Projects as distributed cognitive actions : the management of two public building projects

Heikki Lonka

Projects as distributed cognitive actions : the management of two public building projects

Julkaisun otsikon käännös: Projektit hajautettuina kognitiivisina toimintoina. Kahden julkisen rakennushankkeen tutkimus

Heikki Lonka

Tuotantotalouden laitos

Tutkimustuotos: Doctoral Thesis › Monograph

Abstrakti

Kyseessä on kahden julkisen rakennushankkeen vertaileva tapaustutkimus. Tämä väitöskirja tutkii kahta julkista rakennushanketta hajautettuina kognitiivisina toimintoina. Hajautettu kognitio tutkii inhimillistä ajattelua jaettuna toimintana, ei pelkästään yksilön ominaisuutena. Hajautetussa kognitiossa useammat toimijat jakavat älyllisiä resursseja, kuten symbolista tietoa, suunnitelmia ja tavoitteita päästäkseen lopputuloksiin, joita kukaan yksin ei voisi saavuttaa. Monia hajautetun kognition käsitteitä voidaan soveltaa projektinjohtamisessa: mm. transaktiivista muistia, käytäntöyhteisöjä, heikkoja sidoksia ja tiedonvälittäjiä. Tämän tutkimuksen tarkoituksena on selvittää, voidaanko projektien tiedonhallinnan ongelmia selittää käyttämällä hajautetun kognition käsitteitä ja kunka projektien onnistumiseen vaikuttavia tekijöitä voitaisiin paremmin ymmärtää ja kuvata tutkimalla projekteja hajauttetuina kognitiivisina toimintoina. Tätä tarkoitusta varten on luotu metodi, jossa analyysi perustuu retrospektiivisiin projektien osallisten haastatteluihin ja projektien tuottamiin dokumentteihin. Tutkimuskysymyksiä on kolme: Mitä projektien eri vaiheissa tuotetut dokumentit ja artefaktit kertovat kollektiivisesta toiminnasta, joka ne on tuottanut? Voidaanko kahden projektin aikana tapahtuneet muutokset kuvata sosiaalisen verkoston dynaamisina muutoksina? Mitkä tekijät vaikuttivat projektien onnistumisiin ja epäonnistumisiin? Tutkimus muodostuu kahdesta erillisestä tapaustutkimuksesta. Ensimmäinen on koulun peruskorjaus. Kvalitatiivinen analyysi perustuu haastatteluihin (N=15) ja asiakirjoihin (N=534). Toinen on palvelukeskuksen peruskorjaus. Materiaali koostuu haastatteluista (N=21) ja asiakirjoista (N=2367). Molemmat hankkeet on tutkittu vaihe vaiheelta ja kunkin vaiheen verkostolinkit on kuvattu. Tutkimuksessa havaittiin, että rakennusprojekteja voidaan tutkia hajautettuina kognitiivisina järjestelminä. Seuraavat johtopäätelmät voitiin tehdä: Hajautetun kognitiivisen toiminnan laadulla oli yhteys projektien onnistumiseen. Tuotettujen artefaktien laatu ja käyttötapa vaikutti hankkeiden onnistumiseen. Verkoston toiminnan korkea laatu oli välttämätön edellytys projektien onnistumiselle. Ensimmäistä kertaa projekteja voitiin kuvata hajautettuna kognitiivisena toimintana tavalla, joka selitti niiden onnistumisen ja epäonnistumisen.

Julkaisun otsikon käännös	Projektit hajautettuina kognitiivisina toimintoina. Kahden julkisen rakennushankkeen tutkimus
Alkuperäiskieli	Englanti
Pätevyys	Tohtorintutkinto
Myöntävä instituutio	Teknillinen korkeakoulu
Valvoja/neuvonantaja	Vartiainen, Matti, Vastuuprofessori
Kustantaja	Helsinki University of Technology
Tila	Julkaistu - 2007
OKM-julkaisutyyppi	G4 Monografiaväitöskirja

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http://urn.fi/urn:nbn:fi:tkk-009322

