The economic relevance of project organizing is unquestionable: McKinsey (2013) argues the world would need to spend in new infrastructure projects $57 trillion just to keep up with the projected growth until 2030. Project organising has become pervasive: it spans a variety of business dimensions – e.g. from R&D and new product development to the implementation of organizational change – and cuts across industries – e.g. management consulting, engineering, music, movies, software services. Western societies are experiencing a gradual process of projectification, leading to an increasing use of “temporary solutions” in and between organizations. This projectification process makes effective management of projects increasingly important as well as highlights the importance of creating a better understanding of the linkages between projects and organizations.

Aims

The LUISS BS Project Organising Competence Centre (POCC) aims to promote research, build theory, and support improvements in project practices by forging a close collaboration with industrial partners in Italy and internationally. POCC constitutes a forum for researchers and practitioners to exchange ideas and learn about new developments in the practice and theory of project organizing.

POCC research activities intend to sharpen our understanding of project organizations, to develop and validate new conceptual frameworks and novel methods, and further knowledge of how to organize, plan and design, manage, lead, and govern projects. POCC main research objectives are:

• Explore the value of using and juxtaposing different conceptual lenses to improve our understanding of how to best structure and manage projects

• Discuss how to use projects as an empirical setting for rigorous research that can contribute to advance mainstream management and organization theory

• Learn from practitioners about the challenges and problems of conceiving and delivering projects, and test the relevance of research as to how they can be overcome

Approach

POOC research team conducts relevant research to address problems as faced by managers and executives in project organisations – e.g. projects, megaprojects, project-based organisations, project-based firms, etc.

Outcomes and outputs

POCC research activity contributes to inform project organising practices – i.e. conveying research insights to practitioners and policy makers through presentations to practitioner conferences, publications in crossover journals, and in op-eds and blogs. POCC research also informs and feeds teaching initiatives as delivered by LUISS BS. POCC initiatives aims to present and discuss emerging concepts, debate alternative theoretical approaches, learn about new innovative practices, and deepen their understanding of the problems and challenges facing project organizing.

Examples of POCC initiatives are (flyers attached):

• ‘Project Organising: Theory meets Practices’, Rome, 20^th May 2016

• ‘Is it Possible to Manage Impossible Projects?’ Rome, 4^th November 2015

• ‘4^th International Megaproject Workshop: Theory meets Practice’ Rome, 19^th-20^th May 2016

• ‘Managing Megaprojects: Lessons from Major UK Programmes’ Rome, 19^th May 2016

Research Team

• Paolo Boccardelli (LUISS, I)
• Andrew Davies (UCL, UK)
• Francesca Di Pietro (LUISS, I)
• Luca Giustiniano (LUISS, I)
• Rehab Iftikar (LUISS, I)
• Niels Norderhaven (Tilburg University, NL)
• Gerardo Patriotta (Nottingham University, UK)
• Andrea Prencipe (LUISS, I)
• Jonas Soderlund (BI Norway, N)
• Paolo Spagnoletti (LUISS, I)
• Richard Tee (LUISS, I)
• Jan Van Den Ende (Rotterdam SoM, NL)
• Francesca Vicentini (LINK University, I)
• Sriteja Wudaru (LUISS, I)

Corporate Partners

Project Management Institute