Connecting Project Interdependency Management to Dynamic Capabilities : Police Scotland’s Transformation

Abstract: This study investigates the relationship between the three levels of dynamic capabilities and the two most prominent project interdependencies, by comparing the practises of an organisation in a single case study.  An understanding of organisational change capacity in terms of dynamic capabilities (DC) is widely accepted in academic literature. Likewise, project management literature agrees that multiple projects that serve to implement change may interact amongst one another resulting in increased or decreased benefits compared to individual project execution. The study explores the so far neglected gap between these two areas.  This study follows an inductive path of a single case study, as the authors investigate the case of the transformation of service of Police Scotland. This organisation is unique, as it exhibits a far above average use of project (inter-) dependency management, specifically created for this situation of change. Semi-structured interviews of ten organisational members with different perspectives, roles, and experiences was employed to gain a full understanding of this complex situation and answer questions as to the “how” and “why”.  This study revealed that there exists a connection. It has found practises, which the organisation specifically employs to combine interdependency management and dynamic capabilities. The study also found there to be a distinct pattern that links knowledge interdependencies to first and partially to third level DC, and resource interdependencies to second and third level DC. This investigation also contributes to the understanding of the resource and knowledge based view of the organisation, by expanding the criticism of the former and establishing the use of the latter.