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Evolving History of Sustainable Project: Exploring Existential Meaning at the Agency Level
... The authors attempted to suggest ways to enable successful application of PPP procurement in such cases, by taking mitigation measures at an early stage of the project. Sarhadi et al. (2021), after examining the evolving history of sustainable projects, explored sustainability of construction projects at the agency level, arguing that a sustainable project's goals have a great potential to improve at the agency level by motivating stakeholders to go beyond the constraints of profit-based objectives and to take more flexible and consensus-oriented stances. ...
... 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.
... The results of this research are in relative accordance with Sabini et al.'s (2019) and Sarhadi et al.'s (2021) findings on the importance of individual level and behavioral analysis for realizing sustainability. This study, through applying structuration theory, proposed a new philosophical approach to analyzing stakeholder behaviors. ...
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.
Last few years have seen a huge increase of publications at the intersection of project management and sustainability. Nevertheless, this field has become increasingly fragmented undermining a steady and consistent development. Aiming at balancing tensions between authors’ attempts for more ‘integration’ and the trajectories toward ‘fragmentation, we employed an extensive, systematic literature review of 770 publications from the period 1993 to 2017. Therefore, this review offers guidance to scholars less familiar with this concept who encounter SPM in their research.
We suggest that the SPM literature can be understood by answering the following questions: (1) Why adopt sustainable business practices into projects? (2) What is the impact of sustainability on traditional project management practices? And (3) how is sustainability embedded in project practices?
The three narrative themes illustrate the diverse views on the different aspects of SPM, allowing divergences, such as different philosophical underpinnings or levels of analysis, to flourish without eroding the clarity of the field.
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 method to challenge previous explanations of the paradigm change and definition of communication. For this purpose, philosophical and social theories and concepts have been used.
Findings
This paper proposed changing the paradigm from modernism to postmodernism and the paradigm shift, which happens from postmodernism to participation, as a better explanation for the paradigmatic change in project management. Furthermore, the important role of communication has been illustrated in the participation paradigm.
Originality/value
For the first time in project management, the authors attempt to clarify the role of power in this paradigmatic shift, especially because this concept is an axial concept in postmodern philosophy and a neglected concept in project management literature. In addition, communicative action theory has been used with the aim of pursuing the influence of informal power in the participation paradigm and paving the way for confronting its emerging challenges in future studies.
This paper organizes and synthesizes different extant research streams through a systematic literature review to identify connections and major assumptions on the influence of stakeholders in major Public Infrastructure and Construction projects (PIC), at the local community level. Findings suggest that research on stakeholder management has focused strongly on those stakeholders able to control project resources, whilst the effect on the legitimate 'secondary stakeholders', such as the local community, remains widely unexplored. Due to the unavoidable impact of major PIC on both people and places, it is suggested that seeking local community opinions in the initiation phase of the project and monitoring the megaproject impact at the local level can help to improve project performance. The output provides scholars and practitioners with future research directions and practical implications for an inclusive stakeholder management approach in construction megaprojects.
Project organising is a growing field of scholarly inquiry and management practice. In recent years, two important developments have influenced this field: (1) the study and practice of projects have extended their level of analysis from mainly focussing on individual projects to focussing on micro- as well as macro-level concerns around projects; and (2) there has been a greater interest in different kinds of scholarly inquiry. Taken together, these two developments call for closer scrutiny of how the levels of analysis and the types of inquiry are related and benefit each other, and of the explanations of project practices they could offer. To discuss avenues for future research on projects and project practice, this paper suggests the notion of project studies to better grasp the status of our field. We combine these two sets of ideas to analyse the status and future options for advancing project research: (1) levels of analysis; and (2) type of research. Analysing recent developments within project studies, we observe the emergence of what we refer to as type 3 research, which reconciles the need for theoretical development and engagement with practice. Type 3 research suggests pragmatic avenues to move away from accepted yet unhelpful assumptions about projects and project organising. The paper ends with an agenda for future research, which offers project scholars a variety of options to position themselves in the field of project studies, and to explore opportunities in the crossroads between levels of analysis and types of research.
