Creating authority and autonomy: Necessary dialectical tensions in public sector project management

Article

Rowe, Kevan M., Whitty, Stephen Jonathan and van der Hoorn, Bronte. 2024. "Creating authority and autonomy: Necessary dialectical tensions in public sector project management." Project Leadership and Society. 5. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.plas.2024.100119
Article Title

Creating authority and autonomy: Necessary dialectical tensions in public sector project management

ERA Journal ID213997
Article CategoryArticle
AuthorsRowe, Kevan M., Whitty, Stephen Jonathan and van der Hoorn, Bronte
Journal TitleProject Leadership and Society
Journal Citation5
Article Number100119
Number of Pages12
Year2024
PublisherElsevier BV
Place of PublicationNetherlands
ISSN2666-7215
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)https://doi.org/10.1016/j.plas.2024.100119
Web Address (URL)https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666721524000048
AbstractThis study investigates the nuanced relationship between public sector project managers and their adherence to organizational project management protocols, as defined by reference documents such as PRINCE2 and PMBOK® Guide. It investigates why these project managers frequently deviate from these protocols. The study investigates the practical relevance yet perceived redundancy of these documents through interviews and a focus group with nine experienced project managers in the Australian public sector. Using thematic analysis and a Derridean perspective, we show how these documents create a project manager's their authority and autonomy. The study concludes with the proposal of a deconstructive theory of public sector project management, emphasising pragmatism over rigid adherence to established project management ideologies.
KeywordsDeconstruction; Projectification; Public sector ; Deconstruction; Diff´erance
Contains Sensitive ContentDoes not contain sensitive content
ANZSRC Field of Research 20204407. Policy and administration
Byline AffiliationsSchool of Business
University of Technology Sydney
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