Designs, Methods and Practices for Research of Project Management

Project management as a discipline has experienced near-exponential growth in its application across the business and not-for-profit sectors. This original, authoritative guide provides both practitioner and student researchers with a complete guide to research practice on project management. In Designs, Methods and Practices for Research of Project Management, Beverly Pasian has brought together original chapters from a veritable who's who of project management research including authors such as Harvey Maylor, Christophe Bredillet, Derek Walker, Miles Shepherd, Janice Thomas, Naomi Brookes and Darren Dalcher. The collection looks at research strategy, management, methodology, techniques as well as emerging topics such as social network analysis. The 38 chapters offer an international perspective with examples from a wide range of project management applications; engineering, construction, mega-projects, high-risk environments and social transformation. Each chapter includes tips and exercises for the research student, as well as a complete set of further references.

Table of Contents:
Contents: Foreword; Introduction. Part I Foundational Issues: Project management research: addressing integrative challenges, Harvey Maylor and Jonas Söderlund; Project management research: social dimensions and organisational context, Michael Young; The paradigm as a steering mechanism for new research endeavours, Thomas Biedenbach; Finding a way in Broceliande Forest: the magic domain of project management research, Christophe N. Bredillet; Ontology and epistemology, Ole Jonny Klakegg; The praxeology of applied research in autoethnographical research settings: a case study of a radical learning journey, Louis Klein and Christian A.P. Weiland. Part II Focusing your Research Effort: Research methods and success meaning in project management, Rogério T.O. Lacerda, Leonardo Ensslin and Sandra Rolim Ensslin; The constructive research approach: problem solving for complex projects, Liisa Lehtiranta, Juha-Matti Junnonen, Sami Kärnä and Laura Pekuri; Novel or incremental contributions: the construction of research questions, Markus Hällgren; Moving from hunches to a research topic: salient literature and research methods, Beverley Lloyd-Walker and Derek Walker; Moving from `hunches’ to an interesting research topic: defining the research topic, Derek Walker and Beverley Lloyd-Walker; Ethical considerations in project management research, Haukur Ingi Jonasson and Helgi Thor Ingason; Developing a critical literature review for project management research, Michael Tong and Craig Thomson; Critical engagement of previous research, Steven Nijhuis. Part III Specific Data Collection and Analysis Techniques: Interview methods for project management research, Miles Shepherd; Considering case studies in project management, Blaize Reich; Linking theory and practice in using action-oriented methods, Shankar Sankaran and Bob Dick; Dual cycle action research: a doctor of project management (DPM) research case study, Kersti Nogeste; An agile approach to the real experience of developing research methodology and methods, Hany Wells and Hedley Smyth; Giving voice to the project management practitioner, Mano Nugapitiya, Spike Boydell and Patrick Healy; Enter or not - how to gain and sustain access to research sites, Jill Owen, Chivonne Algeo and James Connor. Part IV Examples of Mixed Methods Strategies: Mixed methods research in project management, Roslyn Cameron and Shankar Sankaran; The value of mixed methods, Janice Thomas and Stella George; Managing research in large collaborative teams, Stella George and Janice Thomas; Applying mixed methods for researching project management in engineering projects, Marian Bosch-Rekveldt; Importance of sequencing in mixed methods research design, Beverly Pasian; An empirical research method strategy for construction consulting services projects, Li Yongkui, Yang Qing and He Qinghua. Part V Unique Environments for Project Management Research: A practical research method: the NETLIPSE case study, Pau Lian Staal-Org and Eddy Westerveld; Using multi-case approaches in project management research: the megaproject experience, Naomi Brookes, Robert Hickey, Paul Littau, Giorgio Locatelli and Gloria Oliomogbe; Project management research in post-conflict societies: challenges and complexities identified in Kosovo, James Earnest and Carolyn Dickie; Complexities of oil and gas exploration in the Middle East, Lawrence Monteilh. Part VI Writing as a Future Researcher: Studying relationships in project management through social network analysis, Deborah E. Gibbons and Roxanne Zolin; Social network analysis applied to project management, Nigel L. Williams, Nicole Ferdinand and Robin Croft; The electronic portfolio - a research enabler, Tracey Richardson. Part VII Benefitting from Experience: Supervisors and Publications: The voice of experience: an interview with Lynn Crawford; Supervisors and their sociological (and sometimes seemingly illogical) imagination, Spike Boydell; Common flaws in project management research reports, Gilbert Silvius; Publish or perish? Transforming your thesis into a tangible product, Darren Dalcher. Index.