This paper introduces Existential Hermeneutic Phenomenology (EHP) as an approach to reflecting on and studying the lived experience of project management practice. We argue that an EHP way of being is an effective approach for any practitioner confronted by significant existential disruptions to their practice. We develop our proposition of ‘the wisdom of conversations’ as an EHP enabled way for project managers' practical coping with otherwise potentially inhibiting existential disruptions.
We understand EHP as a holistic philosophical practice which: 1. allows making the ‘lived experience’ of project management practice explicit for reflection, and 2. is available and useful to practitioners in the field. Heidegger provides the theoretical base through a language of existential categories, which are dimensions of being-in-the-world. Gendlin offers a practical method for accessing the states of being that Heidegger describes. Rorty offers promise, the ability to disclose new possibilities or ways of being-in-the-world through irony and practices of re-description.
There is a recognized need to incorporate sustainability considerations in infrastructure projects delivered through public–private partnerships (PPPs). The aim of this study is to explore how such incorporation can be encouraged. The research is based on a documentary analysis of 25 Flemish PPP infrastructure projects and two follow-up single-case studies. The findings show that sustainability considerations currently play only a limited role, and that the social dimensions of sustainability are largely neglected. It seems likely that this neglect is due to the difficulties encountered in formulating measurable social sustainability criteria. Based on case studies, several governance instruments are presented that might stimulate more consideration for sustainability. This study should, therefore, be of value to practitioners who wish to procure sustainable PPP projects. However, it must be noted that a “strong” sustainability perspective seems inherently incompatible with the contractual PPP project structure, which requires measurable and enforceable performance indicators. Changing thisPPP approach demands a paradigm shift.
This study looks at the critical success factors (CSFs) affecting integration of sustainability into project management practices of construction projects in developing countries. Having innovation diffusion theory as the theoretical point of departure, CSFs pertaining to the triple bottom line of sustainability (environmental, social and economic) were identified through a comprehensive review of literature. These were customised for the context of developing countries by conducting 16 semi-structured interviews and were presented in form of a conceptual model. The model was validated through a survey returning 101 completed questionnaires with partial least squares structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) as the method of analysis. This study contributes to the field by presenting one of the first studies in its kind focusing on CSFs for integration of sustainability into project management practices for construction projects within the context of developing countries.
Because research focusing on sustainability in a project context is still nascent and fragmented, we carried out a systematic literature review covering all research published in five leading journals in the fields of project management and sustainable production prior to 2016. Our analysis revealed two distinct perspectives in the project sustainability research; one assumes the perspective of the project organisation delivering the asset while the second assumes the perspective of the host organisation. We identify and describe eight distinct strategies used by either the project organisation, its host, or both in collaboration to support sustainability goals. We complement the findings of our literature review with an illustrative empirical case focusing on the delivery of an innovative seawater-based heating solution in Norway.
If we consider project as a temporary organization, based on the Organizational theory we can also consider it as a human community. In this regard and with attention to major sociologists’ confirmation, communication plays very important role in any human community and with the same importance in projects with multicultural context. In this framework and using descriptive-analytical method, this research tries to analyze and compare communication style in two project teams from any three selected project-oriented organizations in Iran. Thus after some interviews, in order to determine team members’ communication styles a questionnaire was designed and distributed between two project team members that one of them had been known as high performance team and another as a low performance from CEO point of view, based on performance indexes that previously generated by corporates. Then achieved data analyzed by Excel and SPSS. The main result indicates that probably there is a correlation between communication style arrangement of team members and project team performance. Teams that had been formed by all kind of communication style peoples, with suitable arrangement commonly had better performance than other teams that had been formed by same communication style peoples. In another word in first kind of teams, team member complete each other and create better communication network than second one. However this result needs more empirical and theoretical study. It is believed that this study can prepare context for future research in order to improve communication among project teams to obtain high performance.
Do firms benefit from their voluntary efforts to alleviate the many problems confronting society? A vast literature establishing a “business case” for corporate social responsibility appears to find that usually they do. However, as argued herein, the business case literature has established only that firms usually benefit from responding to the demands of their primary stakeholders. The nature of the relationship between the interests of business and those of broader society, beyond a subset of powerful primary stakeholders, remains an open question despite this vast literature. This article develops a set of propositions that highlight constraints on firms’ ability to profit from corporate social responsibility and outlines a set of managerial challenges on which researchers must focus their attention in order to truly determine whether and when firms can profit by responding to the needs of society.
