Learning from interorganizational projects
International Journal of Managing Projects in Business
ISSN: 1753-8378
Article publication date: 22 November 2021
Issue publication date: 13 January 2022
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to consolidate the existing research on interorganizational projects and to explore how organizations learn by closely examining multilevel learning, that is, organizational and interorganizational learning.
Design/methodology/approach
This article adopts a single case study approach, examining the Islamabad–Rawalpindi Metro project in Pakistan, with data consisting of interview results and archival data. An inductive approach is used for data analysis.
Findings
An empirically grounded learning model was developed based on an interorganizational project following eight lessons: capacity building, personality traits of leadership, working procedures, impeccable planning and implementation, involvement of stakeholders, design compatibility, investigation of underground services, conditions and maintenance of databases, and conceive rational timelines. These lessons learned were classified into three categories: (1) organizational capacity, (2) organizational embeddedness and (3) collective awareness.
Originality/value
This paper develops a novel learning model that can deepen our understanding of the practices and processes involved in multilevel learning. This study contributes to and extends the literature on organizational and interorganizational learning by studying an interorganizational setting.
Keywords
Citation
Iftikhar, R., Ahola, T. and Butt, A. (2022), "Learning from interorganizational projects", International Journal of Managing Projects in Business, Vol. 15 No. 1, pp. 102-120. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJMPB-11-2020-0361
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
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