Abstract:The purpose of this paper is to identify the new insights that emerge if key concepts in Heidegger's magnum opus Being and Time are applied to the phenomena of projects and their management. A theoretical approach is adopted with an introduction being provided to key Being and Time concepts, followed by the application of these concepts to the phenomena of projects and their management. A particular focus is on the relevance of Heidegger's ontology in underpinning the exploration of the 'lived experience' of project management and the disclosing of the actuality of project phenomena. It is found that key concepts in Heidegger's Being and Time (such as temporality, modes of being, being-in-theworld, dealing and the they) provide insights into various aspects of project management. The significance of such findings is demonstrated through a reconceptualisation of projects; and differentiation between, and reconceptualisation of project management versus project managing.
Keywords:Theory of research into project management | Managing projects | Heidegger van der Hoorn, B & Whitty, SJ in press, 'A Heideggerian paradigm for project management: breaking free of the disciplinary matrix and its
The purpose of this paper is to contribute to the 'lived experience' of projects discourse. The research study uses an arts-based research method (musical improvisation on a xylophone and/or glockenspiel) to access the participant's perception of their experience of managing a project. Participants are then asked to explain their improvisation and therefore their experience. Key findings were that participants described their 'lived experience' of project managing as having 'ups and downs', including challenges and issues, and as experiencing variations in emotions over the project lifecycle. Csikszentmihalyi's flow theory is used to show that these 'lived experience' findings support a Heideggerian paradigm and personal perspective of what a project is. Projectness is not a characteristic of the activity itself. A project is a personal phenomenon defined in terms of the relationship between the individual or organisation and activity. It is dependent on capability versus the challenge presented by the activity.
Graphical AbstractPlaying projects: Identifying flow in the 'lived experience ' van der Hoorn, Bronte (in press-2015) International Journal of Project Management Page 2 of 29
IntroductionThis research study aims to contribute to the 'lived experience' of projects literature, highlighting how this perspective can bring new insights to fundamental project concepts. The motivation for the research is to contribute to the diversification of our understanding of projects beyond the knowledge captured by positivist scientific research. This impetus is driven by the suggestion that the often positivist and Cartesian foundations that underpin much existing traditional project management research and practice are not sufficient to improve project outcomes. It is posited that through enriching our understanding of the phenomena of projects, which includes an understanding of the personal 'lived experience', we will further our knowledge of projects-in-practice. It is from this understanding of the 'lived experience' that we may derive new insights that improve project outcomes.The 'lived experience' approach to project research is focused on capturing what actually happens in projects . This 'lived experience' stream of inquiry sees project management as social conduct, and that there is a need to understand what project managers actually do in concrete situations, the social processes, thinking in action and the actual experience of practitioners in situ .In order to capture a 'lived experience' perspective, this study leverages an arts-based inquiry research method. The selected method echoes Whitty's (2010) artefacts and emotions study that required project managers to characterise the concept of a project in the form of a line drawing and provide a subsequent explanation of their representation. This study draws on musical improvisation as a device to access the 'lived experience' rather than drawing. The improvisation is followed by a semistructured discussion between researcher and participant rega...
Alignment seeking is the process of reaching agreement on what needs to be done and on the process that should be followed to complete the activity. This empirical study extends the scope of the current project-as-practice literature by providing descriptions of how project managers actually achieve alignment. Photographs taken by the research participants are used to trigger discussion in semi-structured interviews that explore the praxis of alignment seeking in project work. The practices found to enable alignment seeking include: creating a vision; storytelling; seeding ideas; identifying and using personal drivers, and appealing to stakeholders and team members' sense of a 'higher good'. This paper highlights how alignment seeking can be achieved 'in practice' by project managers.
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