A Manifesto for Project Management Research PDF

DOI: 10.1111/emre.12568 RESEARCH ARTICLE A Manifesto for project management research Giorgio Locatelli 1 | Lavagnon Ika 2 | Nathalie Drouin 3 | Ralf Müller 4 | Martina Huemann 5 | Jonas Söderlund 4,6 | Joana...

DOI: 10.1111/emre.12568 RESEARCH ARTICLE A Manifesto for project management research Giorgio Locatelli 1 | Lavagnon Ika 2 | Nathalie Drouin 3 | Ralf Müller 4 | Martina Huemann 5 | Jonas Söderlund 4,6 | Joana Geraldi 7 | Stewart Clegg 8 1 School of Management, Politecnico di Milano, Abstract Milan, Italy 2 Project management research has evolved over the past five decades and is now a Telfer School of Management, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada mature disciplinary field investigating phenomena of interest to academics, practi- 3
Ecole des Sciences de la Gestion, Université du tioners and policymakers. Studies of projects and project management practices Québec à Montréal, Montreal, Quebec, Canada are theoretically rich and scientifically rigorous. They are practically relevant and 4 BI Norwegian Business School, Oslo, Norway impactful when addressing the pursuit of operational, tactical and strategic 5 WU Vienna (Vienna University of Economics advancements in the world of organisations. We want to broaden the conversa- and Business), Vienna, Austria tion between project management scholars and other scholars from cognate disci- 6 Linköpings universitet, Linköping, Sweden plines, particularly business and management, in a true scholarship of integration 7 Copenhagen Business School, Frederiksberg, and cross-fertilisation. This Manifesto invites the latter scholars to join efforts Denmark 8 providing a foundation for further creative, theoretical and empirical contribu- School of Project Management, University of Sydney, Camperdown, New South Wales, tions, including but not limited to tackling grand challenges such as climate Australia change, pandemics, and global poverty. To this end, we identify five theses: 1. Projects are often ‘agents of change’ and hence fundamental to driving the Correspondence innovation and change required to tackle grand challenges. Giorgio Locatelli, School of Management, Politecnico di Milano, Milan, Italy. 2. Much project management research leverages and challenges theories across Email: [email protected] disciplines, including business, organisation and management studies, con- tributing to developing new theories, including those specific to projects and temporary organisations. 3. ‘Projects’ are useful units of analysis, project management research is ideal for scientific cross-fertilisation and project management scholars welcome academics from other communities to engage in fruitful conversations. 4. As in many other fields of knowledge, the project management research com- munity embraces diversity, welcoming researchers of different genders and various scientific and social backgrounds. 5. Historically rooted in ‘problem-solving’ and normative studies, project man- agement research has become open to interpretative and emancipatory research, providing opportunities for other business, management and orga- nisational scholars to advance their knowledge communities. KEYWORDS business schools, policy, productivity WHY WE NEED THIS MANIFESTO phenomenon that was dubbed ‘projectification’ in a busi- ness context about 30 years ago (Midler, 1995). In this The projectification of society and the need to ‘project economy’, projects (which drive change and tackle grand challenges innovation) and operations (which make organisations run daily) compete and collaborate as leading economic We live in a ‘project society’ where projects shape people, agents (Nieto-Rodriguez, 2021). This goes beyond the organisations and society (Lundin et al., 2015), a mere focus on single organisations since coalitions are This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. © 2023 The Authors. European Management Review published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of European Academy of Management (EURAM). European Management Review. 2023;1–15. wileyonlinelibrary.com/journal/emre 1  17404762, 0, Downloaded from https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/emre.12568 by Test, Wiley Online Library on [29/03/2023]. See the Terms and Conditions (https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/terms-and-conditions) on Wiley Online Library for rules of use; OA articles are governed by the applicable Creative Commons License 2 LOCATELLI ET AL. behind socio-technical transitions or even societal higher education. Leading universities deliver executive changes (Lenfle & Söderlund, 2022). As Martin (2013) education programmes in project management and noted in the Harvard Business Review, the manager’s job related topics, attracting some of the best students in is project work, and organisations should be run through engineering and management. For instance, the projects. The morphology of projects extends much fur- University of Oxford launched the BT chair to focus on ther, as our colleagues in sociology observe megaprojects; University College London has established (Castells, 2000). ‘Hence, projects have become intrinsic a chair of infrastructure delivery with major projects; the to our lives. They permeate what we do, how we speak, University of Sydney created a School of Project how we think of our daily activities (Lundin et al., 2015), Management and the John Grill Institute for Project how we construct our identities, and, ultimately, who we Leadership; and Université du Québec à Montréal has are. […] Indeed, we are experiencing the “projectification recently established a research chair on the social value of everything.” It is therefore reasonable to argue that we of infrastructure projects. are in the wake of the project society, a society in which Project management research is a disciplinary field in projects are omnipresent as a form of coordinating its own right, overlapping and requiring special attention human activities (Lundin et al., 2015), and in so doing, notably from engineering, business and social sciences become a human condition’ (Jensen et al., 2016, pp. 26). schools and from both top and lower-level managers. Many projects deliver change and create the future This is a major opportunity and, at the same time, a fun- (Huemann, 2022; Huemann & Silvius, 2017). For exam- damental challenge that calls for collaboration across ple, without projects, it would be impossible to tackle and beyond established disciplines. To this end, we first grand challenges such as pandemics, climate change or need to clarify how modern project management litera- poverty (Ika & Munro, 2022). COVID-19 vaccines and ture describes projects and the implications of two key vaccination rollouts were developed and delivered perspectives on projects. through projects (Winch et al., 2021). Policymakers have turned to initiatives such as Make Poverty History and COP 27, which require trillions of dollars of investment Two perspectives on projects over several decades to deliver projects that target the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (United Most practitioners and scholars think they know what a Nations, 2015). Projects are also relevant at the national project is. Projects, however, assume many forms with level as they shape the future and realise the significant sometimes only faint family resemblances. The polysemic changes needed to create a better society (Davies, 2017). concept of ‘project’ means different things to different For instance, in the United States, the Biden administra- people in different contexts at different times. Often, we tion’s response to the crumbling infrastructure problem is read authors who conceptualise a project as a product, ‘a once-in-a-generation investment’ to the tune of USD an initiative, a strategy, a purpose, a goal, a process, a 2 trillion in infrastructure projects to fix 20,000 miles of change, a concept, a story, an organisation, a problem- roads and 10,000 bridges throughout the country. Project solving approach, a practice, a set of tasks, a cost, antici- management has the strategic means for realising eco- pation (temporal or spatial) of the future or any combi- nomic and social value through the delivery of systems, nation