The scarcity of accepted research designs within each research philosophy paradigm limits the variance of research approaches, which reduces the chances to identify real new phenomena. We propose that researchers use triangulation of alternative research philosophies to identify interesting new phenomena, provide alternative perspectives to complex problems, and gain a richer and more holistic understanding of complex project management problems. Philosophical triangulation extends methodological triangulation into the realm of ontology and epistemology and provides for more comprehensive understanding, as it resembles a more realistic view towards social science phenomena, which, by their nature, appear differently to people, and thus are seen from different ontological perspectives simultaneously. Three related studies are used to exemplify the approach, where the results of two sets of empirical data (qualitative and quantitative) are discussed in different philosophical contexts. Implications for scholars include more practice-oriented research perspectives in line with the projects-as-practice stream by extending existing benefits from methodological triangulation into philosophical triangulation in order to identify and understand complex phenomena.
The sustainability of project implementation requires the use of effective instruments to cope with the undesirable social risks. Facing group confrontation and conflict around mega project in the past decade, Social Stability Risk Assessment is currently conceived as a managing way to handle social risks by the Chinese government. In this paper, a case study of Jixian Industrial Park project from western China is conducted to explore how to identify specific social risks under the dominance of local government. Response package is further released to prevent, reduce and control the destructive consequences of risks that may occur before or during the project construction. Enlightenments are obtained in the end to provide valuable implications. As a reference example, the research of this paper ushered in a practical framework of social risk management which may be effectively applied in other fields of program implementation.
Understanding stakeholder dynamics and their impact on project management is crucial, especially for large and complex projects such as nuclear waste repositories. This study examines the stakeholder dynamics during the project front-end stage of two pioneering nuclear waste repository projects. To analyze changes in stakeholders' importance and position on a project, we propose and apply a new conceptual framework: a stakeholder salience-position matrix. The study explicates how stakeholder dynamics are influenced by the interaction of stakeholders' influence behavior, stakeholder management activities, and the project's contextual conditions. Prior stakeholder literature has rarely conceptualized the elements of stakeholder dynamics in a systematic manner.
According to research, stakeholder disappointment is a root problem within projects. In this article, the dilemmas related to stakeholder inclusiveness, in other words, engaging a broad range of stakeholders, are discussed. Based on a longitudinal case study, three propositions are offered: Applying stakeholder inclusiveness in a project (1) increases the likelihood of more engaged and satisfied stakeholders; (2) increases the danger of losing focus on those stakeholders who possess the most critical resources for the project's survival and progress; and (3) increases the danger of inducing stakeholder disappointment due to expectation escalation and impossibility of embracing conflicting requirements and wishes.
As part of the development of his Management of Projects (MoP) perspective, Peter Morris identified a broader, more comprehensive understanding of the principal project management activities and interfaces required for project success. In advancing the MoP framework, Morris offered a wide-ranging critique of the philosophy behind PMI's execution-based model, as developed through their body of knowledge (PMBoK). This paper addresses some of the streams of research that have been influenced by the MoP perspective and how they have "unsettled" research focused on tools and techniques, and normative best practice which we dub the "settled science" of project management. We suggest that it is time to reconsider these research streams in light of Morris' MoP framework, identifying some of the key areas that future research can pursue in reassessing what we think we know about project-based research and key project interfaces. © 2015 Elsevier Ltd and Association for Project Management and the International Project Management Association.
The definitions of sustainability and sustainable development are very diverse and dependent upon who is defining the terms in each individual context. People differ in the environmental, social, and economic conditions within which they have to live. Consequently, flexibility as what the sustainability and sustainable development mean can be a strength in a diverse world. However, we can argue that the definition of sustainable development created by Brundtland Commission (1987) is also valid today. The target of sustainable development is an aggregated norm for the whole living space, including all spheres and all scales (local, regional, and global). However, in political practice, sustainable development is a strategy that leads to diverse norms depending on the social, economical, and ecological idiosyncrasies of regions. In addition, social problems are getting more and more complex and the changes needed
to achieve a sustainable development exceed the capacity of individual actors. Local and global responsibility requires cooperation and interaction. Therefore it is natural to relate sustainability and sustainable development to corporations. For example, the Plan of Implementation of the World Summit on Sustainable Development demands the enhancement of corporate environmental and social responsibility and accountability through actions to “encourage dialogue between enterprises and the communities in which they operate and other stakeholders” as well as “develop workplace-based partnerships and programmes” (United Nations 2003).
