Designing the transition to operations in large inter-organizational projects

Strategy, structure, process, and people

Journal Article (2023)
Author(s)

Xinyue Zhang (Tongji University, TU Delft - Design & Construction Management)

Juliano Denicol (University College London)

Paul W. Chan (TU Delft - Design & Construction Management)

Yun Le (Tongji University)

DOI related publication
https://doi.org/10.1002/joom.1275 Final published version
More Info
expand_more
Publication Year
2023
Language
English
Journal title
Journal of Operations Management
Issue number
1
Volume number
70
Pages (from-to)
107-136
Downloads counter
281
Collections
Institutional Repository
Reuse Rights

Other than for strictly personal use, it is not permitted to download, forward or distribute the text or part of it, without the consent of the author(s) and/or copyright holder(s), unless the work is under an open content license such as Creative Commons.

Abstract

The transition from projects to operations requires a spanning from more temporary, goal-oriented, and evolving organizational forms to more permanent, routine, and ongoing organizational forms. A question of practical and theoretical significance is how to organize the transition to operations in large inter-organizational projects. To answer this question, we conducted a longitudinal case study of Beijing Daxing International Airport, which is the largest transportation hub in China to date, and provides rich evidence for successfully managing the transition to operations. By analyzing the organizational design strategy, structures, processes, and management of people in the transition, we provide a synthetic framework for designing the transition to operations in large inter-organizational projects. The framework provides a set of considerations to design organizational boundaries that build connections, emphasize coordination, and achieve continuity between projects and operations. This study contributes to the nexus of operations management and project management and the organizational design of large inter-organizational projects.