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
Breaking out of the straitjacket of project research: In search of contribution
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
2011 (English)In: International Journal of Managing Projects in Business/Emerald, ISSN 1753-8378, E-ISSN 1753-8386, Vol. 4, no 3, p. 378-388Article in journal (Refereed) Published
Abstract [en]

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to illustrate how a different and partly new strategy is needed in order to make research on projects relevant and interesting to a wider scientific community, including organisation and management theory. Design/methodology/approach – The aim is accomplished through a mystery-focused process that identifies what is not explained and continuously confronts empirical data with theoretical explanations in an interactive manner. Findings – Based on a phenomenology-stimulated meta-analysis of the field of project research, the paper outlines an alternative view of the field of project research and four streams of research, each of which is represented by its own scope, focus, audience and “taken-for-granted” assumptions. The streams are: in search of best practice, in search of legitimacy, in search of inspiration and in search of contribution. Research limitations/implications – The paper suggests that, in order to make an true impact on management and social science theories in general, projects must be redefined as objects of study rather than the raison d'être. The inherent paradox, and the conclusion of the paper is that, in order to become more relevant for a broader research community, projects must be reduced to an empirical illustration, a case among others. Originality/value – The paper provides a meta-analysis of the project management research field and offers new insights into challenges that need to be addressed in order to make project management research relevant for a wider management research community.

Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
2011. Vol. 4, no 3, p. 378-388
National Category
Business Administration
Identifiers
URN: urn:nbn:se:miun:diva-28873DOI: 10.1108/17538371111144139Scopus ID: 2-s2.0-84865355527OAI: oai:DiVA.org:miun-28873DiVA, id: diva2:973764
Available from: 2016-09-22 Created: 2016-09-22 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: 57 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