We're not in Kansas Anymore, Toto: Mapping the Strange Landscape of Complexity Theory, and Its Relationship to Project Management

Abstract

Both practitioners and researchers in the field of project management have referred to problems caused by complexity or problems of particular significance to complex projects. In different scientific disciplines investigations into the behavior of complex dynamical systems are revealing insights that, taken together, amount to a challenge to the prevalent Cartesian/Newtonian/Enlightenment paradigm from which the practice of project management has emerged. Concepts such as nonlinearity, emergence, self-organization, and radical unpredictability have major implications for the uncodified paradigm that underpins project management practice and research. Taken together, they amount to a complementary way of thinking and talking about projects and their management that might shed new light on intractable problems that appear to plague certain areas of project management practice. One strand within complexity studies that holds particular promise is complex responsive processes of relating, a means of talking about how human beings interact and learn and how their interactions evolve over time and across space. A new program of research, of which this paper forms part, will apply this conceptual framework to the lived experience of project teams, including executive sponsors, project managers and project team members.

Caracterização da complexidade em projetos de engenharia

“…From the perspective of management, there is a certain consensus that Complexity Theory offers an opportunity to reexamine the thought that the world is predictable, in favor of a more holistic approach (Cooke-Davies et al, 2007;Aritua et al, 2009;Tarride, 2013). This expanded perspective of reality opens up possibilities for problem solving, decision making improvements, definition of behaviors in organizations and for project management.…”

“…This theory is concerned with the behavior of certain complex systems over time, and has been widely applied in several types of research in different branches of knowledge (Cooke-Davies et al, 2007;Ponchirolli, 2007;Thomas & Mengel, 2008;Aritua et al, 2009;PMI, 2009;Serva et al, 2010).…”

Conceptualising a multidimensional model of information communication and technology project complexity

“…Project complexity has been debated extensively in extant literature (Baccarini 1996;Cooke-Davies et al 2007;Floricel et al 2016;Geraldi & Adlbrecht 2007;Geraldi et al 2011;Vidal & Marle 2008;Vidal, Marle & Bocquet 2007;Williams 1999;Whitney & Daniels 2013). Baccarini (1996:201) proclaims that complex projects demand an exceptional level of management, and that the application of conventional systems developed for ordinary projects have been found to be inappropriate for complex projects.…”

“…Projects are subjected to these environments as they both directly and indirectly influence project complexity and outcomes (Cooke-Davies et al 2007;Geraldi et al 2011;He et al 2015). Environmental complexity consists of the following elements:…”

Editorial

“…It is suggested (Söderlund et al, 2008, Söderlund, 2005, Cattani et al, 2011, Davies and Brady, 2000, Cooke-Davies et al, 2007) that a 'core competence' of the project team is to develop learning capacity through creating and sharing knowledge and this leads to individual competence and long term retention of the knowledge transaction with the contractor. In particular, the project based organisations ability to nurture idiosyncratic capability including learning is noted by Cattani et al (2011) to be tightly linked to their longevity and these distinctive capabilities can provide a basis for competitive advantage.…”