Paradox in project-based enterprise: The case of film making

California Management Review

Volumn , Issue 2, 1998, Pages 125-139

  DeFillippi, Robert J ^a   Arthur, Michael B ^a  

^a NONE

Author keywords

[No Author keywords available]

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EID: 0032371458     PISSN: 00081256     EISSN: None     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.2307/41165936     Document Type: Article

References (46)

1. On film, see C. Jones and R.J. DeFillippi, "Back to the Future in Film: Combining Industry- and Self-Knowledge to Meet Career Challenges of the 21st Century," Academy of Management Executive, 10/4 (1996): 89-103. On construction, see R.G. Eccles, "The Quasifirm in the Construction Industry," Journal of Economic Behavior and Organization, 2 (1981): 335-357. On semiconductors, see A. Saxenian, Regional Advantage: Culture and Competition in Silicon Valley and Route 128 (Boston, MA: Harvard University Press, 1994).
2. On film, see C. Jones and R.J. DeFillippi, "Back to the Future in Film: Combining Industry- and Self-Knowledge to Meet Career Challenges of the 21st Century," Academy of Management Executive, 10/4 (1996): 89-103. On construction, see R.G. Eccles, "The Quasifirm in the Construction Industry," Journal of Economic Behavior and Organization, 2 (1981): 335-357. On semiconductors, see A. Saxenian, Regional Advantage: Culture and Competition in Silicon Valley and Route 128 (Boston, MA: Harvard University Press, 1994).
3. On film, see C. Jones and R.J. DeFillippi, "Back to the Future in Film: Combining Industry- and Self-Knowledge to Meet Career Challenges of the 21st Century," Academy of Management Executive, 10/4 (1996): 89-103. On construction, see R.G. Eccles, "The Quasifirm in the Construction Industry," Journal of Economic Behavior and Organization, 2 (1981): 335-357. On semiconductors, see A. Saxenian, Regional Advantage: Culture and Competition in Silicon Valley and Route 128 (Boston, MA: Harvard University Press, 1994).
4. C. Jones, "Careers in Project Networks: The Case of the Film Industry," in M.B. Arthur and D.M. Rousseau, eds., The Boundaryless Career (New York, NY: Oxford University Press, 1996), pp. 58-75; W.H. Starbuck, "Learning by Knowledge-Intensive Firms," Journal of Management Studies. 29/6 (1992): 713-740.
5. C. Jones, "Careers in Project Networks: The Case of the Film Industry," in M.B. Arthur and D.M. Rousseau, eds., The Boundaryless Career (New York, NY: Oxford University Press, 1996), pp. 58-75; W.H. Starbuck, "Learning by Knowledge-Intensive Firms," Journal of Management Studies. 29/6 (1992): 713-740.
6. C.K. Prahalad and G. Hamel, "The Core Competence of the Corporation," Harvard Business Review, 68/3 (1990): 79-91: I. Nonaka and H. Takeuchi, The Knowledge-Creating Company (New York, NY: Oxford University Press, 1995).
7. C.K. Prahalad and G. Hamel, "The Core Competence of the Corporation," Harvard Business Review, 68/3 (1990): 79-91: I. Nonaka and H. Takeuchi, The Knowledge-Creating Company (New York, NY: Oxford University Press, 1995).
8. R. Reed and R.J. DeFillippi, "Causal Ambiguity, Barriers to Imitation and Sustainable Competitive Advantage," Academy of Management Review, 15/1 (1990): 88-102.
9. See, for example, O. Nordhaug, Human Capital in Organizations: Competence, Training and Learning (Oslo: Scandanavian University Press, 1993).
10. T. Bohn, R. Stromgren, and D. Johnson, Light and Shadows: A History of Motion Pictures, 2nd Edition (Sherman Oaks, CA: Alfred Publishing Co., 1978).
11. D. Miller and J. Shamsie, "The Resource-Based View of the Firm in Two Environments: The Hollywood Film Studios from 1936 to 1965," Academy of Management Journal, 39 /3 (1996): 519-543.
12. J. Raclin, Clash of Cultures (Boston, MA: Harvard Business School Press, 1991).
13. S.C. Wheelwright and K.B. Clark, Revolutionizing Product Development (New York, NY: Free Press, 1992).
