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1 – 10 of 47
Article
Publication date: 16 April 2018

Arvi Kuura and Rolf A. Lundin

The purpose of this paper is to integrate research on entrepreneurship and projects by applying process perspectives on these two fields with the ambition to shed light on how…

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to integrate research on entrepreneurship and projects by applying process perspectives on these two fields with the ambition to shed light on how this kind of alternative perspectives can be used to further the fields in research and practice.

Design/methodology/approach

This conceptual paper is based on previous research efforts in the two fields and on how they have been treated in the past. Business process research is introduced to enrich notions on how the two areas can be combined.

Findings

By rearranging thinking about projects, entrepreneurship and processes, and through introducing the notion of “chunks”, the authors illustrate how different types of business processes in different types of project contexts can be coordinated through orchestration and/or choreography.

Research limitations/implications

The research made for this conceptual paper has been thorough. However, the literature is huge, so the reservation must be made that the authors might have missed some important trends. Anyway, there are implications for how research and analyses of data can be used with the thinking described.

Originality/value

Combining various lines of research is not common as illustrated by the lack of studies combining entrepreneurship and projects; therefore, by adding process notions and “chunk” reasoning, this paper opens up for innovation and renewal in research. To the authors’ knowledge this approach is new.

Details

International Journal of Managing Projects in Business, vol. 12 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1753-8378

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 5 September 2016

Mattias Jacobsson, Rolf A. Lundin and Anders Söderholm

The purpose of this paper is to describe and analyze important parts of the contemporary development of project research and to outline plausible and desirable directions for the…

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to describe and analyze important parts of the contemporary development of project research and to outline plausible and desirable directions for the future.

Design/methodology/approach

This is accomplished through a review of the “Scandinavian School of Project Management” and “Rethinking Project Management,” which is complemented with a set of questions distributed to 27 active researchers within the project research field from around the world.

Findings

Through the analysis the authors show how the two streams have more similarities than differences, despite the fact that they have been initiated in very different contexty 8ts and ways. The authors could also conclude that the “Scandinavian School” appears stronger on the international scene than in the Nordic countries, and that general perception of what the “school” stands for has changed and been blurred with time. Based on the analysis the authors also proposed the need for a broad, more coherent research effort in terms of a multi-perspective research program on projects and temporary organizations. The essence of this would be: an action research profile to improve practice and foresee the future; a combined research focus on institutional change and project practice to ensure both theoretical and empirical progress; and a strong global perspective to further enrich both theory and practice.

Research limitations/implications

This research has obvious limitations in terms of empirical scope and response selection. The questionnaire results should therefore be interpreted with care.

Originality/value

The value of this research lies in its reflective nature and the proposed trajectory of the project research domain.

Details

International Journal of Managing Projects in Business, vol. 9 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1753-8378

Keywords

Content available
Article
Publication date: 13 June 2019

Mattias Jacobsson and Rolf A. Lundin

Abstract

Details

International Journal of Managing Projects in Business, vol. 12 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1753-8378

Article
Publication date: 14 June 2013

Rolf A. Lundin and Anders Söderholm

The purpose of this paper is to respond to the research note on the article “A theory on temporary organizations” by reminding readers about the lack of timelessness in the social…

1532

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to respond to the research note on the article “A theory on temporary organizations” by reminding readers about the lack of timelessness in the social sciences and alluding to some alternative theory formulations.

Design/methodology/approach

By describing/analyzing the context within which “A theory” was developed, the notion that any theory is a child of its time is explicated. Thus, an understanding for the need for reconsideration and reconstruction in social science theory is created.

Findings

A necessary step in the work is to come up with ideas as to how crucial elements get transformed and is related to social development. The argument is that when it comes to the use of the word project is under change which creates a tension as to the appropriate realm for a theory of temporary organizations. A theory building on the notion of end state appears to be useful.

Practical implications

A theory incorporating the notion of end state opens up for new ideas on how to manage projects. The traditional project management guidelines might inhibit good solutions to focused behavior. An end state approach is more open for changes in the environment and in ambitions.

Originality/value

The theme opens up for less rigid approaches in relation to traditional project management. The crucial role that planning beforehand is considered to have will be transformed to other mechanisms, triggering planning and rethink.

Details

International Journal of Managing Projects in Business, vol. 6 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1753-8378

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 7 April 2015

Sebastian Godenhjelm, Rolf A. Lundin and Stefan Sjöblom

The purpose of this paper is to establish an understanding of what projectification means, how projectification is driven forward, as well as what the consequences of…

2074

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to establish an understanding of what projectification means, how projectification is driven forward, as well as what the consequences of projectification are in an European Union (EU) context, and in the public sector in general.

Design/methodology/approach

The research methods consist of a literature review as well as a meta-analysis of key EU policy documents related to the functioning of regional development and projects. The paper shows that structural developments brought forth by a projectification in a public sector context have significant consequences.

