organo complexity is caused by interconnections which if not managed could lead to a reduction in performance. Understanding the characteristics of complexity of interconnections, how these affect project schedule performance and what deductions can be extracted, will enable the development and implementation of innovative actions and tools that will support the management of the effects of complexity through the respective processes. The authors present results of five case studies, with UK construction organisations, which demonstrate that the effects of socio-organo complexity of interconnections have similarities with the behaviour of underdamped control systems. The results from the study have significant implications for the way socio-organisational issues are managed but will also enable parallels to be drawn between the fields of project management and control systems.

Keywords
Complexity, Interconnections, Project Schedule Performance, Control Systems

Framework for Managing Complexity of Interconnections in Projects

by Dimitris Antoniadis

Interconnections and boundaries between the various project parties have been identified as an area which requires... more Interconnections and boundaries between the various project parties have been identified as an area which requires careful consideration. Complexity is caused by interconnections and this could lead to a reduction in performance if the resulting interface is not purposefully and efficiently managed. Understanding the characteristics of complexity of interconnections, and how these affect organising projects and the management style will enable the development and implementation of innovative project actions and tools that will support the management of complexity through the respective processes. The authors present results from a study of UK construction organisations to shed more light on the influences of complexity generated by the interconnections. The results from the study have significant implications for the way project teams are put together and managed, and enabled the introduction of a framework for managing complexity of interconnections in projects.