14. A. Brookings. Intellectual Capital (London: International Thomson Business Press, 1996); A.A. Lado, N.G. Boyd, and P. Wright, "A Competency Model of Sustained Competitive Advantage," Journal of Management, 18 (1992): 77-91.
15. A. Brookings. Intellectual Capital (London: International Thomson Business Press, 1996); A.A. Lado, N.G. Boyd, and P. Wright, "A Competency Model of Sustained Competitive Advantage," Journal of Management, 18 (1992): 77-91.
16. C. Jones and W. Hesterly, "Network Organization: Alternative Governance Form or Glorified Market?" Working Paper, Carroll School of Management, Boston College, 1996. See also Jones (1996), op. cit., and Jones and DeFillippi, op. cit.
17. C. Jones and W. Hesterly, "Network Organization: Alternative Governance Form or Glorified Market?" Working Paper, Carroll School of Management, Boston College, 1996. See also Jones (1996), op. cit., and Jones and DeFillippi, op. cit.
18. C. Jones and W. Hesterly, "Network Organization: Alternative Governance Form or Glorified Market?" Working Paper, Carroll School of Management, Boston College, 1996. See also Jones (1996), op. cit., and Jones and DeFillippi, op. cit.
19. C. Jones, W. Hesterly, B. Lichtenstein, S. Borgatti, S. Tallman, "Intangible Assets of Teams: How Human, Social and Team Capital Influence Project Performance in the Film Industry," Working Paper, Carroll School of Management, Boston College, 1996.
20. L. Argute, "Group and Organizational Learning Curves: Individual, System and Environmental Components," British Journal of Psychology 32 (1993): 31-51.
21. Jones et al., op. cit.
22. Prahalad and Hamel, op. cit.
23. P. Ghemawat, Commitment: The Dynamic of Strategy (New York, NY: The Free Press, 1991).
24. K. Clark and T. Fujimoto, Product Development Performance (Boston, MA: Harvard Business School Press, 1991).
25. The recent release of the "Star Wars" trilogy is not a contradiction, since the first release was commercially successful and made possible a second release featuring enhanced special effects but no change in plot, dialogue, or characters.
26. J.P. Womak, D.T. Jones, and D. Roos, The Machine that Changed the World (New York. NY: Rawson Associates, 1990).
27. J.S. Brown and P. Duguid, "Organizational Learning and Communities of Practice: Towards a Unified View of Working, Learning and Organization," Organization Science, 2/1 (1991): 40-57.
28. Nonaka and Takeuchi, op. cit. For extended ideas about learning and new firm formation, see A. Saxenian, "Beyond Boundaries: Open Labor Markets and Learning in Silicon Valley," in M.B. Arthur and D.M. Rousseau, eds., The Boundaryless Career (New York, NY: Oxford University Press, 1996): R.E. Miles and C.C. Snow, "Twenty-First Century Careers," in M.B. Arthur and D.M. Rousseau, eds., The Boundaryless Career (New York, NY: Oxford University Press, 1996).
29. Nonaka and Takeuchi, op. cit. For extended ideas about learning and new firm formation, see A. Saxenian, "Beyond Boundaries: Open Labor Markets and Learning in Silicon Valley," in M.B. Arthur and D.M. Rousseau, eds., The Boundaryless Career (New York, NY: Oxford University Press, 1996): R.E. Miles and C.C. Snow, "Twenty-First Century Careers," in M.B. Arthur and D.M. Rousseau, eds., The Boundaryless Career (New York, NY: Oxford University Press, 1996).
30. Nonaka and Takeuchi, op. cit. For extended ideas about learning and new firm formation, see A. Saxenian, "Beyond Boundaries: Open Labor Markets and Learning in Silicon Valley," in M.B. Arthur and D.M. Rousseau, eds., The Boundaryless Career (New York, NY: Oxford University Press, 1996): R.E. Miles and C.C. Snow, "Twenty-First Century Careers," in M.B. Arthur and D.M. Rousseau, eds., The Boundaryless Career (New York, NY: Oxford University Press, 1996).
31. K.R. Andrews, The Concept of Corporate Strategy (Homewood, IL: Irwin, 1971).
