View metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk brought to you by CORE provided by University of Southern Queensland ePrints A New Philosophy of Project Management An investigation into the prevalence of modern project management by means of an evolutionary framework By Stephen Jonathan Whitty A thesis submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy at The University of Queensland in May 2009 School of Information Technology and Electrical Engineering ii | Blank | iii “Everything is what it is because it got that way” (Thompson, 1992) iv | Blank | v Declaration This thesis is composed of my original work, and contains no material previously published or written by another person except where due reference has been made in the text. I have clearly stated the contribution by others to jointly-authored works that I have included in my thesis. I have clearly stated the contribution of others to my thesis as a whole, including statistical assistance, survey design, data analysis, significant technical procedures, professional editorial advice, and any other original research work used or reported in my thesis. The content of my thesis is the result of work I have carried out since the commencement of my research higher degree candidature and does not include a substantial part of work that has been submitted to qualify for the award of any other degree or diploma in any university or other tertiary institution. I have clearly stated which parts of my thesis, if any, have been submitted to qualify for another award. I acknowledge that an electronic copy of my thesis must be lodged with the University Library and, subject to the General Award Rules of The University of Queensland, immediately made available for research and study in accordance with the Copyright Act 1968. I acknowledge that copyright of all material contained in my thesis resides with the copyright holder(s) of that material. vi | Statement of Contributions to Jointly Authored Works Contained in the Thesis This thesis incorporates two joint publications, specifically publication 2 and 3. I was principally responsible for the concept, design, review, analysis and interpretation of previous research findings, and drafting and writing. My principle advisor assisted in the final reviewing process. Candidate: Stephen Jonathan Whitty _______________ Principal Advisor: Dr Mark F. Schulz _______________ Published Works by the Author Incorporated into the Thesis 1. Whitty, S.J. (2005). A memetic paradigm of project management. International Journal of Project Management, 23 (8) 575-583 – Incorporated as Chapter 3 2. Whitty, S.J. & Schulz, M.F. (2007). The impact of Puritan ideology on aspects of project management. International Journal of Project Management, 25 (1) 10-20 – Incorporated as Chapter 4 3. Whitty, S.J. & Schulz, M.F. (under review) Projectistan: where projects and project management thrive, and appearance trumps productivity. International Journal of Project Organisation and Management. 4. Whitty, S.J. (forthcoming 2010) Project management artefacts and the emotions they evoke. International Journal of Managing Projects in Business. | vii Additional Published Works by the Author Relevant to the Thesis but not Forming Part of it 1. Whitty, S.J. & Maylor, H. (2009) And then came Complex Project Management (revised). International Journal of Project Management, 27 (3) 304-310 2. Maylor, H. and Whitty, S.J. (2007), “Complexity and Project Managers’ Competencies” 7th International Research Workshop on Project Management, Lille, France 3. Whitty, S.J. & Schulz, M.F. (2006). _THE_PM_BOK Code. 20th IPMA World Congress on Project Management Shanghai, (1) 466-472 viii | Blank | ix Acknowledgments I’d like to take this opportunity to thank all those who have supported and encouraged me. Personally, I have enjoyed almost every moment of being involved with the research in this thesis, and I believe there is still more to come. A significant part of the enjoyment has come because of the encouragement and support I have received from my colleagues and family. I begin with Dr Marcin Zeimski. Marcin played a significant part in the development of my ideas in the early days of my research. We shared many coffees together, and for me our discussions around memetics and project management were invaluable. Our discussions raised significant questions and at the same time drove me to find answer. Over the last eighteen months I have missed our coffees. Dr Mark Schulz has always believed that I had something to contribute to project management, perhaps even before he agreed to be my principle supervisor. Mark and I never met as supervisor and student on a regular basis, but when we did his insights were mind clearing as he has the marvellous ability to be able to sort the key issues of an idea from the rest of the distracting noise. I’d like to thank my associate supervisor Dr Gordon Wyeth for reading my thesis, and I mean really reading my thesis. Gordon’s intellect spans many disciplines, from systems engineering, robotics, cognitive