Many people expect their work to provide meaning to their lives, yet the specific organizational factors that can promote meaning in life are not clearly delineated. Drawing on the basic science of meaning in life, in this paper we propose that work entails a host of experiences that foster meaning in life. We begin by defining meaning in life, noting its placement within the broader well-being literature and dispelling common myths about its rarity in people’s lives. After highlighting the myriad benefits of meaning for individuals and organizations, we describe several established sources of meaning in life and their relevance to work. We then examine how work orientations and social demographic factors influence the propensity to seek meaning through work. We conclude with a discussion of future research directions that can better illuminate the predictors and functions of meaningfulness at work.
Collective actions against major construction projects are becoming common because of the public's increasing civil rights awareness and environmental consciousness. Thus, it is important to explore the critical factors responsible for collective actions against major construction projects. This study initially developed 25 indicators inducing collective actions based on a comprehensive literature review. An empirical study with 127 samples was conducted using questionnaire surveys and semi-structured interviews from projects located in Central China. Furthermore, ranking analysis and factor analyses were implemented to conclude that collective actions in major construction projects can be explained by a six-dimension critical factor system: benefits to the public, characteristics of project performers, layout of projects, living quality of the public, perceptions of the public, and influence from the authority. This study contributes to government administration for collective actions against major construction projects and serves as a useful reference for further studies of this type.
The absence or lack of effective stakeholder engagement during project life cycle, especially at the earlier stages of planning and implementation often negatively impacts the expected performance of projects. The coupled consequences of the lack of contextual knowledge from the stakeholders with the lack of their support in the field necessitates effective stakeholder engagement. However, this integration faces challenges such as limitations of project resources and conflicting interests of the stakeholders. In this sense, project resources can be allocated based on the priorities of the fields of conflicts to facilitate stakeholder engagement of the projects. The goal of this paper is to provide a framework to enhance effectiveness of the stakeholder engagement in projects by systematically ranking the potential conflicts while combining the viewpoints of stakeholders and project management team. For this purpose, we draw on stakeholder theory, value-based management, matrix-based dependency modeling, and Total Quality Management to develop a stakeholder engagement framework while considering fuzzy inputs for reflecting the ambiguities at the project life cycle. The proposed approach is then applied to plan stakeholder engagement in case of a green building project in Iran. Practically, application of the proposed framework facilitates stakeholder engagement for project managers in line with sustainable goals through early assessment of the fields of potential conflicts of interests.
This research contributes to a dearth of research into leadership that focuses explicitly on senior leaders of complex projects. It identifies five transitions that were seen as essential as these project leaders developed their capacity to lead, including transitions towards: orchestrating dialogue between the right people, at the right time, about the right issues; guiding collaborative meaning-making to align key stakeholders; drawing on practical wisdom and judgment to progress complex project challenges; developing a range of power sources, and sensing a pathway through power dynamics; and negotiating project success for key stakeholders based on a broad concept of value. Instead of merely seeing this as the development of new skills, we argue that these transitions are manifestations of an increase of a more deeply rooted capacity to deal with cognitive and emotional complexity. This difference matters as learning a new skill requires a very different approach to stepping up an order of constructive development. A constructive developmental perspective appears particularly helpful for understanding how senior project leaders of complex projects learn to deal with the relentless onslaught of challenges that their projects can bring. © 2019 Elsevier Ltd and Association for Project Management and the International Project Management Association
Achieving sustainability is becoming increasingly critical for measuring the overall success of infrastructure projects. Given the complexity of such projects, the successful management of sustainability-related targets requires joint efforts from the major stakeholders involved, including project clients, contractors, suppliers, and the general public. Nevertheless, these stakeholders often have different, and sometimes even conflicting, concerns regarding the achievement of project sustainability. Confrontations and disputes can arise unless these concerns are carefully analyzed and addressed. However, we know little specifically about how major stakeholders perceive infrastructure sustainability and how their concerns differ in the three dimensions of project sustainability: economic, environmental, and social sustainability. This study investigated the major concerns of stakeholders in achieving sustainability in a typical infrastructure project (i.e., railway projects). A triangulated methodology was adopted, including a literature review, a questionnaire survey, and interviews to obtain data from project stakeholders. Based on the results, there was a significant divergence of views among stakeholder groups, and conflicts arose when there was a mismatch between stakeholders’ perceptions. A list of major concerns from each individual stakeholder group was ranked and discussed. Some measures for promoting the consensus on achieving project sustainability among different stakeholder groups were also provided. The study not only provides insights into understanding differences in the concerns of major stakeholder groups in achieving railway project sustainability, it also helps develop quantitative approaches for measuring the degree of consensus and conflict among major stakeholder groups so as to minimize their concern differences.
