Abstract
Project-based firms are integrating their product offerings with services. Managing by projects requires resources not only from the project management unit but also from other units of the organization such as the service unit. Service unit allocates its human resources to accomplish several tasks including project and routine activities. Previous research has not sufficiently covered resource competition and allocating resources for various project and routine activities. The purpose of this study is to increase understanding on human resource allocation in delivering project-related services in project-based firms. A qualitative case study was carried out in two project-based firms. The results show that service units face some issues in using the same resource pool for project and routine activities that influence and change the resource allocation decisions, including prioritization and adapting to changes and delays. The result indicates increasing the role of individuals in decision making about resourcing and planning. The results contribute by showing evidence on the complex practice of human resource allocation across competing activities in project-based firms and illustrating the effects of cross-functional interactions on resource allocation.
Original language | English |
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Number of pages | 23 |
Publication status | Published - Jul 2016 |
Event | European Group for Organizational Studies Colloquium - Duration: 1 Jan 1900 → … |
Conference
Conference | European Group for Organizational Studies Colloquium |
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Abbreviated title | EGOS |
Period | 1/01/00 → … |
Keywords
- Project-based firms
- resource allocation
- activities
- human resource management
- services