The project entity as human activity system and social process: providing the structural openness to connect with context

This paper emphasises projects as being a social process. It moves away from the traditional views that lay emphases on linear and predictable models of project practice to one that better highlights the complex nature of human interrelations. Findings from recent doctoral research implemented in the Middle East, indicate that socio-cultural factors in project contexts affect knowledge creation processes critical to organisational change. Research results benefited from viewing the project organization as a `complex adaptive system¿ with a structurally open project entity facilitating the contextual interconnections necessary for detecting and creating environmental change. Pragmatic knowledge was seen as emergent through movement of human interactions and contributed to the portrayal of the project organisation as a `becoming¿ cognitive system whose resilience is dependent upon producing meaning as opposed to processing information. Complexity in project management and theory has traditionally focussed on technical and structural aspects of project practice, whereas aligning social systems with nature where disorder and uncertainty prevails provides a better model of social analysis. Working in culturally pluralistic project environments where multiple realities and disparities in language are commonplace create challenges to traditional PM practice. Adaptive project management responses seek common ground for understanding through facilitating knowledge flow and meaningful interactions