Comparisons as a discursive tool: shaping megaproject narratives in the United Kingdom

The mobilization of narratives is essential in integrating people and constructing identities that help in navigating complexity, uncertainty, and conflictuality. This paper explores how comparisons are used as a discursive tool to shape narratives and bring about changes in policy and society, using the High Speed Two megaproject in the UK as a case study. We examine the comparisons that promoters and protesters employ in an organizational setting. In particular, we explore how the narratives that result from these comparisons—on questions including the need for the megaproject, the benefits of the megaproject, alternatives to the megaproject, and issues of noise, sustainability, compensation, and branding—help their efforts to organize. The research highlights how comparisons serve as an important cue in discourse and how different forms of comparison can help to create narratives and shape policy outcomes

External stakeholder management strategies in infrastructure megaprojects : an organizational power perspective

University of Technology Sydney. UTS Business School.Infrastructure megaprojects, due to their colossal nature, can cause inconvenience to multiple external stakeholders such as stakeholders in lands, existing services and project communities. These stakeholders are difficult to manage as they interact with the project across permeable boundaries, are not accountable to the requirements of a Detailed Project Report (DPR) and cannot be governed with contractual instruments or conformance to standards as in the case of internal stakeholders. In this context, this research aims to understand an infrastructure megaproject during its construction and operation phase can manage these external stakeholders through strategic action from an organizational power perspective. Anchored in the dimensions of power, persuading strategies, framing strategies and hegemonizing strategies are observed from two exploratory case studies. Multiple organizational power theories which relate to these strategies such as influence tactics framework, bases of power framework, framing theory, governmentality theory and circuits of power theory are considered in this study. The literature review of these organizational power theories and the megaproject literature pertaining to each of these strategies helped identify gaps in the literature, for addressing which eight research questions are proposed. To address these research questions, I selected a metro rail megaproject in India. Multiple data sources from this project such as semi-structured interviews, news media articles, and social media posts were used to investigate the strategies employed by the megaproject to manage external stakeholders. Subsequent to developing twenty-one propositions through a grounded theory approach, a conceptual framework that can help explain external stakeholder management in megaprojects is proposed. The research makes multiple contributions to theory, methodology and practice. The role of strategy in making power dynamic by creating power, using power and maintaining power is established. The definition of project community is broadened to involve all stakeholders of the project (both internal and external) as the strategies used to manage the project community percolated and trickled down to other stakeholders as they are also part of the project community. A structured approach to study naturalistic data such as news articles and social media is proposed and their ability to contribute to megaproject research is highlighted. To practice, I contribute a framework to explain external stakeholder management in megaprojects. The study also emphasizes the role of the covert strategies such as framing and hegemonizing in dictating the visible stakeholder management strategies such as persuading strategies, and vice versa

Overt Obstacles and Covert Causes: An Exploratory Study of Poor Performance in Megaprojects

Megaprojects are plagued with failures and inefficiencies, often due to an inability to handle the obstacles that occur throughout the process. The present research deepens and extends our understanding of the obstacles and causes of poor megaproject performance by drawing on the ‘circuits of power’ as a theoretical framework for analyzing such projects. Empirically, we investigate what are regarded as some frequent obstacles occurring in megaprojects in the Australian and New Zealand context, such as coordination issues between stakeholders, poor estimates of the project, and inefficient contracts. Conducting 40 semi-structured interviews with different participants in the sector enables us to highlight that the overt obstacles were dependent on covert causes, such as fragmented industry, political push for projects and an owner-centric industry, respectively. For addressing these covert causes, we record innovative interventions such as delivery through precincts, creating a pipeline of projects, and raising awareness among contractors. We create a framework anchored in the circuits of power theory to show the relationships between overt obstacles, covert causes and suggested solutions. Infrastructure megaprojects can be set up for success by addressing the covert causes through proper interventions, such as changing culture and implementing innovations.publishedVersio

