Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in
Book cover

International Conference on Agile Software Development

XP 2012: Agile Processes in Software Engineering and Extreme Programming pp 153–167Cite as

Escalation of Commitment: A Longitudinal Case Study of Daily Meetings

  • Conference paper

Part of the book series: Lecture Notes in Business Information Processing ((LNBIP,volume 111))

Abstract

Escalating commitment is a common and costly phenomenon in software projects in which decision-makers continue to invest resources to a failing course of action. We conducted a longitudinal case study exploring the effect of daily meetings on escalating commitment. This was done in an agile project building software for the oil and gas industry. By analyzing data collected over a period of four years, and drawing on concepts from self-justification theory we found that daily meetings contributed to maintain a situation of escalating commitment. This especially occurs if the meeting becomes a place for reporting and defending decisions with team members feeling that they have to justify their choices towards the project management or fellow team members. Early signs of escalation such as rationalizing continuation of a chosen course of action must therefore be taken seriously.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution.

Chapter
USD   29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD   39.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD   54.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Learn about institutional subscriptions

Preview

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

References

  1. Staw, B.: Knee-Deep in the Big Muddy: A Study of Escalating Commitment to a Chosen Course of Action. Organizational Behavior and Human Performance 16(1), 27–44 (1976)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  2. Robey, D., Keil, M.: Blowing the Whistle on Troubled Software Projects. Communications of the ACM 44(4), 87–93 (2001)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  3. Keil, M., Mann, J., Rai, A.: Why Software Projects Escalate: An Empirical Analysis and Test of Four Theoretical Models. MIS Quarterly 24(4), 631–664 (2000)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  4. Keil, M.: Pulling the Plug: Software Project Management and the Problem of Project Escalation. MIS Quarterly 19(4), 421–447 (1995)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  5. Keil, M., Montealegre, R.: Cutting Your Losses: Extricating Your Organization When a Big Project Goes Awry. Sloan Management Review 41(3), 55–68 (2000)

    Google Scholar 

  6. Moe, N.B., Aurum, A., Dybå, T.: Challenges of Shared Decision-Making: A Multiple Case Study of Agile Software Development. Information and Software Technology, 1–38 (in press, 2012)

    Google Scholar 

  7. Moe, N.B., Dingsøyr, T., Dybå, T.: Overcoming Barriers to Self-Management in Software Teams. IEEE Software 26(6), 20–26 (2009)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  8. Staw, B.M., Fox, F.V.: Escalation: The Determinants of Commitment to a Chosen Course of Action. Human Relations 30(5), 431–450 (1977)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  9. Bazerman, M.H., Giuliano, T., Appelman, A.: Escalation of Commitment in Individual and Group Decision Making. Organizational Behavior and Human Performance 33(2), 141–152 (1984)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  10. Whyte, G.: Escalating Commitment in Individual and Group Decision Making: A Prospect Theory Approach. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes 54(3), 430–455 (1993)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  11. Schwaber, K., Sutherland, J.: The Scrum Guide. Scrum Allience (2011)

    Google Scholar 

  12. Aurum, A., Wohlin, C., Porter, A.: Aligning Software Project Decisions: A Case Study. International Journal of Software Engineering and Knowledge Engineering 16(6), 795–818 (2006)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  13. Simon, H.A.: A Behavioral Model of Rational Choice. The Quarterly Journal of Economics 69(1), 99–118 (1955)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  14. Morgan, G.: Images of Organizations. SAGE Publications, Thousand Oaks (2006)

    Google Scholar 

  15. Dybå, T.: Improvisation in Small Software Organizations. IEEE Software 17(5), 82–87 (2000)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  16. Lipshitz, R., Klein, G., Orasanu, J., Salas, E.: Taking Stock of Naturalistic Decision Making. Journal of Behavioral Decision Making 14(5), 331–352 (2001)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  17. Fjellman, S.M.: Natural and Unnatural Decision-Making. Ethos 4(1), 73–94 (1976)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  18. Klein, G.: Naturalistic Decision Making. Human Factors: The Journal of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society 50(3), 456–460 (2008)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  19. Lunenburg, F.C.: Escalation of Commitment: Patterns of Retrospective Rationality. International Journal of Management, Business, and Administration 13(1), 1–5 (2010)