This study investigates the effects of perceived organizational support (POS) and proactive personality on meaning of work and employee creativity in hotel businesses. Data was collected through a survey of 274 hotel employees, and structural equational model (SEM) was used to test the research hypotheses. The results indicate that both POS and proactive personality have positive effects on the meaning of work and employee creativity. While the mediating effect of meaning of work on the relationship between proactive personality and employee creativity is fully supported, the mediating effect of meaning of work on the relationship between POS and employee creativity is only partially supported.
With limited resources and attention, managers have sought ways to categorize and prioritize stakeholders. The underlying assumption is that some stakeholders matter more than others. However, in the information age, stakeholders are increasingly interconnected, where a firm’s actions toward one stakeholder are visible to others and can affect members of the stakeholder ecosystem. Actions by a firm toward any of its stakeholders can signal its trustworthiness and determine to what degree other stakeholders will assume vulnerability and engage in future exchange relationships. In this conceptual article, I present a model of stakeholder connectedness and describe the conditions in which a firm’s actions toward one stakeholder can build or erode trust across stakeholders. This work contributes to current tensions in stakeholder theory by elucidating how the treatment of a single stakeholder, or a narrow group of stakeholders, can have cascading effects on a broader group of stakeholders.
Based on an exploratory study conducted in the UK using thematic and cluster analysis, this paper investigates how the local communities' stakeholder is perceived, defined and categorized by project managers in major public infrastructure and construction projects (MPIC), and how their involvement could improve the performance of these projects. Due to the perceived benefits shortfall of MPIC, well organized actions from 'secondary stakeholder' groups have led to delays, cost overruns, and significant damage to the organization's reputation. Stakeholder management is an essential process which aims to maximize positive inputs and minimize detrimental attitudes by taking into account the needs and requirements of all project stakeholders. However, current project stakeholder management mechanisms are reactive rather than proactive, mainly offering an instrumental perspective, which aims to make the stakeholders comply with project needs. Therefore, a broader inclusiveness of secondary stakeholders who could be harmed by the organization's strategy, such as the local communities, is required to enhance the performance of MPIC.
This book presents a new way to understand human–animal interactions. Offering a profound discussion of topics such as human identity, our relationship with animals and the environment, and our culture, the author channels the vibrant Italian traditions of humanism, materialism, and speculative philosophy.
The research presents a dialogue between the humanities and the natural sciences. It challenges the separation and oppression of animals with a post-humanism steeped in the traditions of the Italian Renaissance.
Readers discover a vision of the human as a species informed by an intertwining with animals. The human being is not constructed by an onto-poetic process, but rather by close relati
ons with otherness. The human system is increasingly unstable and, therefore, more hybrid.
The argument it presents interests scholars, thinkers, and researchers. It also appeals to anyone who wants to delve into the deep animal–human bond and its philosophical, cultural, political instances.
The author is a veterinarian, ethologist, and philosopher. He uses cognitive science, zooanthropology, and philosophy to engage in a series of empirical, theoretical, and practice-based engagements with animal life. In the process, he argues that animals are key to human identity and culture at all levels.