of these (Ika & Bredillet, 2016). Two overarching products and services. and conflicting notions of projects dominate the litera- Our world requires project skills, competencies and ture: a relatively narrow view where projects are con- capabilities; therefore, project management practice is strued as deliberate leaps into a planned future and a burgeoning. Project management is an important part of broader view where projects are seen as processes of pur- management practice transcending the traditional bound- suit, experimentation and discovery (Kreiner, 2020). aries between, for example, management and engineer- Taking a relatively narrow view, Shenhar and Dvir ing, with project management specialists, consultants and (2007) define a project as a ‘temporary organization1 and support staff working together to ensure professional and process set up to achieve a specified goal under the con- sound implementation of projects. Project management straints of time, budget, and other resources’ (p. 5). Tak- organisations, such as the US-based Project Management ing a broader view, a project can be conceptualised as a Institute (PMI; which has close to 700,000 members) or ‘unique constellation of experiences and consequences, of the Europe-based International Project Management direct and indirect effects’, as a result of the ‘varied inter- Association (IPMA; a federation of some 70 member play between’ the structural complexity of the task to country associations over the world), have become some of the largest professional associations in the world, dem- 1 We hasten to note that the conceptualisation of projects as ‘temporary organisations’ is just one lens, while other lenses are also useful. For example onstrating the need to foster skills and competencies to there are temporary organisations which are not projects: A government with a run projects in all sectors of society. 5 years’ mandate is a temporary organisation, but not a project. Conversely, The increasing role of projects in society and the projects can lead to permanent organisations and thus their results get embedded in operations. A case in point, the entrepreneurial project to establish a new growing awareness of the criticality of project manage- company is temporary, but the would-be organisation is designed with a ment practice have triggered various initiatives within permanent intention.  17404762, 0, Downloaded from https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/emre.12568 by Test, Wiley Online Library on [29/03/2023]. See the Terms and Conditions (https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/terms-and-conditions) on Wiley Online Library for rules of use; OA articles are governed by the applicable Creative Commons License LOCATELLI ET AL. 3 complete on the one hand and the socio-political context scholars increasingly refer to strategy-as-practice, much on the other (Hirschman, 1967, p. 186). of that practice occurs in projects (Whittington These two ontological schools of thought are not et al., 2017). For example, COP 27 envisaged the invest- without consequences for managing or leading projects. ment of trillions of dollars in net-zero initiatives, most of With the relatively narrow view, we assume that we them projects. While several scientific communities already and collectively know how to deliver these purpo- attended that event, from engineering to finance to eco- sive human actions successfully. Thus, we believe the nomics to international trade experts, few project man- management process is ‘inconsequential’ for project out- agement scholars were invited to those discussions. comes, as we need to adhere to a pre-established plan Project scholars would have been of great help in provid- (Kreiner, 2020). Here, the approach of planning the work ing ideas on selecting, planning, organising and deliver- and working the plan prevails; thus, the notion of ‘project ing these projects efficiently, effectively and sustainably. management’ or the management of project execution Project management knowledge can make policy and makes perfect sense (Ika & Bredillet, 2016). decision-makers aware of which projects to pursue and Contrastingly, taking a broader view, due to the how projects may collaborate to generate better value inherent complexities and uncertainties, we cannot know and sustainable outcomes. This enables an understanding in advance how ‘to be successful in projects’. Instead, we of how projects interdependently create impact and the are driven by learning and being open to new ways of potential risk of resource cannibalisation. Too often, pol- learning. Thus, the task of management is to embrace icy and decision-makers select the wrong projects or wisely the role of agency in ‘successfulness’, exercise launch those that do not exploit synergies, thus often practical judgment in the face of the unforeseen and cele- causing a ‘double whammy’ of cost overruns and benefit brate learning opportunities from ‘accumulated experi- shortfalls (Flyvbjerg, 2014; Ika et al., 2022). ence’ (Kreiner, 2020). In this instance, we can speak of Second, many academics from business schools, for ‘managing’ or ‘leading’ projects as the emphasis shifts to example, mistakenly regard project management as an understanding the context surrounding the project, adjunct of ‘operations management’ or just a practice or including its stakeholders and beneficiaries or end-users a mere collection of tools and techniques. Their under- (Ika & Bredillet, 2016) through ‘a set of managerial activ- standing of project management research is outdated. ities needed to lead a project to a successful end’ They will recognise project management as a professional (Shenhar & Dvir, 2007, p. 5). Managing or leading pro- disciplinary field, albeit one often regarded as lacking a jects is hence the art and science of transforming a vision robust theoretical background; this interpretation fails to into reality (Turner, 1996) or a ‘long voyage of discovery, recognise, for instance, the bridging work between orga- in the most varied domains, from technology to politics’ nisation studies and project management in the past (Hirschman, 1967, p. 35). Increasingly, the leadership will 20 years. Yet project management has been one of the be ‘socialised’ (Whyte et al., 2022) as leadership in the most researched and theorised topics in management face of complexities and uncertainties requires a collec- (Pinto & Prescott, 1988) in the first decades after World tive endeavour. War II (e.g., see Gaddis, 1959; Katz, 1982; Nutt, 1983; Roman, 1964; Thamhain & Wilemon, 1975; Wilemon & Cicero, 1970). Despite the importance of projects and Understanding project management research and their widespread nature, little space is currently devoted its value to project management research in leading business and management journals, whether they aim at an academic Despite the relevance of projects, two challenges obstruct (e.g., Strategic Management Journal) or professional a genuine, fertile and sustained conversation between (e.g., Harvard Business Review) audience. For example, project management and the broader business, organisa- in the field of strategy, papers are increasingly dealing tion and management scholars. not only with strategy formulation but also with strategy First, while decision-makers understand the impor- execution. But even though the importance of project tance of projects at the policy, strategy and organisation delivery is paramount in strategy execution, the strategy levels, they seldom engage with evidence from project field has so far focused little on projects. The Financial management research and advice from project manage- Times (FT) 50-listed Journal of Operations Management ment scholars. Rarely do project management scholars (JOM) and Research Policy are notable exceptions, as get to advise policymakers on tackling projects to address they demonstrate an increasing focus on projects and world-scale challenges.2 The stakes are high, if only project management in their scope. because policymakers rely on projects and project man- Further, many project management scholars may agement to deliver their policies and strategies. While have received this advice from a seasoned business and management scholar: ‘“ … if you want to get published, 