Towards a multi-perspective research program on projects and temporary organizations: Analyzing the Scandinavian turn and the Rethinking effort

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to describe and analyze important parts of the contemporary development of project research and to outline plausible and desirable directions for the future. Design/methodology/approach: This is accomplished through a review of the ‘Scandinavian School of Project Management’ and ‘Rethinking Project Management’, which is complemented with a set of questions distributed to 27 active researchers within the project research field from around the world. Findings: Through the analysis we show how the two streams have more similarities than differences, despite the fact that they have been initiated in very different contexts and ways. We could also conclude that the ‘Scandinavian school’ appears stronger on the international scene than in the Nordic countries, and that general perception of what the ‘school’ stands for has changed and been blurred with time. Based on the analysis we also proposed the need for a broad, more coherent research effort in terms of a multi-perspective research program on projects and temporary organizations. The essence of this would be: a) an action research profile to improve practice and foresee the future, b) a combined research focus on institutional change and project practice to ensure both theoretical and empirical progress, and c) a strong global perspective to further enrich both theory and practice. Research limitations/implications: This research has obvious limitations in terms of empirical scope and response selection. The questionnaire results should therefore be interpreted with care. Originality/value: The value of this research lies in its reflective nature and the proposed trajectory of the project research domain.