The emergence of integrated project delivery and collaborative contracts has been the staple of the construction industry in the last decade, with the main goal of fostering a collaborative environment and adding value to the whole project lifecycle. Collaborative contracts generally contain laddered dispute resolution methods and incentive provisions. These process-oriented methods are intended to promote an inexpensive and nonadversarial approach to dispute resolution, while the incentives are meant to add to the project value. However, these process-oriented dispute resolution methods and incentive provisions have been deemed to be vulnerable aspects in which interpersonal relations play an influential role and where they can have unpredictable effects in contrast to their initial purpose. This paper presents the results of an exploratory study comparing perceptions about dispute resolution methods and incentive clauses stipulated by four collaborative standard contract forms. Experienced construction professionals were interviewed for this study, followed by a thematic content analysis of the interview transcripts to identify shared issues in favor and against various aspects of the collaborative contract standards. Interviewees consisted of participants in the design, construction, and legal processes of project delivery. The analysis results were checked by additional consultation with the interviewees and by submitting the results of the critique to additional external reviewers. An important finding of the study was the perceived key role of interpersonal relations for the successful implementation of dispute resolution methods and incentive provisions. Mostly, people factors were perceived as more important than formally stipulated conditions.
The research analyses decisions as evaluative outcomes regarding project value. The UK-French Hinkley Point C Nuclear Power Station provides the case study. Value is traditionally assessed as inputs and outputs. Here, value is conceptualized as a co-created value proposition at the front-end with implications for realization post-completion. Service-dominant logic (SDL) provides the theoretical lens and contributes to a methodological approach for examining projects. Decision-making outcomes provide the evidence from a range of data sources, including reports and commentaries. The methods are interpretative. The findings show that decision-making extends beyond the time-cost-quality/scope dimensions. The long-term issues regarding value realized are often overlooked. Stakeholders and individual actors have mainly focused upon managing political and financial risks, especially time and cost. The research poses challenges to project management analysis, SDL and research design in assessing evidence. Addressing these issues facilitates a knowledge contribution to SDL theorization and the field of project management.
Sustainable development (SD) envisions business and their projects to deliver benefits to a broad group of stakeholders. Yet, projects are challenged to realize benefits to meet individual organization business objectives and value concerns. Given the benefits focus of SD, benefits realization helps to understand how SD can be integrated in the management of projects, linking it to strategy. This paper offers benefits co-creation as a strategy for creating benefits for a broad group of stakeholders reflecting holistic SD. The study presents an exploratory case study through a conceptual framework, illustrating one possible approach based on adaptation and emergence. The findings demonstrate how stakeholder co-creation enables the shaping of project SD benefits, addressing stakeholder value concerns and suggest the need to consider a two dimension conceptual approach to benefits realization—benefits creation and benefits capture, reducing the conceptual distance between projects and benefits realization.
Sustainability is becoming increasingly important in the delivery of projects as stakeholders require ethicality, eco-friendliness, and economic efficiency during a project's life cycle. Previous studies focused on the environmental aspects of sustainability in project deliverables, whereas less attention has been directed at sustainable project management during project delivery. The goal of this study is to identify the control practices that a project organization uses for sustainable project management. A qualitative single-case study was conducted on a large infrastructure project in which a road tunnel was constructed in a highly demanding environment, involving multiple stakeholders in an alliance contract. The results reveal that sustainable project management is implemented using not only indicators but a holistic control package in which control mechanisms are used differently for different sustainability dimensions. Internal project control is complemented with sustainable project governance, linking the project to its external stakeholders and regulations. The alliance contract activates the partners to exploit innovation opportunities and, thus, promotes economic, environmental, and social sustainability.
This study examines different associations between the search for meaning in life (MLQ-S) and the presence of meaning in life (MLQ-P) based on sub-groups of emotionality and tolerance of uncertainty, respectively. Korean college student participants' self-reported survey responses were used in the study (N = 348; 64.8% female; MAge = 21.6 years old). The results indicated that MLQ-S is positively correlated with MLQ-P in all levels of emotionality groups (Low, Average, and High emotionality) and the Average uncertainty tolerance group. Findings also suggested that MLQ-S was higher in Low emotionality than High emotionality; and MLQ-S was higher in the High uncertainty tolerance group than Low and Average uncertainty tolerance groups. The High uncertainty tolerance group reported the highest MLQ-P, and the Low uncertainty tolerance group reported the lowest MLQ-P. Findings highlight the importance of emotional stability and moderate levels of uncertainty tolerance in intervening clients' meaning seeking and meaning finding processes.
