Article ID Journal Published Year Pages File Type
896844 Technological Forecasting and Social Change 2012 11 Pages PDF
Abstract

This study applies artificial neural network (ANN) to explore the relationships between the performance of R&D projects and its determinants. The results indicate that the quality of project environment has an inverse U-shaped effect on the performance of R&D projects, and both project managers' skills and the effectiveness of teamwork have monotonic positive influences on it. Besides, this study utilizes self-organizing map (SOM) to classify the Taiwanese information and electronics companies into three groups and further provides some suggestions. In addition, this paper uses an in-depth interview of qualitative research to explore why the quality of project environment has an inverse U-shaped effect on the R&D project performance, and finds out the main reason. There are two managerial implications in this study. First, the relationships between the performance of R&D projects and its determinants are not always linear in the complex and uncertain environment nowadays. Second, companies must care about the inverse U-shaped effect of the quality of project environment on the performance of R&D projects, although they can enhance the extent of project managers' skills and the effectiveness of their teamwork as much as possible.

► This study explores the nonlinear influence of the determinants on the performance of R&D projects. ► Quality of project environment has an inverse U-shaped effect on the performance of R&D projects. ► Project managers' skills have a monotonic positive effect on the performance of R&D projects. ► Effectiveness of teamwork has a monotonic positive effect on the performance of R&D projects.

Related Topics
Social Sciences and Humanities Business, Management and Accounting Business and International Management
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