EAGER: Exploring Organizational Configuration as a Design Lever

George Washington University, Washington DC

Investigators

Abstract

The objective of this EArly Grant for Exploratory Research (EAGER) project is to explore the mechanisms through which different organizational structures drive design decisions in the research and development of complex technological systems. The study leverages a unique natural experiment that enables the first direct empirical comparison of the multi-decade evolution of two functionally identical systems, developed separately under different organizational structures. Although significant prior research has examined both the fit between technical and organizational architectures, and the implications of different technical architectures for system lifecycle properties, the question of how technical-organizational "fit" can drive desirable design outcomes remains unexplored. To answer this question, rich process data on the sequence of events, actions and decisions that describe the parallel development processes will be collected. The data includes (1) in-depth interviews with each of the key contributors, (2) proposals and progress reports written on a near annual basis, (3) design documents, (4) press releases and (5) journal articles capturing key outcomes. The data will be analyzed using a process tracing approach, enabling a link to the underlying mechanisms driving each design decision to the structure of the context of the corresponding technical and organizational architectures. If successful, the insights from this work have the potential to be transformative in that they will characterize organizational configuration as a new design lever; this could enable engineering organizations to harness research outputs more effectively and influence the structure of the technology they produce. In addition, this work has direct implications for current space policy debates on the role of centralized investment in technology development and industrial policy. In that context, prior work by the PI has been presented, at the request of executive-level officials, at both the European Space Agency (ESA) and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). More broadly, on-the-ground scientific data, on the actual design process, in real design organization, is the foundation for a revolution in the science of design engineering. These insights could yield advances in innovation productivity that will substantially accelerate the national (and global) economy.