Sustainability is one of the most important challenges of our time. Projects play a pivotal role in the realization of more sustainable business practices and the concept of sustainability has also been linked to project management. However, how managers of projects consider sustainability in their operational daily work is still to be explored. This paper uses Q-methodology to investigate the consideration of sustainability aspects in the decision making processes of project managers. The research question was How are dimensions of sustainability considered in the decision-making processes of project managers in relation to the triple constraint of time, cost and quality? Based on the Q-sort of selected respondents, the study found that the consideration of sustainability principles is underrepresented, compared to the triple constraint criteria. However, the analysis of the individual Q-sorts revealed four distinct perspectives that differ significantly in their consideration of sustainability principles and triple constraint criteria. © 2017 Elsevier Ltd and Association for Project Management and the International Project Management Association.
The study aims to develop a framework for community participation that can inform a participatory approach more effectively when planning and developing post-disaster reconstruction projects. It focused on post-disaster housing reconstruction projects in Afghanistan. Semi-structured interviews were conducted to explore and explain the impact of the barriers upon community participation, and how such impact can be eliminated or reduced. The analysed results were extended to facilitate the development of a framework for more successful community participation in post-disaster reconstruction. This study identified five common barriers to community participation, which are: lack of community capacity, gender issues, lack of professional competence in NGOs, government policies and practices, and lack of adequate security. A logical framework is proposed as a pragmatic solution for community capacity development activities, which should lead to achieving the following objectives: to re-establish community structure; to encourage sense of project ownership; to provide disaster recovery support; and to provide livelihood opportunities.
Purpose
The objective of this research is to provide practitioners with inter-industry applicable rules and guidelines for the Lean Six Sigma (LSS) project definition phase. This research resulted in 13 inter-industry generic project definitions that are divided by four performance dimensions: quality, dependability, speed and cost efficiency.
Design/methodology/approach
A total of 312 previously executed LSS improvement projects in a broad variety of industries at black belt or master black belt level are analyzed. All these projects have followed the LSS methodology and are characterized by the use of critical to quality (CTQ) measurements and the structured improvement method of define, measure, analyse, improve and control for operations improvement.
Findings
This research resulted in 13 inter-industry generic project definitions that are divided by four performance dimensions: quality, dependability, speed and cost efficiency. Three factors that have stood out in this research are; the difficulty to capture the performance dimension flexibility in LSS project definitions, the strong focus on internal organizational benefits in defining CTQs for LSS project definitions and the unclear alignment of LSS project definitions to existing strategic objectives of the company.
Originality/value
This research established useable generic LSS project definitions including generic CTQ’s measures, applicable to multiple industries. These generic LSS project definitions provide useful guidance in the initial LSS project phase, helping to decompose strategic focal points into clear and measurable project objectives.
The cultural issue is obtaining more and more consideration in international project management and the risky nature of international projects reinforces this consideration. Conflict-resolving behaviour is one of the cultural behaviours that can affect project success. This paper addresses comparative research between Chinese and South African project managers in their conflict-resolving behaviour, as regards certain project activities relating to international projects. The results show that the differences between the conflict-resolving behaviours of the two groups are significant, in terms of project communication, negotiation and conflict-resolution activities. This research will fill a gap in the cross-cultural conflict resolving behaviour comparison study of the international project management arena. The results and suggestions should assist practitioners and researchers involved in international R&D and technologic project management to improve their skills in communication, collaboration and staff training.
Topics of project management and sustainability have been addressed by countless studies, but research focusing on the intersection of these topics are needed. This research looks at sustainability through the triple-bottom line perspective: economic, social, and environmental. It aims to identify key aspects of sustainability in project management context and to understand its importance based on project managers' lens. A systematic literature review merging bibliometric and content analysis was applied toward an understanding of the key topics. Further, a survey of project managers was performed and analyzed through exploratory factor analysis. The results show that four factors stood out: Sustainable Innovation Business Model, Stakeholders Management, Economic and Competitive Advantage, and Environmental Policies and Resources Saving.
