This paper reports the findings of an empirical study of project management (PM) practice and of attitudes and opinions of people involved in projects in UK organisations, to determine the extent to which PM has evolved into being broader in its concepts, methods and application than "traditional" PM. Based on previous research and survey data, characteristics of an "emergent" PM approach are described. This leads to the establishment of a number of possible normative theories relating to the management of projects, but empirical evidence shows situations in which there are problems in applying the theories in practice. It is concluded that there is an opportunity for the PM community to provide leadership through the development of valid and useful theories, but in order to do this there is a need for further research.
Purpose– The purpose of this paper is to report on a field-level examination of the adoption of sustainable procurement in social housing. It explores the role of regulation and procurement consortia in sustainable procurement.Design/methodology/approach– The study employs a case study of the UK social housing sector and uses an online survey (n=116) of UK Housing Associations. Factor analysis identifies three parsimonious dimensions of sustainable procurement. Attitudinal data are analysed to explore the field-level adoption of sustainable procurement and the role of consortia.Findings– The results delineate sustainable procurement activities into three factors; direction setting, supplier-centric assurance and local socially oriented supply. High yet sup-optimal levels of sustainable procurement activity are revealed. Prevailing attitudes identify positive commitments to sustainable procurement at individual, organisational and sector levels. The value of network collaboration is identified. Tenants as critical stakeholders do not prioritise sustainable procurement creating challenge for inclusivity. Regulators are seen to a have low level of sustainable procurement knowledge and procurement consortia a high perceived knowledge.Research limitations/implications– Results provide insight into the effect of sustainable procurement policy, the role of regulators and network structures and consortia, raising issues around legitimacy, coopetition, stakeholder engagement, performance measurement, and functional/sectoral maturity.Social implications– The identification of the potential exclusion of tenants in sustainability debates is particularly significant to deliver social value.Originality/value– The relative newness of the social housing sector and its quasi-public sector status provides an original contribution to the consortia and sustainable procurement literatures.
This volume surveys the increasing challenges facing the Arab Gulf states in terms of sustainable consumption and production. Topics include:_x000B_- Environmental sustainability: waste, recycling, water, energy, renewables, and pollution_x000B_- Economic sustainability: employment, education, training and business engagement _x000B_- Social sustainability: equality and diversity, pollution, congestion, community participation_x000B_Includes contributions from specialists from the UAE, Bahrain, Lebanon, Egypt, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Morocco and Qatar as well as from the US and the UK._x000B_
PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to assess how we implement new ways of managing relational risk at the operational level of outsourced projects and to provide guidance to project management (PM) policy makers and practitioners seeking to ensure project operations consistently deliver project relational risk management (PRRM) strategies.Design/methodology/approachThrough exploratory study data were obtained from a panel of six experts in PM and from a pilot survey of PM practitioners. The data reveal future directions and vectors for scholarship and research activity in terms of the impact of PRMM-related mechanisms and deliverables on project success and the implementation process to enhance PRRM as a key PM capability.FindingsDeliverables for PRRM need to part of a multidimensional framework that includes mechanisms besides the contract. Such a framework enables the codification of PM knowledge so that PRRM contributes to project success. With knowledge codified, PRRM strategies can be consistently delivered at the operational level. The framework is novel in that it integrates hereto disparate elements that are encompassed under the broad umbrella of relational governance mechanisms.Practical implicationsPM policy makers and practitioners recognise the importance of effective relationships to deliver projects successfully, yet they lack practical solutions to address the negative effects of dysfunctional relationships. The authors provide a list of PM deliverables for effective PRRM, including deliverables besides those related to the contract, which can be used in practice to bring the gap between PRRM strategy development and implementation. This will enable client organisations that outsource their projects to an external contractor to enhance their PRRM capability and increase the likelihood of project success.Originality/valueThe authors provide insights into how PRRM is practised at the project operations' level where PM is outsourced. These insights lead to three pathways of impactful Operations Management (OM)/PM scholarship and research, namely, the following: 1) How PM deliverables act as a key success factor for effective PRRM? 2) How the duality of roles carried out by PM actors influences PRMM practices? 3) How companies innovate to enhance their PRMM capability? These pathways will enable PM research and scholarship to address disconnects between PRMM strategy and operations and hence go beyond answering "what" PRMM is to encompass "how" it is implemented.
