Gao, T (2014) Dynamic approach to stakeholder theory for temporary organizations. PhD thesis, Stevens Institute of Technology, USA.
Abstract
Over the years stakeholder theory has gained high popularity in management research. The theory explains the role and influence of organizations' stakeholders. Project management researchers have applied the theory to explore project-related stakeholder issues. However, the classic stakeholder theory was developed for permanent organizations. Projects are temporary organizations that exist only for a limited time and progress through consecutive phases representing different stakeholder contexts. The phases of a project's life cycle are characterized by the dynamics of stakeholder relationships which the classic stakeholder theory is not equipped to address. The main goal of this research is to develop a theoretical framework to explain stakeholder related dynamics and their influence on temporary organizations. The concept of dominant expectation is introduced to the classic stakeholder theory to enable the analysis of dynamic situations in projects. Dominant expectation is the most important individual or shared belief about project outcomes, processes and resource allocation. It is proposed that stakeholder dynamics such as changes in stakeholder expectations, stakeholder composition and stakeholder power structure could result in dominant expectation dynamics which could increase the probability of project goal changes and influence project success. Two case studies were conducted to elaborate and illustrate the developed theoretical framework. The data are consistent with the existence and dynamics of dominant expectations and show how stakeholder dynamics could lead to changes in dominant expectations. Results from the two cases also provide support for the influence of changes in dominant expectations on project goal changes. The cases complement the model by unveiling the role of stakeholders in the formation of initial dominant expectations in projects. Some contextual factors such as misrepresentation of important stakeholders' expectations, and unaligned and unrealistic initial dominant expectations, were found to account for dominant expectation dynamics as well. This study advances stakeholder theory by adopting a dynamic approach to address the specific conditions of stakeholders in temporary organizations. The study also suggests the importance of identifying and tracking stakeholders' expectations to predict their behavior relative to projects and to increase the probability of project success in practice.
| Item Type: | Thesis (Doctoral) |
|---|---|
| Thesis advisor: | Lechler, T G |
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | life cycle; project success; resource allocation; stakeholders; probability; case studies |
| Index terms: | case study, management research, dynamics, temporary organization, resource allocation, project management, life cycle, project outcome, project success |
| Subjects: | project completion, value management, resource management, project management theory and practice, data collection methods, systems engineering, research design and methodology, organizational theory |
| Topics: | Project Management, Research Practice, Site Management, Engineering Principles |
| Descriptive scope: | 4 PCEA |
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