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Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to understand the philosophical changes which underpin research and practices in project management. This study is an attempt to challenge previous studies that have tried to explain this change in order to provide a better explanation.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors adopt a critical review research...
Contexts in source publication
Context 1
... this reason, we attempt to propose a more suitable explanation for underlying changes in project management studies and practices. For this purpose, this paper is organized as follows ( Figure 1): after explaining the research method, we focus on some important research that has paid special attention to explaining the paradigm change in project management. Then, we propose some important criticisms of these explanations, in order to demonstrate how all of them have neglected some fundamental aspects. ...
Context 2
... explained earlier, the changing paradigm, from modern to participation has led to distribution of formal power as the main coordination mechanism in the modern paradigm. Furthermore, there are more complex power relations that commonly stem from informal power and emerge through communication, which is the main coordination mechanism in participation paradigm (Figure 1). Therefore, the issue is still the problem of power, but informal power. ...
Context 3
... this regard, and with attention to the second part of the research question, by using communicative action theory, we clarify the relationship between communication and informal power that is a neglected issue in project management literature. In this way, we can follow the role of informal power in the participation paradigm (Figure 1). According to communicative action theory, human action can be divided into two categories (Figure 3). ...
Citations
... Additionally, research in information systems project management aligns with Foucault's (1977) theories on indirect power, highlighting the effectiveness of informal control through control congruence, or the extent to which those to be controlled share perceptions of the enacted controls and control style (Wiener et al., 2016;Wiener et al., 2015). Foucault's (1977) influence continues to resonate in recent research on the governance of IT projects, with references to the panoptican nature of the agile approach (e.g., Joslin & Müller, 2015;Leclercq-Vandelannoitte & Bertin, 2018;Rolfe et al., 2016;Sarhadi et al., 2018). ...
While the effect of power on organizations has been well researched, how power influences behavior in projects is less well understood. Taking a case-study approach and using the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB), we traced the thoughts of project managers subject to power, particularly those who resisted. We discovered that power bore down on project managers through new injunctive norms, encouraging them either not to resist or eventually to compromise and yield to new norms that changed their experiential attitudes. The TPB brings a new perspective to project management research, illustrating how power affected project managers’ behavior and influenced project outcomes.
... Finally, the task of the activity level managers is to communicate with end users regarding change in their jobs with an insight into the overall picture of the BPC. Moreover, since the external context of the organisation may also influence the project, one may need to communicate beyond traditional project boundaries (Hedborg et al., 2020;Lehtinen and Aaltonen, 2020;Winch, 2014) to incorporate diverse stakeholders across multiple levels (Sarhadi et al., 2018;Zeik and Anderson, 2015). ...
... This study employs processual inquiry (Langley et al., 2013;Pettigrew, 2012;Winch et al., 2012) as an analytical framework to make sense of the lived experience of those involved in the project (Sarhadi et al., 2018;Sergeeva and Winch, 2020). Processual inquiry focusses on the sequence of events unfolding over time to draw conclusions on the process under investigation. ...
... Hence, instead of limiting change communication to an internal marketing mechanism for employee buy-in (Finney, 2011;Kettinger and Grover, 1995) towards the end, project managers need to encourage open communication with all stakeholders (Butt et al., 2016;Davis, 2017;Finney, 2011;Sarhadi et al., 2018;Zeik and Anderson, 2015) throughout the project lifecycle (Griffith-Cooper and King, 2007;Parker et al., 2017;Turkulainen et al., 2015). This may require the use of different communication media (e.g., posters, e-mail, information portal, seminars with stakeholders, and project meetings) consistent with the information requirement of various stakeholders at different stages of the project (Sedmark, 2006;Griffith-Cooper and King, 2007;Finney, 2011). ...
Despite an acknowledgment of the importance of communication in project management, communication breakdowns still occur with a negative influence on project success. In existing literature, communication is usually reduced to an instrument for ensuring employee buy-in and overcoming user resistance towards the end of the project. The purpose of this study is to examine the communication breakdowns occurring at multiple levels during a business process change project. This study employs a qualitative longitudinal case study design embedded within a sociotechnical systems lens, focussing on the work-system, organisational, and macrosocial levels. Based on the findings of the case study of a new blood labelling system implementation in a national blood bank service, this study empirically illustrates the occurrence of communication breakdowns during a project. The study suggests that the occurrence of these communication breakdowns can be avoided by change communication in relation to the context, process, and content of change respectively at the macrosocial, organisational, and the work-system levels. The study also demonstrates the contextual influence of the health sector, and in so doing, establishes the requirement towards system flexibility to accommodate diverse solutions when planning and executing a project.