32. M.B. Arthur, M.P.H. Claman, and R.J. DeFillippi, "Intelligent Enterprise, Intelligent Careers," Academy of Management Executive. 9/4 (1995): 7-22.
33. On human capital, see Nordhaug (1993), op. cit.; on s+ocial capital, see R. S. Burt, Structural Holes (Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1992).
34. On human capital, see Nordhaug (1993), op. cit.; on s+ocial capital, see R. S. Burt, Structural Holes (Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1992).
35. One senior project participant expressed concern that his shortcomings in performing up to expectation on Omega might reduce the likelihood of his being invited to participate in future projects by some of his Omega peers and superiors. When the Omega project subsequently went to reshoot some parts of the film in Hollywood, this person was not invited to participate on that phase. The apparent failure in human capital, highlighted through social exchanges on the set of the film, appeared to contribute to a negative reputation effect which in turn might reduce access to future project opportunities.
36. On small firm positioning, see C. Hendry, M.B. Arthur, and A.M. Jones, Strategy Through People: Adaptation and Learning in the Small-Medium Enterprise (New York, NY: Routledge, 1995); on high technology, companies see Raelin, op cit..
37. On small firm positioning, see C. Hendry, M.B. Arthur, and A.M. Jones, Strategy Through People: Adaptation and Learning in the Small-Medium Enterprise (New York, NY: Routledge, 1995); on high technology, companies see Raelin, op cit..
38. G. Hedlund, "A Model of Knowledge Management and the N-form Corporation," Strategic Management Journal (Special Issue: "Strategy: Search for New Paradigms"), 15 (1994): 73-90; D.L. Deeds, D. DeCarolis, and J. Coombs, "The Impact of Timing and Firm Capabilities on the Amount of Capital Raised in an Initial Public Offering: Evidence from the Biotechnical Industry," in B. Keys and L.N. Dosier, eds., Academy of Management Annual Meeting Best Paper Proceedings, 1996.
39. G. Hedlund, "A Model of Knowledge Management and the N-form Corporation," Strategic Management Journal (Special Issue: "Strategy: Search for New Paradigms"), 15 (1994): 73-90; D.L. Deeds, D. DeCarolis, and J. Coombs, "The Impact of Timing and Firm Capabilities on the Amount of Capital Raised in an Initial Public Offering: Evidence from the Biotechnical Industry," in B. Keys and L.N. Dosier, eds., Academy of Management Annual Meeting Best Paper Proceedings, 1996.
40. C. Handy, The Age of Unreason (Boston, MA: Harvard Business School Press, 1990).
41. The processes we describe appear to have much in common with recent ideas about communities of practice. Brown and Duguid, op. cit.; J. Orr, "Sharing Knowledge, Celebrating Identity: War Stories and Community Memory in a Service Culture," in D. Middleton and D. Edwards, eds., Collective Remembering: Memory in Society (Beverly Hills, CA: Sage, 1990).
42. The processes we describe appear to have much in common with recent ideas about communities of practice. Brown and Duguid, op. cit.; J. Orr, "Sharing Knowledge, Celebrating Identity: War Stories and Community Memory in a Service Culture," in D. Middleton and D. Edwards, eds., Collective Remembering: Memory in Society (Beverly Hills, CA: Sage, 1990).
43. J.C. Spender, Industry Recipes (Oxford, UK: Basil Blackwell, 1989).
44. A. Bird, "Careers as Repositories of Knowledge: Considerations for Boundaryless Careers," in M.B. Arthur and D.M. Rousseau, eds., The Boundaryless Career (New York, NY: Oxford University Press, 1996), pp. 150-168.
45. R.R. Nelson and S.G. Winter, An Evolutionary Theory of Economic Change (Cambridge, MA: Belknap/Harvard Press, 1982).
46. In the language of recent chaos and complexity theory, the firm becomes a temporary "attractor" in the self-organizing behavior of industry participants. See, for example, D. Parker and R. Stacey, Chaos, Management and Economics (London, Institute of Economic Affairs, 1994).