Projectification of Organizations, Governance and Societies: Theoretical Perspectives and Empirical Implications

Description

This book is about projectification – a concept that captures the increasing reliance on “the project” in contemporary societies, governance and economies. Despite its significance, this development and transformation, not only of public and private organizations but also our working environment and way of living, has received little scholarly attention compared to other major societal movements. Since its conceptualization in 1995 the phenomena of projectification has grown in scope, and researchers beyond management and organization studies have argued for and applied a broader and critical perspective to what projects are and how we are to understand the term. This volume gathers researchers who critically examine the function and effects of “the project”, and analyzes the logic, politics, discursive practices and contexts of projectification. The book consolidates this research field by illustrating theoretical perspectives on, and empirical implications of, projectification. It also highlights the need for more research, and provides encouragements for other disciplines to scrutinize this phenomenon from other perspectives. Foreword Preface and Acknowledgements Contents Notes on Contributors List of Tables Chapter 1: Introducing Projectification Research Introduction An Emerging Research Field Making Sense of Projectification Overview of the Collection References Chapter 2: The Philosophical History of Projectification: The Project Society Aim of the Chapter Practical Implications What Is a Project? Projectification Example of a Field: The History of Dance Discipline and Projects The Spirit of Projects The Project Society as the Post-Disciplinary Society Facilitating Transdisciplinary Activities: Architecture and Education The Revolt and the New Conditions for Project People: Single Life, Exploitation, and Passage Angst Pace of Reorganisation and Project Structure: Engagements, Appointments, Football, Warfare, and Leadership by the ‘Yes’ The Pathologies of the Project Society Conclusion and Practical Implications Further Reading References Chapter 3: The Trojan Horse of Local Government Institutional Logics and the Organisational Practices of Swedish Local Government Local Government Institutional Logics: The Case of Sweden How Do We Study Trojan Horses? The Trojan Horse in Practice Prerequisites for Projectification Transformation and Adaptation Projectification as Organisational Capacity-Building Latent Consequences of Projectification Further Reading References Chapter 4: Entering the World of Project Making: Mobilizing Assemblage Thinking to Unpack Projects as Political Constructions Introduction: Entering the World of Project Making Assemblage Thinking as a Theoretical Toolbox Studying Projectification Through Assemblage Thinking: The Case of Swedish Development Aid Translating Assemblage Thinking into a Workable Methodology: Following the Project Bureaucracy Across Sites The Work of Holding the Project Cycle Together Constructing and Maintaining Cooperation Activating Repertoires of Expertise Creating Markets Organizing Temporality Concluding Discussion Further Reading References Chapter 5: What Makes It Tick? On the Projectification of the Labour Market in Sweden Introduction On Translation: Theoretical and Methodological Underpinnings The Prisoners and the Food Multi-Sited Ethnography: Mapping and Translation Following the Projects Framing Calculation Arrangements of Visibility Summary Conclusion Further Reading References Informants Chapter 6: The Janus Face of Participatory Projects Introduction Participatory Governance and Public Sector Projectification Participatory Governance Projectification Participatory Projects Methods and Data Citizen Channel, a Participatory Project Citizens and Civil Society Actors in Citizen Channel The Understanding and Framing of Participation The Effectiveness and Long-Term Impact of the Project Discussion and Conclusion Further Reading References Chapter 7: HRM and Projectification: Moving Beyond the ‘Project-Based Organization’ Concept Introduction HRM and Projects: A Brief Overview The Deceptive Idea of ‘Project-Based Organizations’ as a Single Form Articulating Traits Driven by Projectification and Game Changers for HRM Temporariness Cross-Functionality Blended Workforce Concluding Discussion Further Reading References Chapter 8: The Road to Isolation of Public Health Policy Projects: Consequences of Demarcating the Project by Its Task, Time, Team and Transition Introduction The Challenge of Balancing Between Isolation and Interaction in Public Health Projects Why the Boundaries Constituting a Project Can Lead to Demarcation and Thus Isolation of Public Health Projects Presentation of the Study of a Public Health Intervention Conducted in Two Primary Schools Expressions and Explanations of the Difficulties in Integrating Public Health Projects into Permanent Organising Task: The Isolation of the Project’s Task Strengthens the Top-Down Perspective Time: Limited Project Time and Different Time Frames Pose Challenges for the Interactions Between Temporary and Permanent Organising Team: Focusing on Relational Processes and Including Actors Outside the Project Team Is Important to Carry Project Intentions Forward Transition: The Project Actors Need to Be Able to Interpret the Consequences of the Wider Social Context Conclusions Further Reading References Chapter 9: Interfaces in Project-Based Innovation Governance: Can Hackathons Hack into Policy Processes? Introduction Digital Optimism in Project-Based Innovation Systems Interfaces Between Projects and Permanent Organizations A Case Study of a Carbon and Biodiversity Offsetting Project in Estonia Challenges of Dynamic Proximity Hackathons and Accelerators as Legitimation Mechanisms Limited Flexibility of Knowledge Implementation Discussion and Conclusion Further Reading References Chapter 10: Stepping on the Throttle While Hitting the Brakes: Project Organisations and Governance Introduction Project Organisations and Governance from a Theoretical Perspective Linking Projects with Public Administration and New Public Management Discourses Understanding Projects Through Theories of Governance Project Management Ideals and the Governance of Projects Benefits and Challenges Related to Temporary Governance Mechanisms in a Public-Sector Context How Can the Added Value Created by Projects Be Measured? Can Long-Term Outcomes Be Achieved Through Temporary Outputs? Do Collaborative Project Procedures Lead to Innovative Results? Concluding Discussion Further Reading References Chapter 11: Projects as Vessels for Institutional Change: From Appealing Promises to Some Pressing Concerns Introduction A Tale of Two Projectified Governance Arrangements Institutional Change in Projectified Governance Attaining Institutional Change in Projectified Governance? Mechanistic Projectified Governance Organic Projectified Governance Concluding Discussion: Some Pressing Concerns Further Reading References Chapter 12: Explaining Project-Based Policy Implementation: Multiple Governance Framework and Causal Mechanisms Introduction The Effects of Project Organization The Causal Mechanism in Critical Realism The Multiple Governance Framework Governance Mechanisms of Project-Based Policy Implementation Collaborative Governance Theory and Project Application Metagovernance Theory and Project Application Interactive Governance Theory and Project Application Practical Research Examples Concluding Remarks Further Reading References Chapter 13: Where Do We Go from Here? Introduction The State of a Continuously Emerging Research Field The Future Need for Projectification Research References Index