... In response to postmodern criticisms, the late modern paradigm, at the structural level, proposes broad stakeholder participation in all decision-making processes (Sarhadi et al., 2018), such as ethical codes and regulation compilation, monitoring stakeholder behavior as a neo-structural approach for increasing transparency, preventing key stakeholders from unethical or illegal actions, and motivating all stakeholders to consider legal and ethical guides (Dekker, 2007;Ferilli et al., 2016;Parés et al., 2012;Sarhadi et al., 2018;Silvius et al., 2017). Regarding the inherent ineffectiveness of representative mechanisms, previous studies concluded that stakeholder participation, through the distribution of power, leads to a more effective consequential ethic. ...
... In response to postmodern criticisms, the late modern paradigm, at the structural level, proposes broad stakeholder participation in all decision-making processes (Sarhadi et al., 2018), such as ethical codes and regulation compilation, monitoring stakeholder behavior as a neo-structural approach for increasing transparency, preventing key stakeholders from unethical or illegal actions, and motivating all stakeholders to consider legal and ethical guides (Dekker, 2007;Ferilli et al., 2016;Parés et al., 2012;Sarhadi et al., 2018;Silvius et al., 2017). Regarding the inherent ineffectiveness of representative mechanisms, previous studies concluded that stakeholder participation, through the distribution of power, leads to a more effective consequential ethic. ...
... Both primary and secondary stakeholders should be involved in both the worldly and spiritual aspects of a project. As illustrated in this article, ethical aspects of stakeholder participation are extensively acknowledged by previous studies (Sarhadi et al., 2018), and the importance of meaning-making, with different interpretations, has been highlighted by some recent studies (Carlsen & Pitsis, 2020;Floris & Cuganesan, 2019;Sarhadi, Hasanzadeh, Yousefi, 2021;Sergeeva & Winch, 2020). Project stakeholders have the potential to perceive the project meaningful at the individual level. ...
Ethical aspects of stakeholder behavior can have a wide range of implications for other areas of project management. This research critically reviewed project ethics under the philosophical paradigm change from modernism to late modernism, which led to a flexible and realizable ethical framework based on Levinasian and Nietzschean moral psychologies. A qualitative approach was adopted through a multiple-case study to confront the theoretical framework with the empirical world, evaluate its authenticity, and obtain a better understanding of its challenges. Research results showed that stakeholders’ unconscious desire for existential meaning can provide considerable potential for dealing with ethical challenges.
... However, there are also differences in terms of engaged institutions and stakeholders, and these differences are reflected in the research results (axial coding and selective coding sections). Power and benefit are fundamental concepts in stakeholder theory (Freeman, 2010), and are rooted in Western continental philosophy (Ferris & Treadway, 2012;Foucault, 1976Foucault, /1990Habermas, 1984;Jonasson & Ingason, 2013;Klosko, 2013a;Mill, 1861Mill, /2002Sarhadi et al., 2018). ...
... Dividing the project into different phases is in accordance with the modern paradigm of project management and it has been the subject of postmodern criticisms; thus, a spectral perspective is prioritized. (Cicmil et al., 2006;Gauthier & Ika, 2012;Sarhadi et al., 2018;van der Hoorn & Whitty, 2015). Using the concept of the process makes it possible to evaluate the relationship between the feasibility process and stakeholders, as well as its relation to contextual and structural factors (Strauss & Corbin, 1998). ...
... Participation is considered to be the most effective strategy in the area of stakeholder management, which was raised by Arnstein (1969) before Freeman's stakeholder theory (1984) (Eskerod et al., 2015). Stakeholder participation is supported by a considerable number of philosophical and theoretical findings that identify the underlying reasons for its effectiveness (Dekker, 2007;Ferilli et al., 2016;Parés et al., 2012;Sarhadi et al., 2018). Researchers have emphasized the significance of stakeholder participation in the feasibility process (Cano & Lidón, 2011;Fageha & Aibinu, 2013;Keeys & Huemann, 2017;Liu et al., 2016;Pinto & Winch, 2016;Yang, Zou, et al., 2015). ...
The feasibility process of public construction projects is under the influence of stakeholders, who give direction to public resource allocation. Therefore, the analysis of stakeholders in this process is critical. An inductive qualitative approach was adopted using the grounded theory method to provide a theoretical explanation of stakeholders’ behaviors. Under the insight of structuration theory, the results indicated that the challenges are derived from various interrelated factors, leading to the emergence of improper participation as a macro-structural phenomenon with multilateral interaction with a power-oriented relationship as a micro behavior in the feasibility process at the agency level.
... Communication is a key project manager's skill that has an impact on other cornerstone areas of project management (Men and Yue 2019). It must be delivered in a way that ensures effective participation of team members in order to achieve high team performance (Sarhadi, Yousefi, and Zamani 2018). Effective internal communication is crucial for successful organisations as it affects the ability of managers to engage employees and achieve objectives (Welch and Jackson 2007), moreover it is important integral part of employee development practice and one of the core elements of implementing employee development (Proctor and Doukakis 2003). ...