Maladaptive perfectionism (i.e., a perceived discrepancy between one's standards and performance) has proven to be a significant risk factor for depression. The existential model of perfectionism and depressive symptoms (EMPDS) highlights the existential component of viewing life experiences as meaningless is a significant intervening variable in the model. Drawing on the EMPDS, the present study examined the moderating role of meaning in life between discrepancy and depression in a sample of college students (N = 339). Moderation analyses indicated that a positive association between discrepancy and depression was stronger when perfectionists actively sought for meaning. Having a sense of meaning and purpose was not found to play a significant role in these associations. Implications for research on perfectionism and the meaning in life and future research directions are discussed.
This study applies a fuzzy consensus scheme integrated with a multicriteria decision making method and fuzzy set theory to mitigate groupthink and disagreements among members of a building envelope design team. This fuzzy consensus scheme consists of freezing conditions and a standardized procedure to govern group decision making. The study employs a case study as a research design to test effectiveness of the fuzzy consensus scheme in mitigating groupthink and disagreements among the building design team members. In the case study, the design team is engaged and then tasked to apply the fuzzy consensus scheme when assessing different building envelope designs of a representative building project. A semi-structured interview is conducted to collect perspectives of the design team members regarding the effectiveness of the fuzzy consensus scheme applied in the case study in relation to their previous experience in similar actual projects. Results from the case study suggest that the fuzzy consensus scheme is useful in promoting group cohesiveness and generation of a variety of decision solutions. The scheme also assists the team members to express their opinions, listen to each other voices, and seek the optimal solutions that everyone in the team agrees with. These as a whole help mitigate both groupthink and disagreements among the team members. The main contributions of this study lie in the achievement of more effective group decision making and agreed design solutions. Future studies can incorporate the fuzzy consensus scheme into decision support tools to promote integration among project team members in several project development phases.
This article analyses the thinking and key ideas generated by eclac throughout its six decades of life, by reviewing the work published since its creation in 1948, in both the structuralist stage (1950s, 1960s, 1970s and 1980s) and the neo-structuralist phase (since 1990). It then reviews the most important contributions made between 1998 and 2008, which address the effects of the structural reforms of the 1990s; the agenda for the global era; approaches to rights, citizenship and social cohesion; the Schumpeterianstructuralist convergence and countercyclical macroeconomic policies under conditions of financial volatility. The article discusses the similarities and differences between the two phases and concludes that neo-structuralism has remained analytically very close to structuralism.
This research aims to model the interactive networks of the risks associated with different stakeholders in green building projects and to gain an understanding of the key risk networks. Case studies of green star accredited office building projects were undertaken in China and Australia. Case data were collected through focused group workshops, face-to-face interviews and desktop studies, and analysed by using social network analysis methods. The results show that while reputation risk is important in both countries, the ethical risk of ‘assessment experience and fairness’ has been highlighted as crucial in the Chinese context. The results further show that government plays an important role in improving the societies' knowledge and awareness on green technology uptake in China. The social network analysis method in this research improves the effectiveness and accuracy of stakeholder and risk analysis by demystifying the social complexity which is usually overlooked in traditional linear risk impact analysis.
To report an analysis of the concept of 'meaning in work'.
Associated with initiatives to improve the quality of working life and the emerging movement of positive organizations, 'meaning in work' has been studied as a positive individual-level state. 'Meaning in work' has potential benefits that will improve the nursing workforce if this concept is embraced in nursing. However, the concept is not clearly defined because it has been approached from diverse theoretical perspectives and used interchangeably with analogous terms.
A concept analysis.
Three key terms (using 'work', 'meaning' or 'meaningful', 'meaning of work', 'logotherapy') were searched in the CINAHL, PsycINFO, Business Source Complete and ABI/INFORM Global online databases from January 1940-March 2015. Among 346 articles retrieved, 28 studies were included for this concept analysis.
The procedure of concept analysis developed by Walker and Avant (2011) was used.
Four critical attributes are identified: (1) experienced positive emotion at work; (2) meaning from work itself; (3) meaningful purpose and goals of work; and (4) work as a part of life that contributes towards meaningful existence. The identified antecedent of 'meaning in work' was a cognitive shift and the identified consequences were positive personal experience and positive impact on peers and organizations.
This article provides a clear definition of 'meaning in work'. The resulting coherent definition will facilitate the use of 'meaning in work' in nursing research.
© 2015 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.