About the Author :
Beverly Pasian is an active educator, researcher and association leader in the project management community - taking seriously the trio of roles she considers essential to a meaningful career in the academy. Beyond this book, various international research projects and publications and IPMA leadership roles, as Chair of the Dutch National Research Group, her priority is to bring the community’s attention to the human factors of project management through the creation of an international research center in the Netherlands.

Review :
'Beverly Pasian's book is extremely important and timely. It is also ambitious, and we should commend her for undertaking this mission. The book integrates under one roof a tremendous collection of research lessons and experience on how to investigate project management and how to better understand it in the future. The book should be highly recommended to different groups of researchers and educators. Nice and very relevant undertaking!' Aaron Shenhar, Technological Leadership Institute, SPLWIN, Rutgers and Tel Aviv Universities 'The field of project management has come a long way in the last quarter of a century in improving the quality of its research and the rigour of the research methodologies on which it is based. However, it stands accused of being very narrow now. Project management research is based on rigorous methodologies, but a very narrow range of methodologies are used. Having now built a firm base, project management research now needs to move out into new areas to broaden the topics that can be investigated and the ways they can be investigated. In that we can find new insights into the field. This book will make an extremely valuable contribution into opening up the research horizons of project management. I would also like to use chapters as readings on my research management courses.' Rodney Turner, Professor of Project Management, Kingston Business School, UK 'This book is a tour de force on research designs, methods and practices. It covers a wide range of foundational aspects, general and specific research approaches, mixed methods strategies, unique environment settings and state-of-the-art tools, such as social media. All presented by renowned researchers. Clearly a must have for every project management researcher.' Reinhard Wagner, IPMA Vice President for Research 'Project Management is an interdisciplinary discipline that adopts and integrates theories and practices from organization management/behavioral science and operations research/management science. A potpourri of different research approaches presented by top scholars in our field will help students, academics, and practitioners apply the appropriate research questions, designs, and methodologies whether they are working on a research manuscript or preparing for a professional report. This book is an excellent encyclopedia dedicated to research designs, methods, and practices for project management.' Young Hoon Kwak, George Washington University School of Business, USA 'As project management researchers and academics, all of us, to some degree, are prisoners of the research traditions in which we were taught and originally practiced. Empiricists are encouraged to remain empirical; math modelers should continue to model; and case methodologists should remain firmly embedded in their case methods. But it doesn't have to be this way. The project management field is so rich in diversity - of both theory and research practice - that it offers virtually innumerable means for academics and practitioners alike to learn more about the discipline, to build new theory, and through clever research, to advance our knowledge apace. To simply say that this book, Designs, Methods and Practices for Research of Project Management, is "timely", is to sadly underappreciate what Beverly Pasian has here created. An edited work filled with the ideas of some of the best researchers and theorists that the project management field has to offer is a gem and should be part of the library of everyone who has a genuine interest in where the field is headed and the best methodological ways to get it there.' Jeffrey K. Pinto, Penn State University, USA 'Designs, Methods and Practices for Research in Project Management edited by Beverly Pasian is a long overdue collection of papers by some of the best minds in project management research. In one complete edition, the editor skillfully weaves significant papers addressing key issues together to produce what I am sure will become the "go to" handbook for researchers in project management. This is an area in which many educators from traditional academic disciplines have a difficult time comprehending what there is to do. The study of project management casts a very broad net over a wide range of subjects, many of which are research areas having their own feet. The interests of our PhD students are quite diverse indeed. The book organizes information into seven parts: 1) Foundational issues; 2) Focusing your research effort; 3) Specific data collection and analysis techniques; 4) Examples of mixed methods strategies; 5) Unique environments for project management research; 6) Writing for a future researcher; and 7) Benefitting from experience: supervisors and publications. The book addresses what all young researchers need to know. We will make it mandatory reading for ours.' John H. Cable, University of Maryland, USA 'This is the book I wish existed when I started my journey towards a PhD in Strategy, Programme and Project Management. With chapters written by management of projects researchers, it squarely addresses the issue of doing academically rigorous research in an area some academics regard as being not researchable. By providing management of projects context, this book is a valuable complement to the seminal texts on conducting research that one frequently refers to.' James Szot, The University of Texas at Dallas, USA `Beverly Pasian's book is extremely important and timely. It is also ambitious, and we should commend her for undertaking this mission. The book integrates under one roof a tremendous collection of research lessons and experience on how to investigate project management and how to better understand it in the future. The book should be highly recommended to different groups of researchers and educators. Nice and very relevant undertaking!’ Aaron Shenhar, Technological Leadership Institute, SPLWIN, Rutgers and Tel Aviv Universities `The field of project management has come a long way in the last quarter of a century in improving the quality of its research and the rigour of the research methodologies on which it is based. However, it stands accused of being very narrow now. Project management research is based on rigorous methodologies, but a very narrow range of methodologies are used. Having now built a firm base, project management research now needs to move out into new areas to broaden the topics that can be investigated and the ways they can be investigated. In that we can find new insights into the field. This book will make an extremely valuable contribution into opening up the research horizons of project management. I would also like to use chapters as readings on my research management courses.’ Rodney Turner, Professor of Project Management, Kingston Business School, UK `This book is a tour de force on research designs, methods and practices. It covers a wide range of foundational aspects, general and specific research approaches, mixed methods strategies, unique environment settings and state-of-the-art tools, such as social media. All presented by renowned researchers. Clearly a must have for every project management researcher.’ Reinhard Wagner, IPMA Vice President for Research `Project Management is an interdisciplinary discipline that adopts and integrates theories and practices from organization management/behavioral science and operations research/management science. A potpourri of different research approaches presented by top scholars in our field will help students, academics, and practitioners apply the appropriate research questions, designs, and methodologies whether they are working on a research manuscript or preparing for a professional report. This book is an excellent encyclopedia dedicated to research designs, methods, and practices for project management.’ Young Hoon Kwak, George Washington University School of Business, USA `As project management researchers and academics, all of us, to some degree, are prisoners of the research traditions in which we were taught and originally practiced. Empiricists are encouraged to remain empirical; math modelers should continue to model; and case methodologists should remain firmly embedded in their case methods. But it doesn’t have to be this way. The project management field is so rich in diversity - of both theory and research practice - that it offers virtually innumerable means for academics and practitioners alike to learn more about the discipline, to build new theory, and through clever research, to advance our knowledge apace. To simply say that this book, Designs, Methods and Practices for Research of Project Management, is “timely”, is to sadly underappreciate what Beverly Pasian has here created. An edited work filled with the ideas of some of the best researchers and theorists that the project management field has to offer is a gem and should be part of the library of everyone who has a genuine interest in where the field is headed and the best methodological ways to get it there.’ Jeffrey K. Pinto, Penn State University, USA `Designs, Methods and Practices for Research in Project Management edited by Beverly Pasian is a long overdue collection of papers by some of the best minds in project management research. In one complete edition, the editor skillfully weaves significant papers addressing key issues together to produce what I am sure will become the “go to” handbook for researchers in project management. This is an area in which many educators from traditional academic disciplines have a difficult time comprehending what there is to do. The study of project management casts a very broad net over a wide range of subjects, many of which are research areas having their own feet. The interests of our PhD students are quite diverse indeed. The book organizes information into seven parts: 1) Foundational issues; 2) Focusing your research effort; 3) Specific data collection and analysis techniques; 4) Examples of mixed methods strategies; 5) Unique environments for project management research; 6) Writing for a future researcher; and 7) Benefitting from experience: supervisors and publications. The book addresses what all young researchers need to know. We will make it mandatory reading for ours.’ John H. Cable, University of Maryland, USA `This is the book I wish existed when I started my journey towards a PhD in Strategy, Programme and Project Management. With chapters written by management of projects researchers, it squarely addresses the issue of doing academically rigorous research in an area some academics regard as being not researchable. By providing management of projects context, this book is a valuable complement to the seminal texts on conducting research that one frequently refers to.’ James Szot, The University of Texas at Dallas, USA