The impact of a disruptive technology implementation on a selection of a project management style in the South African ICT sector

Abstract

Abstract In this technological era, organisations are expected to be innovative in delivery of projects in a more aggressive timeframe to remain competitive (Bughin, Chui, & Manyika, 2013). It must be considered that in the past year, approximately 80% of organisations implemented disruptive technologies (DT) to increase revenue and maintain a competitive advantage, however globally, only 26.7% of projects were delivered successfully (Accenture, 2018). Disruptive technologies are increasing the long-term competitiveness of a company however it is often associated with volatility, uncertainty, complexity and ambiguity (Danneels, 2004). Disruptive technologies are implemented through projects however there is a gap of how this technology influences a PMM selection (Pajares, Poza, Villafañez, & López-Paredes, 2017). The purpose of this study was to investigate what influences disruptive technologies project management style selection and how this impacts the competencies that are relevant. The study focused on a Multi-national Information and Communication Technology organisation in South Africa (SA), whereby, two subsidiaries participated in the case study that concentrated on three disruptive technologies such as Internet of Things, Cloud Computing and Robotic Processing Automation. Literature has revealed that both traditional and agile methodologies have been popular, yet has been unproven to successfully implement disruptive technology (Pajares et al., 2017). On the other hand, the hybrid approach even though it’s at its infancy has been shown to manage expectations in delivering a more successful project (Grushka-Cockayne, 2015) The study also addresses the need for PM’s to have the appropriate competency in relation to the selected PMM to successfully implement projects. In recent research, the application of Project Contingency Theories (PCT) has been recommended as an effective approach to manage project management complexities (Sauser, Reilly, & Shenhar, 2009). The PCT frameworks applied in this study are the Henderson and Clark’s Innovation Framework, and Shenhar and Dvir’s NTCP Diamond Framework, providing a more comprehensive understanding of classifying projects to determine the appropriate PMM fit (Sauser et al., 2009). Based on the exploratory study, a qualitative approach, employing the interpretivism research paradigm was executed (Creswell & Creswell, 2017). A pilot study was conducted before executing the twelve face to face interviews to ensure reliability and validity. Data collected from the interviews and observations were analysed through grounded theory ( coding) to understand the relationship between the variables in the research model (Kolb, 2012). The model was successful in explaining the impact of disruptive technology on selection of a PMM and gives project decision maker’s insight into how to classify projects correctly. The findings derived that this study supports the conceptual model by acknowledging that classification of disruptive technologies based on innovation, novelty, technology, complexity and pace does have an impact on the selection of the appropriate PMM selection. This further highlights that the appropriate project management competency needs to be associated to ensure successful implementations. This study can potentially add value to other industries within South Africa and the greater Sub-Saharan countries.