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This article introduces a systems‐centered model for emotional intelligence (EI). This makes it possible to consider not only the emotional intelligence of individuals, but the emotional intelligence of work groups and organizations themselves. Agazarian's theory of living humans systems (TLHS) (and its constructs) applies to all levels of living human systems. Using these constructs, we operationally define emotional intelligence from a systems‐centered framework (Agazarian & Peters, 1981, 1997). From the systems‐centered perspective, individuals contribute energy that is necessary for organizational emotional intelligence. Yet equally important, emotional intelligence in organizations is a dynamic output of the function and structure and energy of the organizational system itself, rather than a property of individuals. This conceptualization extends the focus in the field of emotional intelligence from individuals with a selection and personnel development emphasis and instead to building work groups and organizations that function with greater emotional intelligence. Introducing a systems‐centered perspective on emotional intelligence enables emotional intelligence to be viewed at all system levels in the organization, including individuals, work teams and the organization itself.

EVERY profession evolves its own argot, adopting or inventing terms which the initiated understand and accept. Such precision saves time and avoids misinterpretation. In a technical subject like time and motion study such a recognised vocabulary is specially desirable.

The authors review Peter Drucker’s writings, framing them within the context of his formative years. Moving to an analysis of the lens through which he views business, nonprofits, and government, they examine the nexus at which public administration, nonprofit management, and business meet. Specifically, Drucker’s prediction of the centrality of the knowledge worker to productivity and his focus on organizational mission are situated squarely at the nexus. His attention to nonprofit management represents a useful application of his notion of mission‐focused management. However, his treatment of public management falls short, failing to appreciate the dynamics of cultural and constitutionally‐imposed restraints.

This study aims to show how cost savings can be achieved through optimizing the scheduling of e-commerce enablements. The University of California is one of the largest, most prestigious public education and research systems in the world, yet diminished state support is driving the search for system-wide cost savings.

This study documents the preparation for and rollout of an e-procurement system across a subset of campuses. A math programing tool was developed for prioritizing the gradual rollout to generate the greatest expected savings subject to resource constraints.

The authors conclude by summarizing the results of the rollout, discussing lessons learned and their benefit to decision-makers at other public institutions.

The pilot program comprising three campuses has been predicted to yield $1.2m in savings over a one-year period; additional sensitivity analysis with respect to savings, project timelines and other rollout decisions illustrate the robustness of these findings.

The case recounts actual events and embeds information that has either been provided by the organization or that is publicly available from secondary sources, such as links to news articles, the organization’s financial report and videos. The protagonist is a real person, although identified only by first name, and she was interviewed extensively and provided planning documents.

The case addresses fundamental project management concepts via a nonprofit’s fundraising event that had to be shifted to online delivery during the early days of COVID. Students take the perspective of advising the protagonist, a key member of the event committee. As if this substantive re-plan during a pandemic was not challenging enough, the committee had the additional complication of integrating a fundraising management system into the organization in time to support the event. Students must work through detailed planning and calculations and also need to think more broadly about appropriate tradeoffs and justify them in their recommendations.

As this case has students work with concepts and skills central to project management and has involves a mix of applying, analyzing and evaluation outcomes, it can be used within operations management or project management courses for either undergraduate senior-level or early graduate-level business or engineering students. It has already been assigned in project management courses in two separate MBA programs. The case required no substantial revisions, and feedback from student evaluations show that it was perceived positively in both classes.

The purpose of this paper is to introduce the use of critical success factors (CSFs) of stakeholder management as a possible solution to reduce disputes experienced because of legal and regulatory issues in public–private partnership (PPP) projects.

This paper’s epistemological positioning adopted positivism and deductive reasoning to investigate the dispute phenomena on PPP projects. A survey strategy was adopted using a structured questionnaire and closed-ended Likert scales to collate primary data. Questionnaires were distributed to South African construction professionals using both purposive and snowballing non-probability sampling techniques. Data was analysed using summary statistical analysis of the CSFs identified from literature.

This study revealed that among the 19 CSFs identified, five factors were highlighted that could contribute to the alleviation of disputes between stakeholders in PPP projects, namely, adequate project planning and control; effective leadership; appropriate strategies for the management of stakeholders; confirmation of clear goals and objectives of the project; and effective communication.

The strength of this study lies in the evaluation and use of CSFs of stakeholder management as a possible solution to minimise or even avoid disputes as a result of legal and regulatory issues in PPP projects. By integrating the CSFs, the legal and contractual misconceptions of the PPP initiative are clarified. Such work represents a novel contribution to procurement practice in South Africa and maybe to other countries internationally who are grappling with similar issues.

This chapter discusses the project to investigate, recommend, and create user-focused solutions for opening and operating Severn Library, a high-density storage facility, at the University of Maryland in College Park, MD.

This chapter takes the case study approach, discussing the practical application of project management techniques to various stages of a large-scale project to plan for a high-density storage facility.

Although the Severn Library project began with a large project team, lack of formal project management expertise and the massive nature of the project led to its breakdown into smaller constituent projects, with the two authors filling the roles of “accidental project managers” to complete the work on time. Although this approach was ultimately successful, the overall success of the project could have been improved through more formal application of project management techniques.

This chapter discusses the experience of the authors at one large, public state university. The experience of other libraries and library managers may vary based on institutional context.

This chapter will be valuable to library managers interested in project management techniques in libraries, and/or in planning for high-density library storage facilities.

To the authors’ knowledge, this is the only writing on the application of project management techniques to construction and operation of a high-density library storage facility.

A piece of frequently given informal advice to those starting in the world of research is to ‘pick a topic you'll be able to stick with for three or four years’ – and often that's the end of it. This chapter suggests that we should understand the importance of confronting the ‘affective gap’ in how research is currently conceived. It does so by considering how usually we do not engage with the issues underlying this ‘sticking with’ and what allows us to sustain our attention and effort across the years of a research project. Through a case study of my own confrontation with the question of how I chose and changed my own PhD research topic, this chapter introduces the idea of affective research through an exploration of the concept of affect and its relevance to research. The first part of this chapter explores affect through a brief overview of four different scholarly literatures, to provide an initial framework and some clarity for what is often an opaque subject. This is then grounded through an affective engagement with the issue of choosing a research topic and how this affects our research. It concludes with a brief overview of the other chapters in the volume.

The innovation process of a new product or service can be complex. It is a long journey. So, lots of decisions must be made from the generation and validation of a first idea until the good or service reaches the consumer. All that happens because so many people from both the same company and external agents intervene. However, the person in charge of the innovation project faces the difficulties of the creative process and, on many occasions, he or she has to deal with general obstacles of the company itself. That is because the organisation does not align with specific values. Even if they have included those purposes and values within their strategy, they are not entirely consistent. This chapter assumes that the company is sensitive to sustainability and supports a rational, creative process.

The potential consumer or recipient of that innovation has to be at the centre of every decision. He/she has to be the central axis of any creative process. Consumers are increasingly sensitive and interested in how the products they acquire are manufactured and what type of raw materials are being used (Brochado, Teiga, & Oliveira-Brochado, 2017). We observe a more conscious consumer who, at the same time, is not always willing to pay for it, unfortunately. In this case, it is critical to work very well on the value proposition we are proposing and permanently contrast it with the target audience.