Findings

Without contextually sensitive interlinking mechanisms between temporary and permanent structures projects risk losing their flexible and innovative qualities, and may fragment the ability of permanent organisations for maintaining coordination and continuity. The findings suggests that the proximity of permanent organisations, the discretion of entrepreneurship, the political priority of the task, the inclusion of competencies and interests, and the quality of transfer mechanisms are essential variables in explaining the outcome of temporary organisations in a politico-administrative context.

Research limitations/implications

The paper contributes to the literature on projects in a public sector context and suggests that comparative research on the drivers and consequences of public sector projectification in supranational as well as national contexts is needed.

Practical implications

The increasing requirements for applied project management skills and methods as criteria for project selection in the public sector highlight the importance of a broader theoretical and practical understanding of projectification.

Originality/value

The paper adds a new dimension to the projectification debate by presenting a descriptive and conceptual discussion about the consequences of public sector projectification in an EU context. It complements an existing theory of the temporary organisation and takes the first steps towards a theory applicable to projectification in a public context.

Details

International Journal of Managing Projects in Business, vol. 8 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1753-8378

Keywords

Content available
Article
Publication date: 18 January 2013

Rolf A. Lundin

203

Abstract

Details

International Journal of Managing Projects in Business, vol. 6 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1753-8378

Content available
Article
Publication date: 5 January 2015

Rolf A. Lundin and Kjell Tryggestad

269

Abstract

Details

International Journal of Managing Projects in Business, vol. 8 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1753-8378

Article
Publication date: 25 January 2011

Rolf A. Lundin

The purpose of this research note is to provide some guidance on the ethical issues surrounding submitting academic papers for publication.

1727

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this research note is to provide some guidance on the ethical issues surrounding submitting academic papers for publication.

Design/methodology/approach

This is a reflective paper based upon the author's experience as an author, reviewer, journal editor and chair of research tracks in conference proceedings.

Findings

The contention is that there are many temptations and potential pitfalls for researchers in action as well as in publishing. At the same time there are many written and unwritten rules for such instances and the boundaries of the acceptable are not always clear.

Research limitations/implications

The publish or perish ideology is at the root of many temptations. Without good research results and without publishing there is no way for a researcher to survive in academia and as a researcher. The concerns in project research do not appear too different from any kind of management research, however. Hence, the attempt here is to cover management research in general and to outline what might be specific for project management.

Originality/value

The value of this paper is that it clarifies the “rules of the game” in academic publishing, especially where authors are concerned about the acceptable degree of content overlap and specialization to meet specific themes between similar papers they submit for publication.

Details

International Journal of Managing Projects in Business, vol. 4 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1753-8378

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 26 August 2014

Rolf A. Lundin

The purpose of this paper is to describe a useful mentorship experience from the perspective of the current author. It is a one case study at the same time as it opens up for…

166

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to describe a useful mentorship experience from the perspective of the current author. It is a one case study at the same time as it opens up for reflections on mentorship in a variety of contexts with implications for academia.

Design/methodology/approach

Storytelling and reflections for the sake of reviving the notions of mentorship in academia by paying tribute to a trusted mentor.

Findings

The story is about how the mentorship evolved as part of a friendship relation, but the story has also implications for how mentoring can be developed as a personal strategy.

Originality/value

Mentoring can either be planned as a deliberate process or it can just happen, growing out of experiences from working with another person.

Details

International Journal of Managing Projects in Business, vol. 7 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1753-8378

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 26 January 2010

Tomas Blomquist and Rolf A. Lundin

At the heart of this paper is the question of how to describe the ongoing changes of project management (PM) and how to cultivate the understating of projects. In line with the…

971

Abstract

Purpose

At the heart of this paper is the question of how to describe the ongoing changes of project management (PM) and how to cultivate the understating of projects. In line with the theme of this issue, a non‐traditional approach of presenting this paper is used with the aim of providing a lived experience view on projects. This helps pave the way for changed perceptions of many of the traditional ideas of projects and PM, implicitly demanding a need for rethinking the field. The purpose of this paper is to offer some of that rethinking and suggest how to research it.

Design/methodology/approach

The approach is narrative and builds on exploratory storytelling which is common in the social sciences but quite non‐traditional in the PM sphere.

Findings

The paper explores the kind of arguments people might have when defending their perceptions of what a project is and should be.

Practical implications

Traditional PM might benefit from being open to experiences from non‐traditional areas of application, and equally important is that the reverse might apply.

Originality/value

Rethinking PM and relating to social science areas is very much in the vogue presently. The authors wish to push that issue even further, and this paper illustrates one way to achieve a fruitful dialogue or a discussion in a scientifically based context.

Details

International Journal of Managing Projects in Business, vol. 3 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1753-8378

Keywords

1 – 10 of 47