Project studies and engaged scholarship:Directions towards contextualized and reflexive research on projects

Purpose In 2006, the “Rethinking Project Management” network called for a paradigm shift in project research, and proposed five research directions. The directions inspired research and marked a milestone in the development of the field. The purpose of this paper is to reflect on the past decade and to rejuvenate these research directions. Design/methodology/approach The authors propose the umbrella term: “project studies” to denote the research related to projects and temporary organizing. Project studies is conceived not only as a body of research, but also as a social process embedded in research communities, and contemporary Zeitgeist. Based on Sandberg’s interpretative approach to the fit between work and works (in this case research-researcher) and Habermas’ three types of human interests: technical, practical, and emancipatory, the authors develop a conceptual framework circumscribing three types of research in project studies. Findings The conceptual framework is used to craft future research directions, in the lines proposed by Winter et al. (2006b). Research limitations/implications The authors conclude by proposing for a sixth theme on the practice of theorizing, and call for engaged, ambidextrous scholars, who’s “job” goes beyond the writing of articles and research applications, and includes shaping discourses of project research, nurturing new project scholars, contributing to project practice and carefully considering the legacy of projects and project studies in society. Originality/value This paper positions research as a social process, and the role of researchers as actors shaping research in project studies. </jats:sec

When neighboring disciplines fail to learn from each other: the case of innovation and project management research

As knowledge production becomes more specialized, studying complex and multi-faceted empirical realities becomes more difficult. This has created a growing need for cross-fertilization and collaboration between research disciplines. According to prior studies, the sharing of concepts, ideas and empirical domains with other disciplines may promote cross-fertilization. We challenge this one-sided view. Based on an analysis of the parallel development of the neighboring disciplines of innovation studies and project management, we show that the sharing of concepts and empirical domains can have ambivalent effects. Under conditions of ideological distancing, shared concepts and domains will be narrowly assimilated − an effect we call ‘encapsulation’ - which creates an illusion of sharing, while promoting further self-containment. By comparison, reflexive meta-theories and cross-disciplinary community-building will enable a form of sharing that promotes cross-fertilization. Our findings inform research on research specialization, cross-fertilization and effectiveness of interdisciplinary collaboration

Screening for colorectal cancer: possible improvements by risk assessment evaluation?

Emerging results indicate that screening improves survival of patients with colorectal cancer. Therefore, screening programs are already implemented or are being considered for implementation in Asia, Europe and North America. At present, a great variety of screening methods are available including colono- and sigmoidoscopy, CT- and MR-colonography, capsule endoscopy, DNA and occult blood in feces, and so on. The pros and cons of the various tests, including economic issues, are debated. Although a plethora of evaluated and validated tests even with high specificities and reasonable sensitivities are available, an international consensus on screening procedures is still not established. The rather limited compliance in present screening procedures is a significant drawback. Furthermore, some of the procedures are costly and, therefore, selection methods for these procedures are needed. Current research into improvements of screening for colorectal cancer includes blood-based biological markers, such as proteins, DNA and RNA in combination with various demographically and clinically parameters into a “risk assessment evaluation” (RAE) test. It is assumed that such a test may lead to higher acceptance among the screening populations, and thereby improve the compliances. Furthermore, the involvement of the media, including social media, may add even more individuals to the screening programs. Implementation of validated RAE and progressively improved screening methods may reform the cost/benefit of screening procedures for colorectal cancer. Therefore, results of present research, validating RAE tests, are awaited with interest