science, linguistics, and I’m sure much more, with a grounded knowledge of project management. Gordon’s feedback during this research has been invaluable. He has tempered my thoughts and guided my thinking perhaps more than he has realised. I am also very grateful to the anonymous reviewers who a given their indispensable feedback during the process of publishing the various journal papers that form some of the chapters of this thesis. I am also indebted to the Chair of examiners, the examiners x | themselves for their supportive comments, and to those who made the effort to attend my confirmation seminar. I also want to acknowledge the financial support I have received from the University of Queensland in the form of a Confirmation Scholarship during the final year of my candidature. Most particularly I would like to thank Professor Neil Bergmann for supporting my successful application for this scholarship. Most significantly I want to acknowledge the love and support I have received from my family. My Mum and Dad have encouraged and supported me unconditionally in all my endeavours. I hope they regard my achievements as their achievements. The strong work ethic of my Sister Barbara and my late Brother-in-law Philip has always inspired me. I miss Philip very much, and would have loved to have discussed my ideas with him. My final words of thanks, gratitude, and appreciation go to my beautiful wife Jennifer and my children Graham, Matthew, and Nathan. Jennifer and I have been on the PhD road together for these past four years, and even though both our journeys haven’t always been plain sailing she has always given me the greatest support and encouragement. Immersing myself in this body of work has changed me, I feel for the better. I hope some day it makes a positive impact on Graham, Matthew, and Nathan too, should they care to read it. Thank you. | xi Abstract Why are projects and project management so cool when managing projects is so problematic? This question is at the heart of this thesis which sets out to find answer using an evolutionary approach to the discipline. A conceptual evolutionary framework for investigation is developed, the heredity of the ideas and concepts that underpin project management are traced and their impact analysed, and a conceptual model of the project management environment is developed to demonstrate how individuals and corporations gain survival benefits from aspects of project management. To further investigate the evolutionary mechanisms that take place in the project management environment, the result of a phenomenological study are presented which show that various project management artefacts emotionally affect individuals, and that those individuals also use the emotional affects to emotionally manipulate others. The conclusions drawn from this investigation are that modern project management delivers cultural survival benefits to individuals and corporations, and its various behaviours and concepts are encoded genetically and memetically across our genes and Western culture. The memetic framework for project management contributes to the field by providing a means to debunk the ‘sacred cows’ of project management; it brings new understandings of how the various ideals, tools and concepts of project management deliver benefits, and to whom; and it provides a agenda for evidence based practice and the democratisation of work where project management is inculcated into the various work domains such as Health, Art, Agriculture, Commerce, etc, rather than a standalone discipline. Keywords Project Management, Evolutionary Psychology, Memetics, Emotion Australian and New Zealand Standard Research Classifications (ANZSRC) 1799 Other Psychology and Cognitive Science 50%, 9104 Management and Productivity 30%, 2202 History and Philosophy of Specific Fields 20% xii | Blank Synopsis| xiii Synopsis If project management is not delivering for corporations, why is it so prevalent, particularly in Western corporate society? A qualified answer to this question is conspicuously absent from the project management literature. However, my research has shown that there are various intriguing reasons why project management is so prevalent, but one needs to look through the lens of evolution to discover them. My thesis comprises journal and conference proceedings that have been published (and in some cases not yet published) over the last 5 years of my research into project management. This practice of publishing before the thesis is submitted is strongly encouraged at the University of Queensland as it points to the academic rigour of the research through the blind peer review process. My thesis is divided into 8 Chapters with short preambles to Chapters 3 to 6 where I reflect on what I regard to be the purpose, underlying philosophy, and important aspects of that particular piece. I also discuss how the material has added or contributed to the literature and been received by the scholarly / practitioner community, and how it connects to the thesis as a whole.