2 A notable exception is the contribution of Bent Flyvbjerg, the first Oxford BT drop the term project management from the title or Professor of Major Programme Management, one of the most cited scholars in the field of management, who has focused his attention on the challenge of keywords,” […] “… the area is too applied, too close to infrastructure cost overruns. practice for proper academic study”’ (Söderlund &  17404762, 0, Downloaded from https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/emre.12568 by Test, Wiley Online Library on [29/03/2023]. See the Terms and Conditions (https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/terms-and-conditions) on Wiley Online Library for rules of use; OA articles are governed by the applicable Creative Commons License 4 LOCATELLI ET AL. Maylor, 2012, p. 687). Such a lack of cross-learning society generates projects that will make a difference and between project management and the broader business that will spark agency to trigger necessary change. and management field is a regrettable loss of opportunity for readers of those journals. FT-50 or ABS 4* outlets are missing crucial and rigorous research on projects. To FIVE THESES FOR THE FUTURE OF cite one example, though the notion of ‘project economy’ COLLABORATIVE PROJECT has been lately re-discovered in business and MANAGEMENT RESEARCH management, project management authors have been using it for 16 years in project management To harness the contribution of projects to society and the (e.g., Gemünden, 2013; Joffre et al., 2006). A cursory world, policy and decision-makers need insights from glance at project management publications over the past empirical research that are academically rigorous and decade is sufficient to realise that ‘project management is socially relevant. The collaboration between project not a spreadsheet – even in a virtual era’ (Peters, 2004, scholars and other social scientists will be essential to p. 18). exploit the opportunities for cross-fertilisation and learn- Fortunately, things are recently changing albeit ing between project management and its neighbouring slowly. Project scholarship now more commonly appears disciplinary fields. Therefore, the theoretical, topical and in a broader range of outlets beyond its original more community diversity that characterises project manage- specialist homes, recent examples of which include lead- ment research places it in a position to invite other com- ing FT-50 or ABS 4* journals, such as the Journal of munities to collaborate in this essential and exciting Management Studies (Hodgson & Cicmil, 2007), Organi- journey. zation Science (Pitsis et al., 2003), Organization Studies In what follows, we articulate these ideas around five (van Marrewijk et al., 2016), MIT Sloan Management theses that will guide project management research over Review (Davies et al., 2017), Research Policy (Gil & the coming years. We challenge the mistaken perception Pinto, 2018), Production and Operations Management that project management research focuses only on tools (Browning & Ramasesh, 2007), Management Science and techniques or even normative publications (including (Pich et al., 2002), International Journal of Operations & popular books aimed at practitioners). As with the Production Management (Maylor et al., 2018), and broader business and management field, there is no short- Human Relations (Söderlund & Pemsel, 2021). Project age of these, but they do not constitute project manage- scholars increasingly borrow theories (Drouin & ment’s contemporary academic and research focus Jugdev, 2014; Ika et al., 2022; Keil, 2022) from ‘neigh- (Söderlund, 2011). We show that research published in bouring fields’ such as strategy, organisation studies, project management journals fully belongs to modern human resources management, operations management, social science and contributes to the progress of science information systems and innovation management and society. We take stock of the advancements achieved, (Davies et al., 2018; Kwak & Anbari, 2009; Maniak & as demonstrated in the past years of project management Midler, 2014). Further, project scholars endeavour to research published in our leading project management contribute new theoretical insights that can help further journals. We demonstrate how the disciplinary field is our understanding of the contribution of projects to busi- evolving, present directions for the future, and highlight ness and management (Müller & Klein, 2018). They are potential collaborations with the wider social sciences writing books for leading publishing houses such as and business and management communities. We show Harvard Business Review Press (Shenhar & Dvir, 2007), how project management is forward-looking and Oxford University Press (Morris et al., 2011), Cambridge equipped to contribute to theory and practice. University Press (Sankaran et al., 2017), Edward Elgar Publishing (Drouin & Turner, 2022), Sage (Clegg et al., 2021) and McGraw-Hill (Ika & Saint- A mature social science disciplinary field: taking Macary, 2023). stock of the past three decades of development This Manifesto builds on those recent developments. Indeed, it is time for project scholars not only to engage Project management research is useful with policy and practice but also spark a win-win conver- sation with the broader business and management Thesis 1. Projects are often ‘agents of change’ and hence scholars about projects, project networks, project busi- fundamental to driving the innovation and ness, project ecologies, project-based organising and pro- change required to tackle grand challenges. ject society, as well as project portfolio and programme management practices. Embracing insights from different Not all projects are small product changes, routine fields of inquiry, such as social sciences, engineering and execution interventions, maintenance initiatives or simple business and management, is important to foster the abil- extensions of infrastructure. Many projects fundamen- ity to shape the right projects in the right way, engage the tally drive change of a significant nature. In this right stakeholders, involve communities and ensure that Manifesto, we construe such projects as ‘agents of  17404762, 0, Downloaded from https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/emre.12568 by Test, Wiley Online Library on [29/03/2023]. See the Terms and Conditions (https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/terms-and-conditions) on Wiley Online Library for rules of use; OA articles are governed by the applicable Creative Commons License LOCATELLI ET AL. 5 change’. These are key elements of the project society in (2020) estimates that USD 79 trillion will be invested which we live, where ‘an increasing share of our gross in infrastructure projects by 2039. Sustainability in national product and an increasing share of our time are this context can refer to the treatment of the people spent financing and enacting projects in all kinds of involved (gender balance, fair salaries, etc.), the use of industries; this is also true in our private lives, when we responsibly sourced materials, the minimising of waste engage with others in social, cultural, or political projects in construction and so forth. during our leisure time. […] The project economy is 2. ‘Sustainability by the project’: The delivered project is needed in order to develop and implement our a sustainable good or service. For example, once built, future: Project business is future business!’ (Gemünden, infrastructure will be in place for decades or centuries. 2013, p. 2). So, looking at projects as ‘agents of change’, we For a long time, the private sector has relied on pro- should address questions such as: Is the project pro- jects to execute business strategy and deliver business moting sustainable mobility (e.g., infrastructure for change, innovation and effectiveness (Shenhar & electric public transportation) or promoting private Dvir, 2007). Projects have also been instruments of car use (e.g., construction of highways and parking choice for policymakers in the public sector whether they lots)? How do we set up project-based organisations seek to build infrastructure (Flyvbjerg, 2014), plan and to ensure that we create the projects, programmes and deliver Complex Products and Systems (CoPS) (Davies & portfolios needed to tackle grand challenges (Ika & Brady, 2000; Davies & Hobday, 2005; Gann & Munro, 2022; Lenfle & Söderlund, 2022)? In develop- Salter, 2000), build or develop capacity (Ika & ing countries, are we promoting projects that favour Donnelly, 2017), improve or reform governance the well-being of local populations in the long run (Vukomanovi
