The TRANSFORMATION Project

Description of impact

Driving economic growth and supporting social innovation.

Impact Summary for the General Public

Prof Michael Butler's research pioneered by The TRANSFORMATION Project built on two prior impacts: influencing the OECD’s evaluation strategy of change management programmes across the EU, and improving community safety in a police force. There are three major follow-on impacts. First, driving economic growth by transforming project management practice in West Midlands’ SMEs. Second, transferring the unique practices internationally by building the capacity of ISBI Institute, Strathmore University Business School, Kenya, enabling it to assess its impact for the first time, measuring SME growth in Nairobi. Third, supporting social innovation across Birmingham schools by improving Birmingham Civic Society’s Next Generation Awards.

Description of the underpinning research

Improving project management practice attracts attention from all organisations and the policy community. This is because ‘Trillions of pounds are invested in projects, programmes and portfolios every year…[but]…while the key to success is known, this practice is often not applied. As a result, nearly 80% of projects fail to wholly meet their planned objectives.’ (Association for Project Management, 2015). The TRANSFORMATION Project addressed this vital issue in a period of UK austerity when budgets are tight following the financial crash of 2008, and as the UN sought the implementation of its sustainable development goals (2015).
Transforming project management practice was achieved by translating original theoretical research about strategy process into two project management toolsets. The original theory was published in a PhD thesis and later in the CABS 4* British Journal of Management (Refs 3.1). The theory identified success factors in order to establish a receptive context for change. The analysis was subsequently theoretically enhanced by introducing a complexity science perspective, which identified an additional receptivity factor (Ref 3.2). The international potential of the research was indicated when it was successfully used to analyse EU Roma policy implementation (Ref 3.3). It was the version published in Refs 3.1 and 3.2 that was translated into two project management toolsets.
The ESRC funded an Aston-based UK research team that included Loughborough to create a suite of management tools using knowledge generated by previous research council funded investigations and to use these toolsets to transform project management practice. The TRANSFORMATION Project worked with a core group of eight organisations from all sectors to co-create the toolsets, supported by a workbook and case studies: Birmingham Local Education Partnership, NHS Warwickshire, Playgroup (London advertising agency), South Staffordshire plc, Warwickshire Police, Associated British Foods plc, DHL Supply Chain and the Association for Project Management (Ref 5.2). Ref 3.4 critically evaluates how the new knowledge, the tools, was generated and the absorption of the innovation by the partner organisations.
Alongside the action research, The TRANSFORMATION Project worked with three PhD students in order to validate The Receptivity for Change Toolset and to test the scale in fast-growing economies. Together with a colleague from the University of Malaya, the toolset was adapted and used to evaluate the strategic positioning of hotels in Malaysia and the UK (Ref 3.5). This version facilitated the exploration of innovation and growth in the Indian sustainable energy sector, and the investigation of corporate entrepreneurship in Chinese state-owned enterprises.
Birmingham City Council approached The TRANSFORMATION Project to form another Aston-based research collaboration to apply the toolsets to boost regional economic growth by working with SMEs. The ERDF funded the follow-on ‘Transformation for Growth’ project. The unique approach integrated The Receptivity for Change Toolset with a system developed by Birmingham City Council to create a new business model, a four-stage process for successfully growing SMEs. This process was then applied internationally (Ref 3.6) and to support social innovation across Birmingham secondary schools.

Beneficiaries and reach of impact

2024-2025
A new set of impact is being generated through Bangor University Innovation and Impact Award.

2019
Knowledge was transferred about measuring growth evidencing US$13,925,474.60 (£11,406,000) Gross Value added to the Nairobi economy, and 357 jobs created.

2015
Between 2013 and 2015, the Transformation for Growth Project, a partnership with Birmingham City Council and part-financed by the West Midlands European Regional Development Fund Programme (ERDF) (£479,276), achieved the following impact:

•worked intensively with 38 SMEs
•added £2,356,942 Gross Value to the Economy in the West Midlands
•created 62 Jobs in the West Midlands
•hosted 4 conferences with internationally renowned speakers – 400 attendees
•in support of the Equality and Diversity theme, worked with SMEs which identified themselves as Asian or Asian British, Black or Black British, and White British
•37 of our SMEs had not previously worked with the Work and Organisational Psychology Group at Aston Business School, Aston University
•enhanced the TRANSFORMATION Project website to capture all the learning: written and video case studies (www.thetransformationproject.co.uk)

2013
In 2013, the ESRC clearly identified the impact:

•the toolsets enabled Warwickshire Police to identify problem areas and measures to address them.
•the new ANPR schemes were successfully implemented in 2010 on time and within budget.
•between 2010 and 2012, the Coventry Airport ANPR scheme identified 646,172 vehicles of interest to police, while the Nuneaton ANPR scheme identified a further 423,285 vehicles.
•the schemes have provided vital evidence for high profile cases including murder, rape, wounding, major fraud, theft and armed robberies. They have also led to the recovery of a police vehicle stolen from Northampton, the identification of an organised crime group engaged in the theft of caravans across the Midlands and the successful prosecution of an organised crime group involved in insurance fraud.

General Notes

More information can be found at The TRANSFORMATION Project web site: www.thetransformationproject.co.uk.

Impact status	Ongoing
Impact date	2013 → 2025
Category of impact	Societal, Economic, Policy and Public Services, Environmental
Impact level	Adoption