Lam, K Y (2017) The role of tacit knowledge in knowledge intensive project management. PhD thesis, Heriot-Watt University, UK.
Abstract
The traditional doctrine of project management, having evolved from operations management, has been dominated by a rationalist approach in terms of planning and control. There is increasing criticism that this prescriptive approach is deficient for the management of dynamically complex projects which is a common characteristic for modern-day projects. In response to this and the relative lack of scholarly literature, this study uses an emergent grounded theory design to discover and understand the softer, intangible aspects of project management. With primary data collected from twenty semi-structured personal interviews, this study explores the lived experiences of project practitioners and how they 'muddle through' the complex social setting of a knowledge intensive financial services organisation. The model which evolved from the research portrays the project practitioner as being exposed to multiple cues, with multiple meanings around five causal themes: environmental, organisational, nature of the task, role and knowledge capability. In response to these cues, the practitioner reflects upon their emotions and past experiences in order to make sense of the uncertain situation to determine their necessary course of action. As a coping strategy the project practitioner takes on the role of bricoleur, by making do by applying combinations of the resources at hand, in order to facilitate the successful delivery of their projects.
| Item Type: | Thesis (Doctoral) |
|---|---|
| Thesis advisor: | Kleymann, B |
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | grounded theory; operations management; project delivery; project management; tacit knowledge; interview |
| Index terms: | grounded theory, interview, strategy, meaning, tacit knowledge, coping, operations management, practitioner, project management, project delivery, complex project |
| Subjects: | professional development, project management theory and practice, data collection methods, project delivery, management, strategic project management, theoretical framing, practitioner, sociology, behavioral psychology |
| Topics: | Roles and Professions, Project Management, Information Management, Business Strategy, Procurement, Research Practice |
| Descriptive scope: | 4 PCEA |
N.B. Descriptive scope is a count of how many of the five facets of empirical research are indicated by the words used in title, abstract and keywords. It is not intended as a judgement on the research; merely a count of the kind of word we would expect to indicate Phenomenon, Concepts, Theoretical framing, Empirical techniques, Analytical techniques. If all five are present, then a code of “5 PCTEA” will indicate this. If you feel the coding for this record is questionable, we welcome discussion around the terms we matched or the way we categorized them. The facet you would expect may not be coded, or a facet may be coded inappropriately. This can also bear on a larger question, of which facets should be treated as defining in construction management research. Please get in touch, and we will look at it. More details here