c et al., 2021) or tackle and curb grand (e.g., schools, sanitation infrastructure and sustainable challenges (Ika et al., 2020). Several academic and indus- agriculture) or merely complying with the procedures trial sources report that projects are frequently delivered of foreign organisations and governments in the short late and over budget (Flyvbjerg et al., 2003; Locatelli, run (Ika et al., 2020)? We want to stress the impor- Mikic, et al., 2017; McKinsey, 2015; PWC, 2013; tance and utility of research on the sustainability ‘of’ Sovacool et al., 2014; The Standish Group International and ‘by’ projects to build a better future. Unfortu- Inc., 2020), and about half of the investment projects nately, historically, in many instances, projects do not funded by donors such as the World Bank may have have a good record of achieving sustainable out- failed to deliver much-needed impact for the world’s comes; therefore, a mindset shift is needed. Several poor, that is, their beneficiaries, as a McKinsey-Devex sustainability strategies for projects, particularly survey suggests (Ika & Donnelly, 2017; Lovegrove major projects, still overemphasise economic growth et al., 2011). Thus, project management research is essen- and do not pay sufficient attention to the impact on tial to develop projects that can deliver the significant natural environments. We need more research leading ‘changes’ that the United Nations Sustainable Develop- to more systemic/contextual approaches to projects, ment Goals envisage (Ika et al., 2020). To this end, a few which also situate the project in wider organisational books and articles tackling ‘grand challenges’ in project landscapes. To address grand challenges is thus to management journals have been published in recent years change current project management practices to cre- (e.g., Davies et al., 2023; Ika & Munro, 2022). To cite ate and distribute value among different project stake- two broad examples of projects fundamental to driving holders with differing expectations inside and outside the innovation and change required to tackle grand chal- the project (Gil, 2021; Ika & Saint-Macary, 2023). lenges, let us consider the project management literature on sustainability and the dark side. Another emerging stream of research aimed at tack- Sustainability has been a topic in project management ling grand challenges refers to the ‘dark side’ of projects since the 1990s (Van Pelt, 1993), and it became popular (Locatelli et al., 2022a). As noted earlier, many projects in the 2010s. While Sabini et al. (2019) have published a shape the future by being positive agents of change detailed review of publications at the nexus of project (e.g., developing a vaccine for COVID-19, building pri- management and sustainability, in this Manifesto, we mary schools in deprived areas, etc.) or having detrimen- want to stress the relevance of two aspects introduced by tal social and environmental impacts, both expected and Gareis et al. (2013) and Huemann and Silvius (2017). unexpected, thus showing their dark side. The planning and delivery of projects might involve corruption, mod- 1. ‘Sustainability of the project’: The project is managed ern slavery, promoting sexism and so forth (Locatelli and delivered using sustainable processes and sustain- et al., 2022b). Other projects might deliver harmful out- ability principles (Silvius & Huemann, 2023). Plan- puts (e.g., unsustainable infrastructure or weapons of ning and delivering projects require immense mass destruction) or promote wrongdoing in organisa- economic, financial, natural and human resources; tions and the normalisation of deviance (Krystallis & therefore, the world needs to be ‘sustainable’ in using Locatelli, 2022; Pinto, 2014). Until recently, these topics these resources. For instance, Infrastructure Outlook were scarcely covered in project management journals;  17404762, 0, Downloaded from https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/emre.12568 by Test, Wiley Online Library on [29/03/2023]. See the Terms and Conditions (https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/terms-and-conditions) on Wiley Online Library for rules of use; OA articles are governed by the applicable Creative Commons License 6 LOCATELLI ET AL. however, they are receiving increasing attention that variables and concepts (the what), the relationships emphasises their relevance. A clear example is ‘corrup- between variables (the how) and the explanations for tion and projects’. According to the World Economic these relationships (the why) (Müller & Klein, 2018; Forum, USD 2 trillion a year is wasted on corruption Whetten, 1989). Project management theories may be of (Thomson, 2017), with political, social, economic and a ‘gap spotting’ nature when they extend the assumptions environmental costs (Transparency International, 2022). and logic of prior work, or of a ‘problematisation’ nature Projects play a key role both as ‘enablers’ and as ‘means when they reject these assumptions and logic and replace of fighting’ corruption (Lehtinen et al., 2022). The topic’s them with new ones (Alvesson & Sandberg, 2011; relevance is further demonstrated by Locatelli, Mariani, Barney, 2020). et al. (2017) and received considerable attention outside Project scholars may turn to different theories. They academia (European Parliamentary Research Service, often borrow theories from neighbouring disciplines and African Development Bank, OECD, etc.). Other topics, apply them to project settings (Drouin & Jugdev, 2014; such as bullying, sexism or gender discrimination, have Ika et al., 2022; Keil, 2022). The theory of escalation been more sparsely covered (Creasy & Carnes, 2017; within projects is a key illustration that draws on organi- Locatelli et al., 2022a; Pinto et al., 2015). Still, these sational behaviour theories (Keil, 2022) and has also fur- topics are essential to tackling ‘grand challenges’ and are ther developed in ‘reverse escalation’ (Juarez Cornelio strongly encouraged in project management journals. All et al., 2021). Another example draws on behavioural the- these are excellent topics for collaborations with other ories, such as optimism bias and strategic misrepresenta- communities, as envisaged in the following sections. tion (the Planning Fallacy), developed in the fields of psychology and economics and extended to project set- tings to make sense of cost overruns and benefit shortfalls Much of project management research is (Flyvbjerg, 2014). However, despite past perceptions that theoretically rich and strong the theoretical basis of project management research is scant, many ‘well-established’ theories, including the the- Thesis 2. Much project management research leverages ory of project success factors (Pinto & Slevin, 1987), the and challenges theories across disciplines, theory of project categorisation systems (Turner & including business, organisation and manage- Cochrane, 1993) and the theory of temporary organisa- ment studies, contributing to developing new tions (Lundin & Söderholm, 1995), feature prominently theories, including those specific to projects in project management research. More recently, consider- and temporary organisations. ing the distinctive nature of project settings, other theo- ries have emerged, complementing or challenging We do not view theorising as the be-all and end-all of theories developed in permanent organisational settings. scholarship that addresses world-scale challenges or Good examples are the theory of balanced leadership in society’s most pressing issues, but we recognise it can projects (Müller et al., 2022), the behavioural theory of play a key role. Accordingly, we acknowledge that in its the ‘Fifth Hand’, which seeks to move beyond the Plan- early years, much of the research published in project ning Fallacy and to embrace ecological rationality (Ika management journals did not significantly leverage theo- et al., 2022), the organisational learning theory retical perspectives or creatively develop theories. Over (Lundin & Midler, 1998), and learning and capabilities the past two decades, however, this situation has chan- theory (Brady & Davies, 2004; Prencipe & Tell, 2001). In ged, and the importance of adopting and developing the- light of the expansion of the theoretical basis of project ories has been addressed repeatedly (Reich et al., 2013; management research, several themes have emerged: pro- Söderlund, 2004; Svejvig, 2021). For example, a recent jects as agencies in corporate governance (Turner & editorial in the Project Management Journal invited Müller, 2003), projects as economic transactions, build- ‘authors of PMJ submissions to take the additional step ing on transaction costs economics and agency theory from description to explanation in order to develop arti- perspectives (Müller & Turner, 2005), as well as projects cles that provide a solid theory for use by academics and as social interactions based on a sociological perspective practitioners’ (Müller & Klein, 2018, p. 4). And a recent (Bechky, 2006), to name but a few. Thus, theory building paper in the International Journal of Project Management is ever-present in project management (Svejvig, 2021). sought to ‘examine literature about theory building in the In addition, much research published in project man- project management discipline and integrate it with agement journals is, particularly in recent years, scientifi- knowledge from other disciplines to develop a meta- cally rigorous, and much of this work is well cited, as theoretical framework for theory building in project man- demonstrated by, for example, the growing impact fac- agement’ (Svejvig, 2021, p. 850). tors of our leading journals (5 years IF for IJPM: 10.171; In light of this renewed importance, we submit that a PMJ: 4.883 and IJMPB: 3.175). Project studies require a project management theory is not just a collection of complex range of theoretical, methodological and empiri- ideas, but consists of a carefully crafted depiction of a cal inquiries (Tsoukas, 2017; Tywoniak et al., 2021). Such phenomenon under study, including its underlying inquiries call for pluralism in terms of ontology (what is  17404762, 0, Downloaded from https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/emre.12568 by Test, Wiley Online Library on [29/03/2023]. See the Terms and Conditions (https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/terms-and-conditions) on Wiley Online Library for rules of use; OA articles are governed by the applicable Creative Commons License LOCATELLI ET AL. 7 out there to know about), epistemology (what and how featuring non-traditional topics. This also calls for the we know about the phenomena in question), theory development of meta-theories that transcend scientific (what, how and why we can know about the relevant communities and joint events that create arenas where phenomena) and methodology (how we can gain scholars from different fields meet (Davies et al., 2018). knowledge of these phenomena) (Grix, 2002). Various In project-based research, several intellectually ontologies, theories, epistemologies and methodologies challenging questions or dilemmas might instigate curios- exist for studies in, on and around projects (Geraldi & ity in academics from other fields. For instance, a core Söderlund, 2018). Project scholars may espouse ontologi- characteristic of projects is their institutionalised termina- cal commitments such as projects are things ‘out there’ to tion (Lundin & Söderholm, 1995); that is, projects start be found (realism) versus names, labels or conventions with an intention to die. This is unlike most other forms for making sense of them (nominalism), or projects’ of organising where ‘continuing to be alive’ is usually structural features may be stressed (being) versus seeing associated with success, not failure. This notion is as them in processual terms as a changing and emerging fundamental as theoretically interesting, and challenged reality (becoming) (Gauthier & Ika, 2012). even by project scholars, for instance, in megaprojects whose planning and delivery take decades (Brookes et al., 2017). What do these temporal peculiarities The future of project management research mean to our classic organisational theories and concepts? This question points to the need for colleagues to Promote scientific cross-fertilisation bring their perspectives and ideas to illuminate this dilemma. Thesis 3. ‘Projects’ are useful units of analysis, project Academics with a strong research track record and management research is ideal for scientific interest in temporary organisations are invited to join our cross-fertilisation and project management community, even if they do not think of themselves as scholars welcome academics from other com- project management scholars. We are in the process of munities to engage in fruitful conversations. creating a ‘project scholar society’. Such a learned society will be a platform for promoting projects across Projects are useful units of analysis that call for multi- disciplines nurturing younger scholars’ careers and ple images, perspectives and theorisations. Cross- facilitating collaboration among more senior academics. fertilisation with other disciplines and epistemological To this end, a domain has been registered (www. communities is extremely beneficial for scientific projectscholarssociety.org), and a website will soon be advancements, especially when it furthers the constitution published. This website will provide a window into the of integrated disciplinary knowledge. Yet different com- activities jointly led by the editors of our three top-ranked munities ‘speak different languages’, take different episte- project management journals (International Journal of mological approaches and hold different research Project Management, Project Management Journal and traditions. These differences have wider implications; for International Journal of Managing Projects in Business), instance, the common structure of an article in a law including online micro-conferences series, workshops, journal might appear unfamiliar and difficult to under- podcasts, a YouTube channel and so forth. We have also stand for a project scholar (and vice versa). Similarly, created tracks related to project management in several while management scholars now accept having a well- business and management conferences and platforms, defined theoretical lens, this may not be too common for such as the European Group for Organisational Studies engineers or law scholars. Other related challenges apply (EGOS) and British Academy of Management (BAM), to structuring an article’s literature review or discussion and disseminate our research in numerous symposia and section. The practical consequence is that while cross- workshops at the Academy of Management (AOM) fertilisation exists, it has been relatively limited, even with Annual Meetings. An outstanding example is the Project ‘neighbouring disciplines’, despite its potential for devel- Organising Special Interest Group (SIG) at the European oping relevant studies for scholars and practitioners Academy of Management (EURAM), which was one of (Davies et al., 2018). the first to nurture project organising research within the A case in point is Flyvbjerg (2021) on bias in project broader organisation and management research commu- settings, which was featured in outlets aimed at practi- nity. We have worked hard over the years to sustain this tioners, such as Forbes (Hoffman, 2022). This showcases SIG precisely because of its potential for the type of the potential of project management research in reaching broader cross-fertilisation that this Manifesto espouses. out to other communities and practitioners. To this end, We may also set up a full-blown project management we emphasise the need to open dialogues and engage with annual congress if we feel it can help us grow as a field of scholars from other disciplines by developing research scholarship. We are keen to meet academics in these and co-authoring papers. We are keen to develop calls venues, host their papers and discuss their research. Like- for papers explicitly aiming for cross-fertilisation and to wise, we are keen to continue sustaining our involvement launch tracks in project management conferences in other communities’ activities and venues.  