Books and journals Case studies Expert Briefings Open Access
Advanced search

Systems thinking: taming complexity in project management

Jim Sheffield (Senior Lecturer at Victoria Management School, Victoria University of Wellington, Wellington, New Zealand)
Shankar Sankaran (Associate Professor in the School of the Built Environment, University of Technology, Sydney, Ultimo, Australia)
Tim Haslett (Visiting Lecturer in the School of the Built Environment, University of Technology, Sydney, Ultimo, Australia)

On the Horizon

ISSN: 1074-8121

Publication date: 11 May 2012

Abstract

Purpose

–

This paper seeks to address complexity in project management via an innovative course that focuses on systems thinking.

Design/methodology/approach

–

Intuitions about systems thinking evident in everyday language are developed and applied to phases of the system development life cycle.

Findings

–

Complexity in project management may be tamed by systems thinking. Surprisingly, project managers do not seem to use simple systems thinking tools even though these provide unique benefits in framing and solving problems that arise from multiple perspectives and relationships.

Research limitations/implications

–

The findings are broadly conceptual. They introduce only some elements of a tertiary curriculum developed by the authors and certified by a major project management practitioner group.

Practical implications

–

The findings are of value to educators, practitioners and researchers who seek a practical approach to integrating complexity theory into modern project management practices.

Social implications

–

An individual's educational choices – and institutional policies – are now caught up in a complex dance of cause and effect that is difficult to understand. This research article investigates one educational response, which is to provide practical guidance for coordinated goal‐directed activities (including policies, procedures and projects) in an increasingly interconnected and uncertain world.

Originality/value

–

The approach of addressing complexity via a project management course certified by the Project Management Institute (PMI) is innovative, perhaps unique.

Keywords

  • Systems thinking
  • Complexity
  • Project management
  • Course content and certification
  • Complexity theory
  • Systems theory

Citation

Sheffield, J., Sankaran, S. and Haslett, T. (2012), "Systems thinking: taming complexity in project management", On the Horizon, Vol. 20 No. 2, pp. 126-136. https://doi.org/10.1108/10748121211235787

Download as .RIS

Publisher

:

Emerald Group Publishing Limited

Copyright © 2012, Emerald Group Publishing Limited

Please note you do not have access to teaching notes

You may be able to access teaching notes by logging in via Shibboleth, Open Athens or with your Emerald account.
Login
If you think you should have access to this content, click the button to contact our support team.
Contact us

To read the full version of this content please select one of the options below

You may be able to access this content by logging in via Shibboleth, Open Athens or with your Emerald account.
Login
To rent this content from Deepdyve, please click the button.
Rent from Deepdyve
If you think you should have access to this content, click the button to contact our support team.
Contact us
Emerald Publishing
  • Opens in new window
  • Opens in new window
  • Opens in new window
  • Opens in new window
© 2021 Emerald Publishing Limited

Services

  • Authors Opens in new window
  • Editors Opens in new window
  • Librarians Opens in new window
  • Researchers Opens in new window
  • Reviewers Opens in new window

About

  • About Emerald Opens in new window
  • Working for Emerald Opens in new window
  • Contact us Opens in new window
  • Publication sitemap

Policies and information

  • Privacy notice
  • Site policies
  • Modern Slavery Act Opens in new window
  • Chair of Trustees governance statement Opens in new window
  • COVID-19 policy Opens in new window
Manage cookies

We’re listening — tell us what you think

  • Something didn’t work…

    Report bugs here

  • All feedback is valuable

    Please share your general feedback

  • Member of Emerald Engage?

    You can join in the discussion by joining the community or logging in here.
    You can also find out more about Emerald Engage.

Join us on our journey

  • Platform update page

    Visit emeraldpublishing.com/platformupdate to discover the latest news and updates

  • Questions & More Information

    Answers to the most commonly asked questions here