Project Management as a Strategic Tool for Innovation - A Case Study based on Sony Mobile Communications in Lund
(2018) BUSN09 20181Department of Business Administration
- Abstract
- It is questionable how project management can aid an organization’s pursuit of achieving a sustained competitive advantage through innovation. Especially within the technology industry, organizations are facing increasing competition in today’s dynamic environment and are obligated to act in order to fulfill customers’ eagerness for innovative products. This research study is targeted at merging the fields project management and innovation in the light of strategic management. A conceptual framework was derived from the literature review and guided the analysis and discussion. An abductive and qualitative research was undertaken in an exploratory fashion by means of a single case study of Sony Mobile Communications in Lund. Empirical data... (More)
- It is questionable how project management can aid an organization’s pursuit of achieving a sustained competitive advantage through innovation. Especially within the technology industry, organizations are facing increasing competition in today’s dynamic environment and are obligated to act in order to fulfill customers’ eagerness for innovative products. This research study is targeted at merging the fields project management and innovation in the light of strategic management. A conceptual framework was derived from the literature review and guided the analysis and discussion. An abductive and qualitative research was undertaken in an exploratory fashion by means of a single case study of Sony Mobile Communications in Lund. Empirical data was collected through semi-structured interviews and complemented by secondary data. The findings reveal that Sony Mobile Communications utilizes project management to facilitate innovation outside its core business, following a strategy of pursuing non-routine operations to attain a competitive advantage. Sony Mobile Communications organizes innovation along two initiatives through agile project management approaches. This allows the company to provide structure to the complex nature of innovation, while maintaining flexibility. Nevertheless, the study also reveals that too much projectification can harm a team and hinder the creativity of individuals. Thus, innovation can be negatively impacted. This study contributes with both theoretical and managerial implications. A small step for pioneering project management as a strategic tool utilized for innovation was taken. Other organizations can benefit from Sony Mobile Communications’ approach of utilizing project management for its strategic innovation pursuits.
Keywords: Innovation Project Management, Innovation, Project Management, Innovation Project, Project Team, Stakeholder Involvement, Sony Mobile Communications, Strategic Management, Strategic Tool (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
http://lup.lub.lu.se/student-papers/record/8951921
- author
- Herkenrath, Katharina LU and Grosselius, Lisa LU
- supervisor
- organization
- course
- BUSN09 20181
- year
- 2018
- type
- H1 - Master's Degree (One Year)
- subject
- language
- English
- id
- 8951921
- date added to LUP
- 2018-07-10 16:42:05
- date last changed
- 2018-07-10 16:42:05
@misc{8951921, abstract = {{It is questionable how project management can aid an organization’s pursuit of achieving a sustained competitive advantage through innovation. Especially within the technology industry, organizations are facing increasing competition in today’s dynamic environment and are obligated to act in order to fulfill customers’ eagerness for innovative products. This research study is targeted at merging the fields project management and innovation in the light of strategic management. A conceptual framework was derived from the literature review and guided the analysis and discussion. An abductive and qualitative research was undertaken in an exploratory fashion by means of a single case study of Sony Mobile Communications in Lund. Empirical data was collected through semi-structured interviews and complemented by secondary data. The findings reveal that Sony Mobile Communications utilizes project management to facilitate innovation outside its core business, following a strategy of pursuing non-routine operations to attain a competitive advantage. Sony Mobile Communications organizes innovation along two initiatives through agile project management approaches. This allows the company to provide structure to the complex nature of innovation, while maintaining flexibility. Nevertheless, the study also reveals that too much projectification can harm a team and hinder the creativity of individuals. Thus, innovation can be negatively impacted. This study contributes with both theoretical and managerial implications. A small step for pioneering project management as a strategic tool utilized for innovation was taken. Other organizations can benefit from Sony Mobile Communications’ approach of utilizing project management for its strategic innovation pursuits. Keywords: Innovation Project Management, Innovation, Project Management, Innovation Project, Project Team, Stakeholder Involvement, Sony Mobile Communications, Strategic Management, Strategic Tool}}, author = {{Herkenrath, Katharina and Grosselius, Lisa}}, language = {{eng}}, note = {{Student Paper}}, title = {{Project Management as a Strategic Tool for Innovation - A Case Study based on Sony Mobile Communications in Lund}}, year = {{2018}}, }