17404762, 0, Downloaded from https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/emre.12568 by Test, Wiley Online Library on [29/03/2023]. See the Terms and Conditions (https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/terms-and-conditions) on Wiley Online Library for rules of use; OA articles are governed by the applicable Creative Commons License 8 LOCATELLI ET AL. Fostering scholarly diversity in project management. Different scholars have different concerns, management research values, ethics, empirical settings, etc. Diversity in author- ship (and reviewing and editing) enables a diversity of Thesis 4. As in many other fields of knowledge, the discussions. In particular: project management research community embraces diversity, welcoming researchers of From a gender perspective, we know very little about different genders and various scientific and the experience of LGBTQ+ or feminist leadership in social backgrounds. projects. We also have a paucity of studies using theo- retical lenses such as feminist theory. Projects are far Historically, project management research, like many more than construction projects (a traditionally cis- other fields of scholarship, used to lack gender diversity male dominated sector widely discussed in our jour- in terms of contributions. Yet, in the disciplinary field’s nals); there are plenty of projects where female and early years, many distinguished female scholars such as queer persons are far better represented (e.g., cultural Connie Gersick (Gersick, 1988), Kathleen Eisenhardt projects, R&D projects). We encourage research on (Eisenhardt & Brown, 1998), Amy Edmondson those phenomena and communities. (Edmondson & Nembhard, 2009) and Beth Bechky From a cultural perspective, scholars from low-and- (Bechky, 2006) emphasised the key role of projects in the middle income countries are often underrepresented. organisational world. For instance, with regard to Mary For instance, topics related to international Parker Follett (Follett, 1998), Warren Bennis said: ‘Just development projects are scarcely investigated (Ika about everything written today about leadership and et al., 2020), and little is known about the link between organizations comes from Mary Parker Follett’s writings project governance and post-colonialism. We read little and lectures’ (Bennis, 2003, p. 144). In our view, Lillian about projects managed in Africa and often miss Moller Gilbreth (Gilbreth, 1929) is just as important as Africa-based scholars’ unique voices, and we know lit- Frederick Taylor (Taylor, 1919) and a pioneer for apply- tle about racism and racial tensions in projects (Ika ing a human-centred time and motion philosophy, and et al., 2021). Decentralised political and social move- has written many relevant books and papers emphasising ments such as ‘Black Lives Matter’, mounting major the contribution of projects. Joan Woodward social change projects, are scarcely considered in pro- (Woodward, 1965) published her work on three types of ject management. We aim to develop these relevant organisations, of which project-based production was perspectives in project management research. one. This later paved the way for other works in the con- Project scholars tend to have an engineering or man- tingency theory tradition, such as Henry Mintzberg’s agement background, but we aim to see a plurality of (Mintzberg, 2009) work on adhocracy and Aaron backgrounds. We wish to see, for example, lawyers dis- Shenhar’s (Shenhar & Dvir, 2007) contingency theory. cussing the role of law in projects (Ojiako et al., 2018) More recently, Moss Kanter addressed the ‘dancing and philosophers enlightening us on topics such as giant’—the balancing of new stream and old stream pro- ethics in projects (van der Hoorn & Whitty, 2015), and jects (Kanter, 1989), and Connie Gersick (Gersick, 2017) sociologists or anthropologists reflecting on societal addressed the significance of deadlines, which is part of and human advances and how they impact the delivery much theorising on projects as organisational forms of projects (Hodgson & Cicmil, 2007). We would also these days. Shona Brown and Kathleen Eisenhardt dis- encourage a continuous conversation about the role of cussed time pacing, semistructures and milestones projects in modern society, the nature of welfare- (Brown & Eisenhardt, 1997), and Ruth McGrath wrote improving projects, and the impact of cultural projects on temporary competitive advantage (McGrath & (Lundin et al., 2015; Sankaran et al., 2022). Gourlay, 2013). While women, scholars from low-and-middle-income countries, and minorities have always been part of the Fostering research diversity in project project management community, we acknowledge that management they have not been adequately represented in our publish- ing activities, at least until recently. However, we are Thesis 5. Historically rooted in ‘problem-solving’ moving to change this (for instance, the editors-in-chief and normative studies, project management of the International Journal of Project Management and research has become open to interpretative the International Journal of Managing Projects in Busi- and emancipatory research, providing oppor- ness are women, and several associate editors are from tunities for other business, management and minority groups, including two of the authors of this organisational scholars to advance their Manifesto, who are of African and Latin American knowledge communities. descent), and we aim to become even more inclusive by inviting diverse scholars to join the conversation. Diver- As explained by Geraldi and Söderlund (2018), pro- sity is key to enriching our conversations around project ject management research—which they propose to  17404762, 0, Downloaded from https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/emre.12568 by Test, Wiley Online Library on [29/03/2023]. See the Terms and Conditions (https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/terms-and-conditions) on Wiley Online Library for rules of use; OA articles are governed by the applicable Creative Commons License LOCATELLI ET AL. 9 rename ‘Project studies’—can be clustered into three and often published outside project management journals types: (e.g., Clegg et al., 2002; Hodgson & Cicmil, 2007). How- Type 1. ‘Problem-solving’ research, which belongs to ever, more and more Type 3 contributions are appearing the traditional positivist tradition. Many academics out- in our journals (van Marrewijk & Smits, 2016). Type side the disciplinary field still believe that this ‘traditional 3 research is a key area that we intend to develop as it is approach’ represents much of project management theoretically rich and able to provide a major contribu- research. This is where the disciplinary field started in the tion to theory and practice for scholars working across early 1950s, developing approaches such as the critical different management disciplines (e.g., innovation, orga- path method (CPM), programme evaluation and review nisation, accountancy, ethics and corporate social technique (PERT) or later earned value management responsibility). (EVM). While we are still publishing Type 1 research, such as work by Unterhitzenberger and Bryde (2019) and Einhorn et al. (2022), we will only keep doing this if they THE WAY FORWARD AND are scientifically sound (e.g., with clear and robust IMPLICATIONS FOR FUTURE methods, informed by a theory, etc.). Notably, the space RESEARCH given to Type 1 research has diminished over the years, and this trend will continue. Prediction is always hard, except perhaps when the future Type 2. Interpretative research driven by ‘how’ and is just about to hit you in the face. And this is about to ‘why’ questions. For instance, while developing a new happen to humankind. Never before have we known with approach for estimating the cost of a project is Type such certainty that our social, economic and ecological 1 research, research designed to understand why projects systems face a high risk of collapse unless action is taken come in over budget is Type 2 research. Type 2 research immediately. Grand challenges are wicked problems, examines