Governance and Creativity in Project-based Organizations: Archetypes and Agenda for Future Research

Sofia Pemsel, Jonas Söderlund*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalJournal articleResearchpeer-review

Abstract

Prior research on the governance of project-based organizations has centered on the efficiency problem: on compliance, control, and a concern for doing things right. Less research has addressed the creativity problem: how governance practices spur novel thinking, idea generation, and innovation. We discern four governance archetypes for addressing the creativity problem along two creativity dimensions: creativity locus and creativity orientation. These archetypes are exemplified by case illustrations from four firms, highlighting key differences in how project-based organizations address the creativity problem. We present an agenda for future research emphasizing the need for comparative and longitudinal studies.
Original languageEnglish
JournalProject Management Journal
Number of pages17
ISSN8756-9728
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 20 Nov 2024

Bibliographical note

Epub ahead of print. Published online: 20 November 2024.

Keywords

  • Project-based organization
  • Problem
  • Creativity
  • Governance
  • Archetype

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