    Google Scholar 

  20. Keil, M., Rai, A., Cheney Mann, J., Zhang, G.: Why Software Projects Escalate: The Importance of Project Management Constructs. IEEE Transactions on Engineering Management 50(3), 251–261 (2003)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  21. Mähring, M., Keil, M.: Information Technology Project Escalation: A Process Model*. Decision Sciences 39(2), 239–272 (2008)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  22. Pan, G., Pan, S., Flynn, D.: De-Escalation of Commitment to Information Systems Projects: A Process Perspective. The Journal of Strategic Information Systems 13(3), 247–270 (2004)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  23. Pan, G., Pan, S., Newman, M., Flynn, D.: Escalation and De-Escalation of Commitment to Information Technology Projects: A Commitment Transformation Analysis of an E-Government Project. Information Systems Journal 16, 3–21 (2006)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  24. Brockner, J.: The Escalation of Commitment to a Failing Course of Action: Toward Theoretical Progress. Academy of Management Review 17(1), 39–61 (1992)

    Google Scholar 

  25. Montealegre, R., Keil, M.: De-Escalating Information Technology Projects: Lessons from the Denver International Airport. MIS Quarterly 24(3), 417–447 (2000)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  26. Mayur, S., Desai, D.V.C.: Escalation of Commitment in Mis Projects: A Meta-Analysis. International Journal of Management & Information Systems 13(2), 29–38 (2009)

    Google Scholar 

  27. Newman, M., Sabherwal, R.: Determinants of Commitment to Information Systems Development: A Longitudinal Investigation. MIS Quarterly 20(1), 23–54 (1996)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  28. Yin, R.K.: Case Study Research: Design and Methods. Sage, Thousand Oaks (2008)

    Google Scholar 

  29. Dickinson, T.L., McIntyre, R.M.: A Conceptual Framework of Teamwork Measurement. In: Brannick, M.T., Salas, E., Prince, C. (eds.) Team Performance Assessment and Measurement: Theory, Methods, and Applications, pp. 19–43. Psychology Press, NJ (1997)

    Google Scholar 

  30. Moe, N.B., Dingsøyr, T., Dybå, T.: A Teamwork Model for Understanding an Agile Team: A Case Study of a Scrum Project. Information and Software Technology 52(5), 480–491 (2010)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  31. Jorgensen, D.L.: Participant Observation: A Methodology for Human Studies. Sage publications, Thousands Oak (1989)

    Google Scholar 

  32. Bowen, M.G.: The Escalation Phenomenon Reconsidered: Decision Dilemmas or Decision Errors? Academy of Management Review 12(1), 52–66 (1987)

    Google Scholar 

  33. Heng, C.S., Tan, B.C.Y., Wei, K.K.: De-Escalation of Commitment in Software Projects: Who Matters? What Matters? Information & Management 41(1), 99–110 (2003)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  34. Keil, M., Mähring, M.: Is Your Project Turning into a Black Hole? California Management Review 53(1), 6–31 (2010)

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of Oslo, Gaustadalléen 23, NO-0373, Oslo, Norway

    Viktoria Gulliksen Stray & Tore Dybå

  2. SINTEF, S.P. Andersens veg 15 B, NO-7465, Trondheim, Norway

    Nils Brede Moe & Tore Dybå

Authors
  1. Viktoria Gulliksen Stray
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Nils Brede Moe
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Tore Dybå
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. School of Engineering, Blekinge Institute of Technology, Ronneby, Sweden

    Claes Wohlin

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2012 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg

About this paper

Cite this paper

Stray, V.G., Moe, N.B., Dybå, T. (2012). Escalation of Commitment: A Longitudinal Case Study of Daily Meetings. In: Wohlin, C. (eds) Agile Processes in Software Engineering and Extreme Programming. XP 2012. Lecture Notes in Business Information Processing, vol 111. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-30350-0_11

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-30350-0_11

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-642-30349-4

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-642-30350-0

  • eBook Packages: Computer ScienceComputer Science (R0)

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation