The Project-Based Organisation: An ideal form for managing complex products and systems?

Product complexity, innovation and industrial organisation

Many of the world’s leading firms are developing a new model of industrial organization based on systems integration. Rather than performing all productive tasks in-house, companies are building the capabilities to design and integrate systems, while managing networks of component and subsystem suppliers. This article illustrates how systems integration evolved from its military, engineering-based, origins in the 1940s and 1950s to a modern-day strategic capability across a wide variety of sectors. Taking a resource-based view of the firm, the article shows how systems integration capabilities underpin the way high-technology companies compete by moving selectively up- and downstream in the marketplace through the simultaneous “twin” processes of vertical integration and disintegration. Systems integrators of capital goods move downstream into service-intensive offerings to expand revenue streams and increase profitability. By contrast, producers of high-volume components and consumer goods use systems integration capabilities to exploit upstream relationships with input suppliers. In both cases, strategic options and capabilities are shaped by the life cycle of each product. The article develops a clearer understanding of systems integration, arguing that it now represents a core capability of the modern high-technology corporation.

Systems integration: a core capability of the modern corporation

The product–process–organisation relationship in complex development projects

A new field of innovation research is developing around the theme of complex product systems (CoPS): high cost, engineering and software intensive products, systems, capital goods, networks and constructs, produced in projects or small batches. The paper poses ten questions concerning underlying innovation processes, company strategy, management, and project effectiveness and efficiency. In attempting to provide answers to the ten questions, the paper touches on the nature of best management practice in CoPS, common problems confronted (and how to overcome them), how to improve productivity and how to increase learning from project-to-project. The paper argues that innovation processes in CoPS differ in many respects from those commonly found in mass production, commodity goods made from standard components and, as a result, innovation management differs. Section 2 (Part 1) begins with three analytical questions concerning the intrinsic nature of CoPS, contrasting these with commodity goods. Section 3 (Part 2) presents six practical management questions frequently posed by managers. In conclusion, the final question touches on promising new research directions in the study of innovation in CoPS.

Technology management in complex product systems (CoPS) - ten questions answered

Studies of the broad effects of military expenditure on industrial performance have tended to follow a common course. They open by drawing attention to an association between indicators of performance, such as rates of economic growth or movements in trade shares, and national commitments to military procurement. The strength of this association (usually negative in recent times) suggests causation, which is usually explained by the opportunity costs of committing scarce resources to military R&D and production, the complexity of military technology, and the bad industrial practices fostered by reliance on protected markets. These explanations are supported by drawing upon case-studies, circumstantial evidence, and the collective wisdoms of the day.

From components to Integrated Systems: Technological Diversity and Interactions between the Military and Civilian Sectors

Popular Tasks used by Researchers

How can I help with your research?

Get more enhanced response by uploading the PDFs you want me to reference.

No relevant PDFs in your library

SciSpace is the AI research assistant for academics. Run systematic literature reviews on 280M+ papers, and write papers with cited sources. Trusted by 1M+ students, PhDs & researchers.

SciSpace | AI for Research

We encountered an error while loading the panel. Please try refreshing the page.

Something went wrong

Analyze PDFs

Code & Manuscripts

Funding & Grants

Literature & Patents

Medical & Clinical Data

Systematic Review

Visualize & Present

Web & Data

Build a Google Scholar-like website for your research.

Build a website

Create charts and images for your research

Create a Chart

Write a paper for submission to a journal

Draft a manuscript

Patent Search

Design eye-catching scientific posters in minutes.

Scientific Poster Generation

Systematic Literature Review

Anyone with the link can view this chat. You can switch it back to private anytime.

One task is running at the moment. Your messages will be shown right after.

Drag and drop or click here to browse

Loved by <highlight>1 million+</highlight> researchers

Extract a list of specific topics and their sources from unstructured text

Topics

Compare and analyze relevant papers that matches with your search

Papers

Get insights from PDFs and bookmarked papers from your library

My library

Recent searches

Try searching for:

Catch AI-generated content in scholarly and non-scholarly content

{ai} Detector

Ai Writer

Get PDF Summaries, highlighted text explanations 

Chat with PDF

Effortlessly create in-text citations and bibliographies in APA and 2,500 other formats

Citation generator

Get explanations, summaries, and answers on academic papers

Ease up your research workflow with {scispace}'s cohort of exciting AI tools

Elevate your academic writing skills and convey your ideas the way you want

Paraphraser

Explore our range of reading and writing tools

Your file is being prepared and should be ready in a few minutes. If it's a large file, it might take a bit longer. You can close this window, and we'll email you the file when it's done.

You have reached a maximum limit of <strong>{limit}</strong> columns in the table. Remove at least <strong>1</strong> column to add or create another one.

Mac Graham

Author Tools

Chat about Author

Papers

From components to Integrated Systems: Technological Diversity and Interactions between the Military and Civilian Sectors