Title: Improving people capability of project-based organisations: a study of the change of HRM in two engineering-intensive firms

Authors: Karin Bredin

Addresses: Department of Management and Engineering, Linkoping University, SE-581 83 Linkoping, Sweden

Abstract: This paper contributes to the research into HRM in project-based organisations. Drawing on a capabilities perspective on project-based organisations, the paper elaborates on a conceptual framework for people capability of project-based organisations. This framework is used for a comparative analysis of the efforts made by two engineering-intensive, project-based organisations to change their people management systems in order to improve their people capability. The comparison demonstrates important activities that the firms undertake to improve their people capability, and it also indicates similarities and differences that are discussed based on the framework. Finally, the paper discusses suggestions for future research.

Keywords: people capability; project-based organisations; human resource management; HRM; organisational capabilities; project capabilities; engineering-intensive firms; people management systems; Sweden; Tetra Pak; food processing; Saab Aerosystems; aerospace industry; airborne systems; project organisation; project management.

DOI: 10.1504/IJPOM.2010.035872

International Journal of Project Organisation and Management, 2010 Vol.2 No.4, pp.328 - 360

Accepted: 19 Mar 2010
Published online: 07 Oct 2010 *

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