Small, Jocelyn (2011) The emergent realities of project praxis in socially complex project environments. PhD thesis, RMIT University, Australia.
Abstract
The research explores and reveals the significance of socio-cultural, socio-technical infrastructure and human capital elements relevant to managing effective organizational change projects. The research broadened project practice and theory focussed upon technical project practice by moving beyond instrumentality through conceptualising the nature of systems where the ecology of the project entity entails socially derived complexity. Such thinking supports associating organisational resilience with the capacity of project organisations to mutually adapt to and create the environmental context in which project practice is embedded. Given these realities, this research also explores the feasibility of developing project management strategy that can accommodate for diversity and difference to facilitate the cognitive emergence that underpins learning and change. Findings reveal that the presence of a profound ability to shape the project context from within is integral to an effective project manager's role. Facilitating human multiple reality interconnections, despite differences in language and understandings, necessitates application of adaptive systems of governance to enable enactment of cognition to bring forth new culturally patterned existence and meaning. Balancing the contextual dynamics for consensus in action is dependent upon acknowledging the inherent social complexities of the project actuality and having the PM responsive skills to be flexible and adaptive.
| Item Type: | Thesis (Doctoral) |
|---|---|
| Thesis advisor: | Walker, Derek H T and Nogeste, Kersti |
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | autopoiesis; change management; project management; soft systems methodology; social complexity |
| Index terms: | presence, dynamics, project management, complex project, praxis, governance, human capital, socio-technical, project manager, autopoiesis, ecology, adaptive system, cognition, emergence, complexity, soft systems methodology, organizational change, organizational resilience, project organization, strategy, change management, meaning |
| Subjects: | cognitive psychology, theoretical framing, research methods, organizational theory, reflexivity, environmental science, strategic project management, sociology, systems engineering, management, economics, project management theory and practice, profession, business |
| Topics: | Organizational Design, Roles and Professions, Governance, Business Strategy, Research Practice, Sustainability, Project Management, Engineering Principles |
| Descriptive scope: | 3 PCT |
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