... To ensure this, the entire team needs to understand the goals, objectives, outcomes and benefits of the project (Cervone 2014). Sarhadi, Yousefi, and Zamani (2018) suggest that in modern paradigm, centralized power has taken a coordinator role in project teams by establishing a communication bottleneck, but in the participation paradigm, information flows freely among all project team members. Focused power is therefore replaced with effective communication. ...
Communication in global project teams is emerging research topic as more and more work is done in form of global project, with geographically dispersed teams communicating using different communication channels. There are several unique dimensions to consider in comparison to communication in traditional project teams, including some unique risks and success factors. This article provides a systematic literature review on internal communication in global project teams. Cultural aspects of global project team collaboration were also investigated. A bibliometric analysis was performed through methodological approach applied in previous studies. Traditional project management and communication methods are not the best option for global projects as they can't answer the additional challenges that global projects provide in comparison to traditional projects. Key risks and success factors on global projects were identified and proposals extracted on how to run the internal communication on global projects. Requirements for successful global project manager were described. Our research revealed a gap in available literature, encouraging further exploration and serving as a basis for further research.
... The approach governing the methodology of this study is participatory and qualitative [30]. This approach is in line with the recommendation of a lot of studies emphasizing the need to establish the findings and solutions on a practical field in the area of project management knowledge [31][32][33][34][35][36][37]. ...
One of the most important strategies in order to move toward a knowledge-based economy, decreasing different kinds of managerial and non-managerial challenges that organizations are faced, and also maintaining the current competitive advantages and creating new competitive advantages, is establishment and development of effective R&D departments. Although equipment, financial, and human resources are known among the most important factors in order to evaluate the rate of R&D departments' ability, all of these factors along with procedural and managerial weakness cannot provide value for corporation. In order to investigate more about this aspect of R&D projects, case study was adopted as our research method. In this regard, through comparison of theoretical achievements and current R&D process, its challenges by participating and a structural approach were identified and by using experts' comments were prioritized. In subsequent, strategies for dealing with identified challenges through some meetings have been designed and by presenting to experts have been authenticated. At last, based on achieved strategies, R&D project management process of E organization through collaboration with experts has been designed and by joint meeting with organizational stakeholders has been improved and tailored.
With projects becoming more complex and multifaceted than before, there arises a need for agile efficient project management. This chapter seeks to define project management efficiency. The chapter explores the five variables that influence project management efficiency. It also delves into the importance of project management efficiency. Finally, the chapter breaks down the challenges to project management efficiency and gives solutions to counter the challenges. The variables explained in this chapter are project scope, cost, time, resources, and quality. As evidenced here, each variable has a role in enhancing efficiency in managing projects. The benefits of efficiently managed projects examined are quality control, customer satisfaction, risk identification and evaluation, consistent communication, and on-schedule project delivery. The challenges expounded in the chapter are inadequate skillset, undefined goals, impossible deadlines, scope creep, resource deprivation, and poor communication.
Greenwashing behaviors (GWBs) are positive environmental communications in combination with poor environmental performance. Using fraud triangle theory, this study investigated the effects of three types of factors (pressures, opportunities, and rationalizations) that shape contractor GWBs. Primary data from 586 respondents were analyzed using structural equation modeling (SEM) and fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA). The SEM results indicate positive effects for these factors with the exception of isomorphic pressures and reveal the mediating role of rationalization. The fsQCA results present three configurational models that trigger GWBs. Theoretical and managerial implications are provided that shed new light on facilitating environmental sustainability in projects.
A área de Gerenciamento de Projetos (GP) é um domínio orientado à prática, mas as abordagens baseadas na prática permanecem sub-representadas em comparação com estudos teóricos e empíricos. Este cenário abre espaço para um melhor entendimento de como promover o engajamento entre acadêmicos e profissionais para estudar tópicos relevantes para a prática, que têm um efeito diário nas partes interessadas em GP. Este artigo visa contribuir com recomendações sobre formas compreensíveis de engajamento de pesquisa com profissionais que abordarão a lacuna da prática de pesquisa em GP. As recomendações estão alicerçadas na lacuna prática-pesquisa apontada por pesquisadores da Administração e de GP. Elas são escritas como ações para promover o envolvimento de profissionais que trabalham com projetos de pesquisa orientados à prática, para chamar a atenção de editores e responsáveis por conferências para tornar os profissionais parte da literatura de campo de GP e preencher a lacuna deixada por pesquisadores que negligenciam contribuições de utilidade prática. As recomendações também estão associadas ao processo de pesquisa e publicação, redação de teses, dissertações, artigos, relatórios e à comunidade de GP. Assim, o artigo tem uma dupla contribuição: 1. Conscientizar sobre o surgimento de pesquisas envolvendo profissionais e acadêmicos por meio de diferentes projetos de pesquisa; e 2. Fornecer uma compilação de ações para melhorar o engajamento entre profissionais e pesquisadores.