who is involved and excluded in projects and hard to do anything about. Projects offer a practically calls for research on the ‘actuality’ of projects as in the useful and intellectually rich unit of analysis of actions case of the ‘Making Projects Critical’ movement (Cicmil attempting to tackle grand challenges. These ‘grand chal- et al., 2006). Type 2 research might describe new organi- lenge projects’ are core agents for managing change and sational forms, for example, types and functions of spe- thereby tackling society’s most pressing issues (Ika & cial purpose vehicles in infrastructure megaprojects Munro, 2022). These projects are hard work, difficult to (Sainati et al., 2020) or different leadership styles used by manage and highly uncertain and complex. They are project managers worldwide (Drouin et al., 2018). Type powerful for making futures—which can either be sus- 2 research focuses not on normative applications but on tainable or not—and thus, it is urgent that projects, orga- the fundamental nature of projects (including organisa- nisations and management scholars join forces to tions and people involved). Recently, Type 2 research has understand how projects can address grand challenges. become more popular in our journals. This is because the We need more research on projects, and due to the com- scope of project management has broadened over the plexity of projects and grand challenges, we need cross- years. So much so that the disciplinary field now includes disciplinary work to help practitioners around the globe projects as temporary organisations, project-based com- to shape a better future (Ika & Munro, 2022; Krystallis panies as permanent organisations delivering projects, et al., 2022). A clear example is Nuno Gil’s work on not to mention people involved in projects such as project megaprojects (Gil, 2021; Gil & Pinto, 2018), leveraging managers, project teams, top managers overseeing the the seminal work of Elinor Ostrom on the theory of gov- project and other critical stakeholders (Locatelli erning the commons (Ostrom, 1990). et al., 2021). The wider project management landscape is In this last section, we want to move forward with described in publications by Winch (2014) and Söderlund our Manifesto by inviting colleagues from other commu- (2004), and others. Type 2 is an ideal setting for interdis- nities to work together. We start by explaining how ciplinary research; for instance, ‘Organisational Behav- studying the management of projects fits into the wider iour and Human Resources’ scholars could study project stream of social sciences research, focusing on the busi- teams (Edmondson & Nembhard, 2009), and ‘Market- ness and management literature (Section 3.1). Finally, in ing’ scholars might study how projects are ‘sold’ to dif- Section 3.2, we spell out our invitation to do collabora- ferent stakeholders (Cova & Salle, 2005). tive work focused on a new unit of analysis. Type 3. This includes ‘emancipatory research’. ‘It fol- lows the interest of emancipation and the pragmatic desire for changes in the status quo, not in an optimisa- Project management: an evolving, fragmented tion lens as in typical normative and positivist research. and encompassing field of knowledge but a Rather, it is the reorganisation of inherent contradictions, disciplinary field in its own right giving voice to minorities while addressing major eco- nomic and social problems’. (Geraldi & Söderlund, 2018, Project management, the science of managing and lead- p. 67). Until a few years ago, Type 3 research was scant ing projects, came of age around the 1940s as an offshoot  17404762, 0, Downloaded from https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/emre.12568 by Test, Wiley Online Library on [29/03/2023]. See the Terms and Conditions (https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/terms-and-conditions) on Wiley Online Library for rules of use; OA articles are governed by the applicable Creative Commons License 10 LOCATELLI ET AL. of the broader business and management field. At the practical and theoretical disciplinary field that calls for time, it was built on technological projects in engineering, complex and pragmatist types of research to study com- the military and defence sectors in the United States, plex topics. Project management research cannot just including the Manhattan Project, the navy’s Polaris mis- divide the project domain, thereby setting apart the siles, the Apollo Space missions and other NASA and scholar and the project under consideration. It runs the military-industrial complex activities (Ika & Saint- risk of overlooking the complexity of the world of project Macary, 2023; Morris, 2013; Shenhar & Dvir, 2007). Pro- delivery in the theorisation process, much to the disap- ject management has long been heralded as a future wave pointment of practitioners who will question its relevance in the broader business and management field. Six years (Tsoukas, 2017; Tywoniak et al., 2021). after the term ‘project management’ was coined in the business and management literature, a Harvard Business Review article proclaimed the importance of a new type A Manifesto to work together toward a ‘new unit of manager, the project manager (Gaddis, 1959). Project of analysis’ management practice enjoyed relative success in deliver- ing major projects in the 1970s and gained prominence in We, from the project scholarly community, turn to you, the 1980s (Morris, 2013). In the 1990s, Fortune magazine scholars across disciplines, especially in the broader busi- rated project management as the number one career ness and management domain, to pledge for the studies choice for the 21st century, and the project manager was in, on and around projects. This is not a ‘one-way invita- heralded as a new species in the corporate jungle. tion’; we are keen to work with you to ‘infuse projects’ A decade later, Tom Peters foresaw project manage- into organisational and management theorising, thus ment as ‘the essence of management training, operational contributing to both knowledge domains. We are ‘for an excellence and value-added’ (Peters, 2004, p. 19). Henry inclusive and integrative research field for all perspec- Mintzberg suggested that project managers serve a key tives, fostering vibrant dialogue and debate that wel- role in managing the ‘adhocracy’ and that ‘managing comes different opinions and perspectives’ (Geraldi & projects proactively’ is a key aspect of their ‘doing role’ Söderlund, 2018, p. 55). Project management research (Mintzberg, 2009). In a talk to executives and project has evolved over the past five decades and is now a managers in 2015, Michael Porter underlined the impor- mature disciplinary field investigating phenomena of tance of project management for strategy execution interest to academics, practitioners and policymakers. (Porter, 2015). However, despite its widespread impor- Studies of projects and project management practices are tance in different industry sectors, managing or leading theoretically rich and scientifically rigorous, with practi- projects is a ‘fragmented adhocracy’ in the broader field cally relevant and impactful implications when it comes of business and management (Whitley, 1984), and diver- to addressing the pursuit of operational, tactical and stra- sity, plurality specialisation and fragmentation surround tegic advancements in the world of organisations. We project management research (e.g., Geraldi & want to broaden the conversation between project man- Söderlund, 2018; Kwak & Anbari, 2009). agement scholars and scholars from other cognate disci- In contemporary project management research, plines, particularly business and management, in a true breadth and depth are pervasively present to study the scholarship of integration and cross-fertilisation. This complex project phenomenon in various idiosyncratic con- Manifesto is our open invitation to other social scientists texts. The focus is no longer largely on what is going on to join efforts providing a foundation for further creative, inside the task of executing a single project but has broad- theoretical and empirical contributions, including tack- ened to include stakeholders (many being external to the ling grand challenges. project organisation) with differing or