Business Innovation Dynamics in Infrastructure Projects

This research seeks to address the long-standing issue of poor performance in infrastructure projects, also known as the productivity paradox. This paradox can be described as the inability of infrastructure projects to improve performance, despite the steadily increasing global demand for infrastructure and long track record of project delivery. To address this issue, this research aims to (1) develop understanding of how business innovation occurs in infrastructure projects and (2) provide strategic guidance on implementing business innovation strategies in this setting. Drawing upon business innovation and project management literatures, this Future Leaders fellowship focuses on processes of value creation and capture (VC&C) and seeks to understand how they determine the performance of infrastructure projects. Despite the growing need to advance the understanding of VC&C for participating actors and end-users of infrastructure projects, there is, however, very little empirical research in this area. Building on the applicant's international connectivity and track record of research into construction and project-based organisations, the fellowship will achieve two principal goals. First, it will initiate a long-term programme of empirical research into VC&C processes in infrastructure projects. Second, it will enable the applicant to achieve a distinctive and internationally recognised leadership profile in mainstream management, strategy and innovation studies. To this end, the applicant will conduct research to understand the organisational dynamics of VC&C in infrastructure projects, develop business innovation strategies for infrastructure projects working with internationally recognisable partners, and undergo experiential career development programme comprising the acquisition of new theoretical and methodological knowledge, development of research management and supervisory skills, and expansion of international connectivity. The research will initially develop five qualitative case studies with the following infrastructure providers as partner organisations: Heathrow Airport Ltd, Transport for London, UCL Estates, Rijkswaterstaat (the Dutch Highways and Waterways Agency), and the European Investment Bank. The applicant will be hosted by the Bartlett School of Construction and Project Management, working primarily with Prof Andrew Davies as mentor along with other leading researchers in business innovation and infrastructure. To validate the findings in an international context, expand his international network, and gain additional methodological skills, the applicant will spend three months visiting and working closely with researchers in the Global Projects Center at Stanford University. By the end of the fellowship, the applicant will have established a recognisable research programme into business innovation dynamics in infrastructure projects. The long-term programme of enquiry arising from this research is anticipated to constitute a step change generating research outputs that directly support business innovation and progressive policy-making facing the challenges and opportunities in infrastructure provision, both in the UK but also internationally. In such a way, this fellowship will promote disruptive thinking on business innovation and working practices and ways to implement improvements across private, public and civil society sectors participating in infrastructure provision.

With the proposed research, the applicant will aim to achieve impact reaching out to organisations at three different levels: (1) partners, (2) industry and policy and (3) the general public.

1. Partners
Partners will be the immediate beneficiaries of this research. Partners will benefit through the ongoing collaboration with the researchers and their involvement in knowledge co-creation workshops. Early benefits to partners are expected already during the data collection. Using an engaged scholarship approach, the researchers will engage with interviewees in a reflective conversation allowing insights and solutions to problems to naturally emerge during the interactions. In such a way, project partners will be able to leverage learning and experience from other project partners. In addition to interviews, short-term impact will be achieved though knowledge co-creation workshops.

2. Industry and policy
Moreover, the applicant will work with researchers from UCL Department of Science, Technology, Engineering and Public Policy (STEaPP) to identify optimal avenues to effectively inform policy making. One example of this is giving regular presentations to Infrastructure UK (IUK), a unit within the HM Treasury specifically dedicated to infrastructure investment issues. Similarly, the applicant will engage with representatives of the Infrastructure Client Group to disseminate findings and obtain high-level industry recommendations for this research. The applicant will also engage with professional bodies such as Association of Project Management, to broaden the exposure of this work across a variety of industry sectors.

3. General public
Besides the industry and policy impact, this project will have a strong outreach component towards the general public. This will occur through several mechanisms. First, the applicant will maintain a project website containing information about the project activities, project reports and other relevant material. The website will also contain a blog section where the applicant will regularly report about this work and general developments in the domain of infrastructure projects. The applicant will also use social media (Tweeter, LinkedIn, etc.) to create awareness about specific issues related to infrastructure projects internationally. The applicant will leverage the visibility of the Bartlett Faculty of the Built Environment, The School of Construction and Project Management, and International Centre for Infrastructure Futures as platforms to increase the exposure of this work. The applicant will also work with UCL Public Engagement Unit and UCL Media Relations Office to develop strategies that maximise the impact of wider community outreach. Similarly, the applicant will use the network of his professional connections abroad to promote the work in the US, the Netherlands, Austria, Croatia, and other countries. Finally, the applicant will pay particular attention to promoting the project activities to members of the younger generations, normally underrepresented in public outreach strategies. To this end, the applicant will approach a selected number of schools and organise presentations and workshop/playroom events in which children will learn about the importance of infrastructure and its value to the society and economy. The applicant will moreover ensure that the public outreach activities are inclusive in terms of international coverage as well as diversity of social groups addressed.