Innovation Project Transitions: Key elements and team processes

• Applicant: Professor Dr. Matthias Weiß
• Subject Area: Management and Marketing
• Term: since 2024
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 550115584

An effective design and management of the transition process between innovation projects has been insufficiently studied so far despite being a promising means of improving subsequent innovation projects’ performance, especially when focusing on the people working in these projects as the most important resource in organizations for innovation. First, at the end of an innovation project, employees have accumulated a considerable amount of project-related knowledge and experience. If employees learn from and consolidate those experiences during the transition process, subsequent innovation projects will benefit. Second, as part of the transition process, to start a new innovation project is also a unique opportunity to lay the foundation for successful project work by establishing a new project team. In this regard, considering the preceding experiences of prospective project team members offers an important foundation of team set up. Third, the time between two projects can help improve performance if organizations efficiently manage key resources, such as time and employees, by effectively redeploying project staff after an innovation project’s end. The goal of this research project is to shed light on these aspects that have not found the required attention in the management literature so far, by focusing on three fundamental questions: 1) How can transitions between innovation projects be effectively and efficiently managed at the team level? 2) Which team attributes influence the design and outcome of transition phases between innovation projects? 3) Which role play different types of transitions (direct transition, transitions with a break, transitions with overlap) between innovation projects? Addressing these research questions and building on a mixed-methods approach comprising qualitative and quantitative empirical approaches, this research project will aim to explore the gap from the influence of team changes in the transition process and provide important evidence-based recommendations for managerial action.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants
• International Connection: Belgium
• Partner Organisation: Fonds National de la Recherche Scientifique - FNRS
• Cooperation Partner: Professorin Dr. Judith Behrens