Battery Production Systems: State of the Art and Future Developments

This paper discusses the state of the art in battery production research, focusing on high-importance topics to address industrial needs and sustainability goals in this rapidly growing field. We first present current research around three themes: human-centred production, smart production management, and sustainable manufacturing value chains. For each theme, key subtopics are explored to potentially transform battery value chains and shift to more sustainable production models. Such systemic transformations are supported by technological advances to enable superior manufacturing performance through: skills and competence development, improved production ergonomics and human factors, automation and human-robot collaboration, smart production planning and control, smart maintenance, data-driven solutions for production quality and its impact on battery performance (operational efficiency and durability), circular battery systems supported by service-based business models, more integrated and digitalized value chains, and increased industrial resilience. Each subtopic is discussed to suggest directions for further research to realise the full potential of digitalization for sustainable battery production

The past, present and future of social media in project management

Green Open Access added to TU Delft Institutional Repository 'You share, we take care!' - Taverne project https://www.openaccess.nl/en/you-share-we-take-care Otherwise as indicated in the copyright section: the publisher is the copyright holder of this work and the author uses the Dutch legislation to make this work public.Integral Design & Managemen

Narratives in Megaprojects

This book is a novel contribution to a field dominated by conventional approaches to project management; it is about narratives in megaprojects. Among the questions examined in this original new book are: - What are narratives? - Why are they important in megaprojects? - How are they formed and used in megaprojects? - How do promotors of and protestors against megaprojects craft narratives to their advantage? - What strategies can project managers employ to effectively use narratives in megaprojects? Built from longitudinal research studies in combination with internationally recognised teaching materials, this book will provide readers with a theoretical understanding of narratives and projects, as well as practical international case studies, including HS2, the Dakota Access Pipeline, the Eden Project and Thames Tideway, to support their understanding. The authors explain the different types of narrative, and how and why they are important in general and in relation to a megaproject and its lifecycle, but also explore how to craft narratives in different situations, and how they are changed and maintained over a project's lifecycle. Narratives in Megaprojects doubles as a text supporting more advanced courses on project management or aspects thereof, and as a reflection of the state of the art in this particular perspective on megaprojects. It is essential reading for all students and professionals in project management, construction and infrastructure as well as executive leaders involved in megaprojects and infrastructure delivery

Project narratives: Directions for research

Projects are peopled at all levels, and people make sense of their lives via narrative thought as the temporal and dramatic dimension of human existence is emphasized in them. Narratives organize people’s lived experiences and create order out of random incidents and events. Such an order can help them understand the passage of events and even guide action. Narratives such as the need for the project, sustainability of the project, innovation in the project can be crafted and maintained in different ways. In this chapter we discuss how different organizational theories such as sensemaking, social identity theory, and organizational power can help understand the narrative practices in project settings. We review studies in project settings that apply narratives to shape the project vision, identity, and image to improve the project management practice.Green Open Access added to TU Delft Institutional Repository 'You share, we take care!' - Taverne project https://www.openaccess.nl/en/you-share-we-take-care Otherwise as indicated in the copyright section: the publisher is the copyright holder of this work and the author uses the Dutch legislation to make this work public.Integral Design & Managemen

Comparisons as a discursive tool: shaping megaproject narratives in the United Kingdom

The mobilization of narratives is essential in integrating people and constructing identities that help in navigating complexity, uncertainty, and conflictuality. This paper explores how comparisons are used as a discursive tool to shape narratives and bring about changes in policy and society, using the High Speed Two megaproject in the UK as a case study. We examine the comparisons that promoters and protesters employ in an organizational setting. In particular, we explore how the narratives that result from these comparisons—on questions including the need for the megaproject, the benefits of the megaproject, alternatives to the megaproject, and issues of noise, sustainability, compensation, and branding—help their efforts to organize. The research highlights how comparisons serve as an important cue in discourse and how different forms of comparison can help to create narratives and shape policy outcomes

Chapter 1: What are narratives and why they are important?

In this chapter we define narratives as well as some of its key distinguishing characteristics. We highlight how narratives are coherent as they bring disparate experiences, events and situations together, are performative as they shape and change the future, are strategic as they can create, maintain or disrupt institutions, and are promotional as they are consistently communicated to brand an image of the organisation. We also show how narratives can also exist in written or symbolic/visual forms, such as corporate objectives in CEO statements, word of mouth circulated among stakeholders, academic publications discussed in seminars, or daily news media articles covering significant events. The case study of the Sochi Olympic stadium in the Russian Federation to highlight the importance of narratives in megaprojects