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title = "Projects as distributed cognitive actions : the management of two public building projects",

abstract = "This is a comparative case study of two public building projects. This research studies projects as distributed cognitive actions. Distributed cognition studies human cognition as a shared activity, not as a property of a single individual. In distributed cognition several agents share cognitive resources of symbolic knowledge, plans, and goals, to accomplish something that one agent could not achieve alone. Many concepts of distributed cognition can be applied to studies of project management: transactive memory, communities of practice, social networks, weak links, and knowledge brokers, to mention only a few. The aim of this study was to find out whether the problems of project knowledge management could be explained by using the distributive cognitive approach and how project success factors could be better understood and described by studying projects as distributed cognitive actions. For this aim a method was created where analysis was based on qualitative, retrospective interviews of the project participants and on the documents produced. There were three research questions: What do the documents and other artifacts produced tell about the collective activity which produced them? How can the changes during the two projects be described as dynamism of the social network? What were the factors behind the projects' success or failure? The research was build around two different studies. The first study was a case study of a school renovation. There were qualitative interviews (N=15) and documents (N=534). The second study was a case study of a service centre renovation project using qualitative interviews (N=21) and documents (N=2367). The projects were studied phase by phase and the network links in each phase described. It was found that the projects can be studied as distributed cognitive systems. The main findings were: There was a direct relation between the quality of distributed cognitive action and project success or failure. The quality of the artifacts and the way they were used was essential to project success. The quality of network action was an essential prerequisite for project success. For the first time projects were described as distributed cognitive actions in a way which explained the project success and failure.",

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author = "Heikki Lonka",

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N2 - This is a comparative case study of two public building projects. This research studies projects as distributed cognitive actions. Distributed cognition studies human cognition as a shared activity, not as a property of a single individual. In distributed cognition several agents share cognitive resources of symbolic knowledge, plans, and goals, to accomplish something that one agent could not achieve alone. Many concepts of distributed cognition can be applied to studies of project management: transactive memory, communities of practice, social networks, weak links, and knowledge brokers, to mention only a few. The aim of this study was to find out whether the problems of project knowledge management could be explained by using the distributive cognitive approach and how project success factors could be better understood and described by studying projects as distributed cognitive actions. For this aim a method was created where analysis was based on qualitative, retrospective interviews of the project participants and on the documents produced. There were three research questions: What do the documents and other artifacts produced tell about the collective activity which produced them? How can the changes during the two projects be described as dynamism of the social network? What were the factors behind the projects' success or failure? The research was build around two different studies. The first study was a case study of a school renovation. There were qualitative interviews (N=15) and documents (N=534). The second study was a case study of a service centre renovation project using qualitative interviews (N=21) and documents (N=2367). The projects were studied phase by phase and the network links in each phase described. It was found that the projects can be studied as distributed cognitive systems. The main findings were: There was a direct relation between the quality of distributed cognitive action and project success or failure. The quality of the artifacts and the way they were used was essential to project success. The quality of network action was an essential prerequisite for project success. For the first time projects were described as distributed cognitive actions in a way which explained the project success and failure.

AB - This is a comparative case study of two public building projects. This research studies projects as distributed cognitive actions. Distributed cognition studies human cognition as a shared activity, not as a property of a single individual. In distributed cognition several agents share cognitive resources of symbolic knowledge, plans, and goals, to accomplish something that one agent could not achieve alone. Many concepts of distributed cognition can be applied to studies of project management: transactive memory, communities of practice, social networks, weak links, and knowledge brokers, to mention only a few. The aim of this study was to find out whether the problems of project knowledge management could be explained by using the distributive cognitive approach and how project success factors could be better understood and described by studying projects as distributed cognitive actions. For this aim a method was created where analysis was based on qualitative, retrospective interviews of the project participants and on the documents produced. There were three research questions: What do the documents and other artifacts produced tell about the collective activity which produced them? How can the changes during the two projects be described as dynamism of the social network? What were the factors behind the projects' success or failure? The research was build around two different studies. The first study was a case study of a school renovation. There were qualitative interviews (N=15) and documents (N=534). The second study was a case study of a service centre renovation project using qualitative interviews (N=21) and documents (N=2367). The projects were studied phase by phase and the network links in each phase described. It was found that the projects can be studied as distributed cognitive systems. The main findings were: There was a direct relation between the quality of distributed cognitive action and project success or failure. The quality of the artifacts and the way they were used was essential to project success. The quality of network action was an essential prerequisite for project success. For the first time projects were described as distributed cognitive actions in a way which explained the project success and failure.

KW - social networks

KW - project success factors

KW - distributed cognition

KW - knowledge management

KW - social networks

KW - project success factors

KW - distributed cognition

KW - knowledge management

M3 - Doctoral Thesis

T3 - Helsinki University of Technology, Laboratory of Work Psychology and Leadership doctoral dissertation series

PB - Helsinki University of Technology

ER -

Projects as distributed cognitive actions : the management of two public building projects

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