Inquiring into the temporary organization: New directions for project management research
Scandinavian Journal of ManagementPublished 1 December 1995
Johann Packendorff
Citations738
SJR quartileQ1
SJR score1.11
SNIP1.06
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TL;DR
A diversity of theoretical perspectives should be employed in field research on "temporary organizations" in order to construct middle-range theories on different types of projects.
Abstract
The theoretical field of project management (PM) can be described as a set of models and techniques for the planning and control of complex undertakings. The three main shortcomings of PM research and theory are identified as: (1) PM is seen as a general theory and a theoretical field in its own right, (2) research on PM is not sufficiently empirical, and (3) projects are seen as "tools." Instead, a diversity of theoretical perspectives should be employed in field research on "temporary organizations" in order to construct middle-range theories on different types of projects. These proposed future directions call for research on expectations, action and learning in project settings.
Keywords
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