I tusen sjöars land – sex ryssars upplevelser av att arbeta i Finland

Sedan Sovjetunionens upplösning har antalet rysktalande i Finland ökat stadigt. Trots att Finland och Ryssland är grannländer tycks det emellertid existera märkbara kulturella och strukturella skillnader mellan länderna. Avhandlingens syfte är att undersöka hur inflyttade ryssar i Finland upplever dessa olikheter. Fokus ligger främst på arbetskultur, mentalitet, kommunikation och integration. Avhandlingens teoretiska del behandlar litteratur tangerande teman såsom begreppet kultur, rysk affärskultur, rysk mentalitet, emigration och integration samt en kort jämförelse mellan Ryssland och Finland. Den litteratur som diskuteras omfattar både ryskspråkiga och västerländska teorier om (rysk) kultur. Jämte avhandlingens teoretiska del har en kvalitativ undersökning utförts. Undersökningen bestod av intervjuer med sex rysktalande personer bosatta i Finland. Intervjufrågorna formulerades på ett tämligen öppet sätt för att informanterna skulle få utrymme att fritt tolka frågorna och dela med sig av upplevelser som de ansåg relevanta. Intervjuerna gjordes på ryska. Med stöd av litteraturen och undersökningen har jag följaktligen strävat efter att besvara avhandlingens forskningsfrågor och att uppfylla dess syfte. I avhandlingens analyskapitel analyseras informanternas berättelse utgående från den litteratur som diskuteras i teorikapitlet. De mest väsentliga slutsatserna i avhandlingen är att det existerar vissa skillnader mellan länderna. De särskilt framträdande olikheterna tycks finnas i de hierarkiska och institutionella strukturerna. Samtliga informanter var likväl synnerligen nöjda över att ha emigrerat till Finland, vilket låter antyda att skillnaderna inte är överväldigande. I avhandlingen kom det tillika tydligt fram att man bör akta sig för att generalisera och dra alltför långtgående slutsatser. Informanternas upplevelser och litteraturen indikerade att kultur är ett komplext begrepp och att det inom ett land kan finnas varierande uppfattningar om och upplevelser av den existerande kulturen

DEVELOPING PROJECT COMPETENCE: EMPIRICAL REGULARITIES IN COMPETITIVE PROJECT OPERATIONS

Projects play key roles in many modern industries and firms. The management of these economic systems, project management, is continuously developed and considered to be at the core of competitive advantage. Traditional research on project management has, however, paid scant attention to the capabilities needed for firms that depend on projects in their business operations. Furthermore, traditional work on the capabilities and competence of the firm pays limited attention to the specific traits of project processes. In the present paper, project competence is considered to be one of three strategic competencies frequently observed in modern firms. We develop an overall model for the analysis of project competence. The proposed model identifies four building blocks of project competence, namely project generation, project organising, project leadership and teamwork. In an empirical study we elaborate on some empirical regularities in the operations of firms that to a large extent depend on projects. The companies studied are ABB, Ericsson, Skanska and Posten. We illustrate the possibilities of this model and show some variations between the companies. The article illustrates how the project competence framework might explain the differences among the competitiveness of firms.Project management, project organisation, project-based firms, project capabilities, project competence, competitiveness

COMPETENCE DYNAMICS AND LEARNING PROCESSES IN PROJECT-BASED FIRMS: SHIFTING, ADAPTING AND LEVERAGING

In times of increasing use of project-based structures, the capability of managing and organising projects becomes critical for competition. Previous research has documented the problems and possibilities of cross-project learning and various mechanisms that organisations can use to stimulate and facilitate learning. Moreover, research on project competence and project capabilities has positioned these capabilities within a knowledge-based theory of the firm. This paper tries to integrate these streams of research and attempts to broaden our current conceptual frameworks of how firms develop project competence. Based on an exploratory multiple-case study of six firms, it is suggested that a more fine-grained analysis of competence dynamics is required. We identify three different learning processes that contribute to the competence dynamics operating in project-based organisations. The first one labelled "shifting" revolves around the major shifts in the project operations of the firm. It is suggested that such major shifts play an important role in laying the foundation and rejuvenating the challenges of project organising. The second learning process identified, labelled "adapting", focuses on the continuous learning that takes place within project operations of the firm, between project generation, project organising, project leadership and project teamwork. The third and final learning process — "leveraging" — emphasises the role of knowledge transfer across projects; across similar projects, across different types of projects. It is suggested that empirical research into competence dynamics in project-based organisations should consider all three types of learning processes and further develop our understanding how these processes are linked to each other.Project-based organisation, knowledge processes, learning, competence dynamics, project capabilities, project competence

Riskkapital inom svensk fotboll : Från ideella föreningar till kommersiella företag

Denna undersökning behandlar riskkapitalets påverkan på svensk fotboll. Syftet är att undersöka vilka motiv en investerare har när de väljer att satsa sitt kapital i fotbollen samt hur klubbarnas finansiella utveckling ser ut. Undersökningen har utgått från teorier kring riskkapitalbolag och externa finansiärer samt avgörande händelser för allsvenskan och de europeiska ligorna. Det empiriska underlaget består främst av personliga intervjuer med personer som har betydande positioner i de allsvenska stockholmsklubbarna AIK, Djurgården och Hammarby. I analysen jämför vi teorin med empirin och drar därifrån slutsatser kring de aktuella undersökningsfrågorna. Arbete med uppsatsen har visat att det är en bransch i förändring där man går från ideella föreningar till kommersiella företag. Svenska klubbar är i dagsläget endast är i en inledningsfas investeringsmässigt