Performance Variability and Project Dynamics
Computational & Mathematical Organization Theory
Hierarchical Structure and Search in Complex Organizations
Management Science
Coordination in innovative design and engineering: observations from a lunar robotics project
Proceedings of the 16th ACM international conference on Supporting group work
Managing Delegated Search Over Design Spaces
Management Science
Dealing with Complexity: Integrated vs. Chunky Search Processes
Organization Science
Novelty-Knowledge Alignment: A Theory of Design Convergence in Systems Development
Journal of Management Information Systems
Accuracy of aggregate data in distributed project settings: Model, analysis and implications
Journal of Data and Information Quality (JDIQ)
Journal of Engineering and Technology Management
Selection at the Gate: Difficult Cases, Spillovers, and Organizational Learning
Organization Science
Linking Cyclicality and Product Quality
Manufacturing & Service Operations Management
Project dynamics and emergent complexity
Computational & Mathematical Organization Theory
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Coordination among many interdependent actors in complex product development projects is recognized as a key activity in organizational theory. It is well known that this coordination becomes progressively more difficult with project size, but we do not yet sufficiently understand whether this effect can be controlled with frequent and rich communication among project members, or whether it is inevitable. Recent work in complexity theory suggests that a project might form a "rugged landscape," for which performance deterioration with system size is inevitable.This paper builds a mathematical model of a complex design project that is divided into components (subproblems) and integrated back to the system. The model explicitly represents local component decisions, as well as component interactions in determining system performance. The model shows, first, how a rugged performance landscape arises even from simple components with simple performance functions, if the components are interdependent.Second, we characterize the dynamic behavior of the system analytically and with simulations. We show under which circumstances it exhibits performance oscillations or divergence to design solutions with low performance. Third, we derive classes of managerial actions available to improve performance dynamics, such as modularization, immediate communication, and exchanging preliminary information. Some of these have not yet received adequate attention in literature and practice.