01691804

Component

https://doi.org/10.1177/0361198118823198

This paper presents a case study of the organizational change process associated with the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) year-long research program that implemented a cloud-based mobile project inspection application to 18 project engineering offices (PEO) across the state. Ultimately, four out of the 18 PEOs decided to adopt the new technology. Data from semi-structured interviews and a user study conducted two months after implementation are used to identify organizational change strategies used by WSDOT, and how those relate to ideas from the general literature on change management. The loss of upper management program leaders, inadequate communication and training to prepare personnel for the change, and policy and procedural uncertainties in integrating the change with other systems and operations were found to be factors that may have influenced the outcome of the program. While this paper focuses on one DOT’s efforts, other DOTs may have similar organizational structures and implementation efforts, and the findings and lessons learned could serve as a representative model for how such implementation might best be accomplished in a DOT and how that might differ from traditional change management guidance.

19-01936

English

2019

Transportation Research Record: Journal of the Transportation Research Board

Digital/other

Figures (1) ; References (37) ; Tables (3)

Case studies; Construction projects; Information technology; Inspection; Mobile applications; Organizational factors; Project management; Public transit; State departments of transportation

Washington State Department of Transportation

Change management; Organizational change

Washington (State)

Administration and Management; Construction; Data and Information Technology; Highways; Public Transportation

TRIS, TRB, ATRI

Jan 3 2019 11:46AM