Embedding New Management Knowledge in Project-Based Organizations

Abstract

The embedding of new management knowledge in project-based organization is made particularly problematic due to the attenuated links that exist between organization-wide change initiatives and project management practice. To explore the complex processes involved in change in project-based organization, this paper draws upon a case study of change within the UK construction industry. Analysing the case study through the lens of structuration theory (Giddens 1984), the paper examines the complex, recursive relationship that links change in project management practice with the peculiarities of that context. The findings demonstrate that a number of features of project-based organization — namely, decentralization, short-term emphasis on project performance and distributed work practices — are critically important in understanding the shaping and embedding of new management practice.