Mid Sweden University

miun.sePublications
Change search
CiteExportLink to record
Permanent link

Direct link
Cite
Citation style
  • apa
  • ieee
  • modern-language-association-8th-edition
  • vancouver
  • Other style
More styles
Language
  • de-DE
  • en-GB
  • en-US
  • fi-FI
  • nn-NO
  • nn-NB
  • sv-SE
  • Other locale
More languages
Output format
  • html
  • text
  • asciidoc
  • rtf
Embracing the drifting environment: The legacy and impact of a Scandinavian project literature classic
Umeå School of Business, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden.
Umeå School of Business, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden.
Mid Sweden University, Faculty of Human Sciences, Department of Social Sciences.ORCID iD: 0000-0002-0980-7877
2012 (English)In: International Journal of Managing Projects in Business/Emerald, ISSN 1753-8378, E-ISSN 1753-8386, Vol. 5, no 4, p. 695-713-Article in journal (Refereed) Published
Abstract [en]

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to provide an overview and analysis of the legacy of Christensen and Kreiner's (1991) literally classic Projektledning: att leda och lära i en ofullständig värld (Project Management: to manage and learn in an incomplete world). Design/methodology/approachThe paper is based on a three-step theoretical analysis deduced from the mentioned classic. The first step provides an overview of the content where the core ideas of the book are derived. This is followed by an analysis of the legacy and impact on theory, empirical approaches, and education. Finally, three main takeaways from the book are discussed. FindingsIn tracking the legacy, the paper analyses, discusses, and illustrates how the Scandinavian approach to projects has evolved. It pinpoints the two core insights of the book; the importance of understanding the impact of the institutional environment on operations, and embracing uncertainty as a natural part of everyday organizational reality. Based on these insights it is shown how the book has expanded the theoretical contributions towards a focus on temporary organisations and everyday practice, how it has helped to make situated empirical research matter, and how it has influenced education to deal with real-life project challenges. Research limitations/implicationsThis paper investigates a book available only in the Scandinavian language and thus only available for a Scandinavian research community. As such the review is written from a Scandinavian perspective, with the limitations in terms of objectivity to the book that follow from that. Practical implicationsThe main lessons discussed in relation to the heritage from the book are: an increased focus on the details of organizing, situated multi-level case-studies, and situation-sensitive teaching methodologies. The paper argues that an increased understanding of projects should start with a detailed multi-level analysis of temporary organizing to provide a sound foundation on which to base future research and teaching. Originality/valueThe paper provides an understanding of the origins and diffusion of underpinning ideas of the Scandinavian approach to project management.

Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
2012. Vol. 5, no 4, p. 695-713-
Keywords [en]
Books; Contextualizing projects; Practice institutional impact; Project management; Project management classic; Project planning; Scandinavia; Scandinavian School; Uncertainty management
National Category
Business Administration
Identifiers
URN: urn:nbn:se:miun:diva-28856DOI: 10.1108/17538371211269004Scopus ID: 2-s2.0-84927674857OAI: oai:DiVA.org:miun-28856DiVA, id: diva2:972527
Available from: 2016-09-21 Created: 2016-09-21 Last updated: 2017-11-21Bibliographically approved

Open Access in DiVA

No full text in DiVA

Other links

Publisher's full textScopus

Authority records

Söderholm, Anders

Search in DiVA

By author/editor
Söderholm, Anders
By organisation
Department of Social Sciences
In the same journal
International Journal of Managing Projects in Business/Emerald
Business Administration

Search outside of DiVA

GoogleGoogle Scholar

doi
urn-nbn

Altmetric score

doi
urn-nbn
Total: 73 hits
CiteExportLink to record
Permanent link

Direct link
Cite
Citation style
  • apa
  • ieee
  • modern-language-association-8th-edition
  • vancouver
  • Other style
More styles
Language
  • de-DE
  • en-GB
  • en-US
  • fi-FI
  • nn-NO
  • nn-NB
  • sv-SE
  • Other locale
More languages
Output format
  • html
  • text
  • asciidoc
  • rtf