The role humans play in the field of information technology continues to hold relevance even with the industry's rapid growth. People contribute heavily to the physical, cognitive, and organizational domain of computing, yet there is a lack of exploration into this phenomenon. Humanoid aspects of technology require extensive research in order to avoid marginalization and insufficient data. The Handbook of Research on the Role of Human Factors in IT Project Management is a collection of innovative research on the methods and applications of the task of human characteristics in the design and development of new technology. While highlighting topics including digitalization, risk management, and task analysis, this book is ideally designed for IT professionals, managers, support executives, project managers, managing directors, academicians, researchers, and students seeking current research on the dynamics of human influence in technological projects.

This unique guide details a revolutionary approach to lean systems. Whereas traditional lean techniques suffer from less-than-inspiring results, Quantum Lean (QL) rethinks this subject and provides an overdue remedy. The key to this breakthrough is that QL approaches lean systems from an entirely different perspective than conventional methods. Instead of focusing on resource utilization, QL centers on achieving efficiency from the standpoint of a company's product. The benefits from this simple departure are vast and wide-ranging. In terms of speed, effectiveness, and sustainability, QL offers a superior process for transforming an enterprise and gives practitioners a way to avoid the shortcomings that are commonplace in conventional lean. In addition to being geared toward lean practitioners and consultants, the book is also useful for the C-suite, managers, supervisors, technical staff, and rank-and-file employees. It is intended for those who work in all economic sectors, including services, manufacturing, and government. Key Features: provides easy-to-understand QL analysis techniques that are much simpler than standard lean methods and offer uncomplicated rules of thumb for determining priorities and improvement targets; details a win/win/win scenario for customers, employees, and shareholders that focuses on a company's product, avoids conflicting objectives, and enables every stakeholder to benefit, and more.

Why is it that so many aspects of organizations are now spoken of as practices? How can organizations be studied within a practice-based approach? How can workable knowledge about them be produced? The authors answer these questions theoretically and through empirical examples. They provide an overview on practice-based studies illustrating their main topics, research methods, and the theoretical reflections that support a non-rationalist and non-cognitivist view of organizations. The book addresses the principal features of practice-based theorizing and its key concepts, then concludes with methodological reflections on the practice-based approach. Written for a university public already in possession of basic notions in organizational studies and intending to conduct analysis of organizing as a social practice, it will also prove essential for master and PhD students as well as organizational scholars designing research within Practice-Based Studies. Including a lively and wide-ranging debate conducted at international level, the book will be of interest to practitioners curious about a view of work as a practical activity that develops within ecology of social, economic and material relationships. Contents: Introduction Part I: Practice-based Theorizing 1. Practice-Based Theorizing on Learning and Knowing in Organizations: An Introduction' 2. Knowing in Practice: Aesthetic Understanding and Tacit Knowledge 3. Knowing as Desiring. Mythic Knowledge and the Knowledge Journey in Communities of Practitioners 4. Situated Knowledge and Situated Action: What do Practice-Based Studies Promise? 5. Through the Practice Lens: Where Is the Bandwagon of Practice-Based Studies Heading? Part II: Key Concepts 6. Sensible Knowledge and Practice-Based Learning 7. Knowing in a System of Fragmented Knowledge 8. Learning in a Constellation of Interconnected Practices: Canon or Dissonance? 9. Aesthetics in the Study of Organizational Life 10. The Passion for Knowing 11. Practice? It's a Matter of Taste! Part III: Methodological Insights for a Practice-based Approach 12. When Will He Say: 'Today the Plates are Soft'?: Management of Ambiguity and Situated Decision-Making 13. Do You Do Beautiful Things?: Aesthetics and Art in Qualitative Methods of Organization Studies 14. Organizational Artifacts and the Aesthetic Approach 15. The Critical Power of the Practice Lens

The product offering is the common factor that links an organisation to its customers. As the product is the focal point around which other elements of the marketing mix are planned, decisions about the product form the very centre of marketing strategy and management and therefore, in a sense, form the heart of the organisation. Product management is an interactive handbook which describes and illustrates product decisions within the South African context. Product management follows an outcomes-based approach and includes basic theoretical concepts, review questions and case studies which can be used for class discussions, self-study or assignments. Topical examples from the South African market clarify and reinforce the theoretical points considered. Contents include the following: Developing and positioning new products; individual product decisions; multiple product decisions and strategies; the product life cycle; customer service. Product management will be an invaluable reference for undergraduate students of marketing and product management at all higher education institutions in South Africa, as well as private training organisations or in-house training units.

It has been widely reported that the gap between training results and organizational outcomes remains un-bridged. It implies that training and its impact is a complex process and achieving desired impact out of training efforts is a factor of multidimensional variables. In order to achieve the intended training impact, there is a need for meticulous planning and implementation of training events at all stages such as assessing organizational goals, competency mapping of staff and their training needs assessment as per the organizational goals, pre-training preparation, training organization as per the design, assessing training effectiveness, training impact in terms of pre-determined out puts and outcomes etc. Hence, it is indispensable to have effective and efficient training managers, so that the training investment may reap desired benefits. In that way, this book has a general intent to give tips about effective management practices for the training managers. This book specifically explains about training needs assessment, training institutes around the world and their experiences as well as practices, developing effective e-learning modules, training evaluation, training impact assessment etc.