conflicting, if not This Manifesto shows the importance of projects, the contradictory, expectations and claims for value distribu- dynamism of the current project management community tion (Gil, 2021; Ika & Saint-Macary, 2023). Thus, project and the pluralism and rigour of the research. As we take management research goes beyond the management of stock of project management research across many fields, projects and includes multiple levels of analysis in, on and we have come to realise that several fields, including busi- around projects, the study of the project society, project- ness and management, have had in the past an interest in based organisations and project-based work (Geraldi & projects, and project management studies have played an Söderlund, 2018). In this context, there has been a long- important role in driving developments within organisa- standing debate over whether project management is a tion theory (e.g., Galbraith, Lawrence and Lorsch) and science, an art, a discipline, a field of knowledge, a profes- strategy (e.g., Mintzberg, 2009). Hence, we conclude this sion, an amalgam of many other disparate disciplines or Manifesto by inviting scholars from the fields of business, simply a practice (Morris, 2013). In this Manifesto, we organisation studies and management to re-join us and posit that project management is a disciplinary field or a make project research more relevant to society. Together, field of knowledge (Bredillet, 2010; Gauthier & Ika, 2012; we can continue to advance knowledge in projects in a Morris, 2013) that is fragmented and evolving in breadth more orchestrated manner, with a real intent to learn and depth. As noted earlier, project management is both a from each other to develop and build a stronger field.  17404762, 0, Downloaded from https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/emre.12568 by Test, Wiley Online Library on [29/03/2023]. See the Terms and Conditions (https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/terms-and-conditions) on Wiley Online Library for rules of use; OA articles are governed by the applicable Creative Commons License LOCATELLI ET AL. 11 When world-scale challenges call for collaboration and This Manifesto has been endorsed by: Kirsi Aaltonen, mutual aid, scholars must work together by breaking Tuomas Ahola, Vittal Anantatmula, Monique Aubry, down silos. Let us stop serving specific research interests, Christophe Bredillet, Maude Brunet, Tyson Browning, let us not merely preserve existing knowledge, but let us Marly Monteiro de Carvalho, Andrew Davies, Walter allow scholars to think differently across the boundaries Fernandez, Jörg Gemunden, James Jiang, Kam Jugdev, that presently separate fields. Yongjian Ke, Gary Klein, Louis Klein, Alexander Kock, Projects are more than a unit of analysis. They are an Jack Meredith, Christophe Midler, Shazia Nauman, Fred integral and important part of the global economy. We Niederman, Ossi Pesämaa, Jeffrey K. Pinto, Blaize subscribe to Grandori’s (2019, p. 90) call for a new line Horner Reich, Ding Ronggui, Shankar Sankaran, of thinking to deal with new problems ‘[the] fundamental Natalya Sergeeva, Victor Sohmen, Per Svejvig, Jörg issue to be addressed in the line of thinking endorsed here Sydow, Rodney Turner, Alfon Van Marrewijk, Derek is a redefinition of the “unit of analysis.” […] It should Walker, Jennifer Whyte, Graham Winch, John Wyzalek not be assumed that any organized unit or firm is already and Vedran Zerjav. in place (producing and exchanging something, as done in most economic theories of the firm), or that resources A U T H O R C O N T R I B UT I O N S have been already pooled in an entity (as done in most Giorgio Locatelli, Lavagnon Ika and Nathalie Drouin management “resources-based” views of firm). A good conceptualised this Manifesto, wrote the initial draft of candidate new unit of analysis with those properties can this Manifesto, did most of the rewriting and managed be “the project” – after all the starting point in the real the review process. Ralf Müller, Martina Huemann, starting of enterprises. In fact, a view of “the economy as Jonas Söderlund, Joana Geraldi and Stewart Clegg pro- a collection of projects” rather than of activities vided detailed and frequent feedback and wrote the initial (or transactions or resources) has also been endorsed as a draft of some specific sections of the Manifesto. Giorgio possible new unit of analysis by scholars of the firm in a Locatelli is Editor-in-Chief for the “Project Management historical perspective’. Journal”; Lavagnon Ika is Associate Editor for the To cite an example, studies in, on and around projects “International Journal of Project Management”; Nathalie may shed light on topics pertaining to strategic manage- Drouin is Editor-in-Chief for the “International Journal ment, innovation and entrepreneurship at the macro level of Managing Projects in Business”; Ralf Müller is Editor- or on those dealing with organisational behaviour and in-Chief for the “Project Management Journal”; Martina human resource management at the micro level. Other Huemann is Editor-in-Chief for the “International Jour- studies might offer contributions to governance, risk nal of Project Management”; Jonas Söderlund is Editor management and coping with complexity and provide for the “Project Management Journal”, member of the opportunities for learning from, with and between pro- Strategic Advisory Board for the “International Journal jects. As a field of knowledge, project management offers of Project Management”, member of the Executive Edi- plenty of research opportunities, as all projects are torial Board for the “International Journal of Managing unique in their singularity and eventfulness. Project man- Projects in Business”; Joana Geraldi is Editor for the agement is a vast and unexplored space for creativity in “Project Management Journal”; Stewart Clegg is member research. It is a space in which to develop, test and chal- of the Strategic Advisory Board for the “International lenge theories. Therefore, we strongly invite business and Journal of Project Management”, member of the Scien- management scholars to consider projects as an interest- tific Committee for the “Project Management Journal”, ing theoretical setting for research work. As scholars, let member of the Executive Editorial Board for the “Inter- us take this opportunity to create bridges between national Journal of Managing Projects in Business” research fields and to theorise through win-win collabora- tions between scholars from various backgrounds A C K N O W L E D G E ME N T S (e.g., joint conference sessions and special issues). Let us Open Access Funding provided by Politecnico di Milano consider projects as interesting collaborative venues. Let within the CRUI-CARE Agreement. us favour more openness in leading academic journals by welcoming articles addressing project nature, significance C O N F L I C T O F I N T E R E S T S TA T E M E N T and dynamics. Likewise, we should enable opportunities The authors have no conflicts of interest to declare. in project management journals for topics that expand project management knowledge through innovative DA TA AV AILA BILIT Y ST AT EME NT themes from different fields. Ultimately, grand challenge Data sharing is not applicable to this article as no new projects are agents of change; studying them and engag- data were created or analysed in this study. ing various stakeholders all over the world to understand how they can be managed to make an economic, environ- REF ER ENCE S mental and social contribution may have a great impact. Alvesson, M. & Sandberg, J. (2011) Generating research questions By doing this, we scholars can make a difference. We live through problematization. Academy of Management Review, in a project society; let us study projects together! 36(2), 247–271.  17404762, 0, Downloaded from https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/emre.12568 by Test, Wiley Online Library on [29/03/2023]. See the Terms and Conditions (https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/terms-and-conditions) on Wiley Online Library for rules of use; OA articles are governed by the applicable Creative Commons License 12 LOCATELLI ET AL. Barney, J.B. 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