Comparisons and Contrasts

This book has come to its final chapter and it is time to summarize the main messages and ideas, compare the different observations, and look into the future. In the various chapters, we have had the chance to meet a number of companies: engineering, R&D-intensive, project-based organizations that very much resemble the image of the kinds of organizations that, many would say, will populate an increasing variety of sectors and industries in the years to come. This is particularly true in the industries where complex problem-solving and the integration of technologies and knowledge stand at the fore. When we have talked about project-based organizations, we have primarily addressed a particular engineering-intensive organization with the following shared features: most work is carried out in projects using temporary teams and the like; integration efforts and capabilities are critical to the success of the organization; and, as a result, different sorts of cross-functional collaboration play an important part. In some companies this collaboration might require co-location and focus, while in others co-location is not required; instead the different members in the team will be dispersed across units and maybe even countries. However, even in these situations collaboration might still be intense, requiring frequent communication, and advanced forms of integration of knowledge across disciplinary boundaries.