This Companion provides a comprehensive, state-of-the-art overview and critical evaluation of existing conceptualizations and new developments in innovation research. Arguing that innovation research requires inter- and trans-disciplinary explanations and methodological pluralism at various levels, it draws on multiple perspectives of innovation, knowledge and creativity from economics, geography, history, management, political science and sociology. The Companion provides the definitive guide to the field and introduces new approaches, perspectives and developments. The Companion systematically analyzes the challenges, problems and gaps in innovation research. Leading scholars reflect upon and critically assess the fundamental topics of the field, including: innovation as a concept innovation and institutions innovation and creativity innovation, networking and communities innovation in permanent spatial settings innovation in temporary and virtual settings innovation, entrepreneurship and market making innovation governance and management. Innovation researchers and students in economics, economic geography, industrial sociology, innovation studies, international business, management and political science will find the Companion to be an essential resource. It will also appeal to practitioners in innovation and policy makers in economic development, public policy and innovation policy. Contributors include: H. Bathelt, N. Bradford, T. Burger-Helmchen, M. Callon, U. Cantner, P. Cohendet, D.H. Cropley, L. D'Adderio, P. Desrochers, U. Dewald, G. Dosi, D. Dougherty, J.Y. Douglas, J.R. Faulconbridge, M.P. Feldman, M. Ferrary, D. Foray, N. Geilinger, E. Giuliani, J. Gluckler, B. Godin, F. Golfetto, G. Grabher, M. Granovetter, S. Haefliger, I. Hamdan-Livramento, A.B. Hargadon, A. Hatchuel, S. Henn, J.-A. Heraud, A.J. Herod, C. Hussler, O. Ibert, A. Lagendijk, P. Le Masson, S. Leppala, D. Leslie, S. Lhuillery, P. Li, N. Lowe, B.-A. Lundvall, E.J. Maelecki, L. Marengo, S. McGrath-Champ, J. Merkel, S. Ogawa, F. Pachidou, G. Parmentier, J. Penin, G. Pickren, A.C. Pratt, J. Raffo, A. Rainnie, A. Rallet, N.M. Rantisi, D. Rinallo, J. Roberts, R.G. Shearmur, L. Simon, B. Sinclair-Desgagne, B. Spigel, J. Szurmak, A. Torre, B. Truffer, A. Van Assche, W. Vanhaverbeke, S. Vannuccini, C. Vellera, E. Vernette, G. von Krogh, B. Weil, D.A. Wolfe

One of the biggest challenges for companies in today's competitive environment is to get products to customers when and where they need it, exactly the way they want it, with a competitive price and in a cost effective manner. Managing the value chain is becoming more complicated because of globalization, outsourcing, the need for shorter time to market, and the requirements for greater responsiveness and flexibility due to customer changes. Although the benefits of applying lean concepts or improving the flexibility of a value chain are clear and desperately needed in today's competitive environment, none of the current literature provides guidance on how to do this. Lean & Agile Value Chain Management fills that gap by providing a breakthrough start-to-finish roadmap for organizations to implement a lean and agile value chain transformation program successfully. It brings together the field's latest advances and offers practical, proven tactics and detailed guidance into every aspect of value chain process redesign, including mapping the existing process, intelligently leveraging new technologies, building a strategy for strengthening the relationship with suppliers and customers, identifying comprehensive related metrics, and much more.

The Handbook of Employee Engagement contains cutting edge contributions from a wide array of world-class scholars and consultants on state-of-the-art topics key to the science and the practice of employee engagement. The volume presents comprehensive and global perspectives to help researchers and practitioners identify, understand, evaluate and apply the key theories, models, measures and interventions associated with employee engagement. The Handbook provides many new insights, practical applications and areas for future research. It will serve as an important platform for ongoing research and practice on employee engagement. Combining an excellent balance of academic perspectives and practical applications this Handbook will prove to be invaluable for academic researchers in the field of organizational behaviour, organizational development and organizational psychology. In addition, human resource and organizational development practitioners and consultants should not be without this `state-of-the-art' and informative resource.

Manju Pathak is presently a Professor of Biotechnology at Amity University, Noida. Earlier to this, she was a Professor of Biotechnology at Vellore Institute of Technology (VIT) University, Vellore, Tamilnadu.

Digital technology has transformed business and management methodology in the modern era. As technologies continue to evolve and change, designing a platform for business architecture requires flexibility and practicality. Organizational Leadership for the Fourth Industrial Revolution: Emerging Research and Opportunities provides the latest research on the approaches to dealing successfully with newly emerging digital technologies and the dynamic complexity leaders are facing now and in the future. While highlighting topics, such as business architecture, interactive planning, and strategic capital, this book explores the implications of technologies on business and leadership as well as the development of leadership methods and applications. This book is an important resource for professionals, practitioners, upper-level students, and managers seeking current research on leadership and business advancement in the digital era.