We set out in this study to examine the mechanisms (specific knowledge management practices) required to operationalize service innovation readiness within public sector service delivery. Data is obtained from 150 service delivery managers drawn from public sector service organizations within the emirate of Sharjah. Sampling is undertaking utilizing a 38 factor knowledge management-focussed service innovation readiness questionnaire developed from the literature. Analysis of the data is via variable ranking and multidimensional scaling (MDS). The findings of the study suggest the existence of four knowledge management-based imperatives which are construed as managerial mechanisms for public sector service innovation readiness. These are (i) ‘Knowledge core competence’ (knowledge as a key strategic asset) (ii) ‘Organizational structure’ (internal patterns of organizational communication, authority and relationships) (iii) ‘Responsiveness to change’ (propensity to engage in both purposeful and timely behavioural change in response to modulating stimuli), and (iv) ‘Innovativeness’ (relative earliness in adopting innovation). The findings lead to a service innovation readiness typology which is oriented towards ensuring that public sector entities are able to effectively and efficiently deliver innovative services that meet both operational mandates and national visions of service expectations.

Several studies have proposed methods for modelling and examining the outcomes of engineering change propagation. However, for reasons of practicality, designers need to be supported by simple tools which enable them to model and analyse dependencies among engineering parameters (EPs) in the early design phase. Utilising data gleaned from a prior completed project, this paper proposes a two-stage structural approach to achieve this objective. In the initial stage, interpretive structural modelling (ISM) is utilised to arrange EPs into a simple hierarchical form. In the following stage, cross-impact matrix multiplication (MICMAC) analysis is implemented to classify EPs in terms of their criticality. The results from modelling and analysis show that the proposed approach could be useful to designers opting to use engineering change propagation methods as well as to those who rely only on their experience and knowledge to assess the consequences of changes.

Factors that cause project delays are directly and indirectly interrelated. Despite this, the majority of prior studies that have been conducted to identify and rank project delay factors have failed to account for interrelationships between factors. Arguably, without taking these interrelationships and their cumulative effect into account, it is unlikely that the challenges associated with project delays will be fully addressed. With this in mind, this article presents an integrated Social Network-Fuzzy Integrated Network-fuzzy Cross-impact matrix multiplication analysis (MICMAC) approach that considers the largely imprecise interrelationships between multiple project delay factors. The effectiveness of the developed approach is shown through an illustrative demonstration that indicates the approach is effective in determining and analyzing the direct and indirect relational structures between the individual project delay factors. The value of the approach lies in its use for developing an effective risk-mitigation plan for minimizing the severity of project delays.

Information flow exchange within highly distributed, co-located, self-organising and networked projects is critical for successful planning, and ultimately, for successful infrastructure project delivery. While conventional project scheduling methods are still widely used as project support tools, most lack capacity for harnessing and exploiting both direct and indirect forms of information flow interdependency between activities in these project types. The present study sets out to develop and present a practical method for modelling and analysing information flow interdependencies in infrastructure projects. We propose and apply a five-stage approach, using an integrated form of Network Analysis augmented with fuzzy Cross-impact Matrix Multiplication Analysis. The findings classify project activities based on their dependency levels with other directly and indirectly related project activities. The novel contribution to project management practice is that key information flow interdependencies can thus be identified and then more effectively harnessed due to an enhanced ability to interpret the information with a clearer understanding of originating communication context.

The significance of recognizing social sustainability practices for the successful management of projects is increasingly acknowledged. However, to what extent these practices are actually implemented within project management has not been sufficiently addressed in the literature. To address this gap, an empirical study was conducted to investigate the usage of social sustainability practices and explore any disparities in their implementation between domestic and international construction firms in the United Arab Emirates. This study employed a mixed-methods approach, combining interviews and a structured questionnaire. Through the interviews, 32 social sustainability practices were identified. Subsequently, a questionnaire was used to collect data from project managers representing 259 firms. The analysis revealed several key findings: 1) social sustainability practices are adopted at varying rates; 2) twelve practices, primarily concerning fundamental human rights and labor ethics, are uniformly employed by both domestic and international firms; and 3) international firms are more likely than their domestic counterparts to regularly implement the other 20 social sustainability practices. These findings develop new knowledge on the implementation of social sustainability practices and advance the understanding of how firm origin influences the adoption of these practices. Additionally, the findings and their implications provide valuable guidance for policymakers and project leaders looking to incorporate social sustainability practices into their operational strategies.