classics in megaprojects final submission
TRANSCRIPT
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Abstract
Thepaperexploresthreetextsinthefieldofmegaprojectmanagementthat
intersubjectively,intermsofcommunitysentiment,mightbeconsidered‘classics’.
Wedeployfourcriteriaforastructuredanalysisthatdeterminesifthestatusofthe
worksinquestionmaybeconsideredclassic.TheworksexaminedareMegaprojects
andRisk:AnAnatomyofAmbitionbyFlyvbjerg,BruzeliusandRothengatter;(2003)
TheAnatomyofMajorProjectsbyMorrisandHough(1987)andIndustrial
MegaprojectsbyMerrow(2011).Basedontheseworksweconcludewitha
prospectusforfutureresearchthatwillservetodevelopthefieldofresearchinto
megaprojectmanagement.
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Introduction
Oneofthewaysinwhichafieldofresearchconsolidates,gainingcohesionand
consistency,isthoughsignificantandoutstandingworksthatplayadefiningrole.
Kuhn(2012,p.10)describesthewayinwhichsignificantscientificachievements,
oftenencapsulatedintheclassicsofadiscipline,becomeparadigmaticbybeing
disseminatedthroughtextbooksandothernormativetexts.Theparadigmformsthe
acceptedframeworkforthebodyoftheoryinadiscipline.Overtime,theboundaries
forwhatisconsiderednormalsciencewithinaparticularfieldincreasinglybecome
institutionalizedwithintheparadigmaticframe.
Thispaperexaminesthreeworksthatmightrightlybeconsideredclassicsinthefield
ofmegaprojectresearch:MegaprojectsandRisk:AnAnatomyofAmbitionby
Flyvbjerg,BruzeliusandRothengatter;(2003)TheAnatomyofMajorProjectsby
MorrisandHough(1987);andIndustrialMegaprojectsbyMerrow(2011).Theextent
towhichtheyformaparadigmformegaprojectresearchisanothermatter.Two
mattersneedtoberesolvedbeforeproceedingfurther.First,whatconstitutesa
megaproject?Second,whatconstitutesaclassic?
Whatconstitutesamegaproject?
Researchintothemanagementofmegaprojectshasemergedonlyrelativelyrecently
asadistinctareaofstudy.Itdrawsonresearchintoprojectmanagementandcan
generallybeconsideredasub-setof,orspecialisationwithin,thebroaderfieldof
projectmanagement.Overall,theresearchpaintsadirepictureofthefieldof
practiceintermsofitsgoalachievement.Boatengetal.(2015)citethetendencyfor
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grossestimationerrors;Daviesetal.(2014)chartalitanyoffailurestoreach
specifications;Ewejeetal.(2012)notethedisproportionatelynegativeimpactof
megaprojectsoncorporatesurvival.TheproportionofglobalGDPspenton
megaprojects(Flyvbjerg,2014)certainlyjustifiesanincreasedfocusonthistopic,
especiallyinlightofthehistoryofflawedgoalattainment.
Someanalysts,suchasFlyvbjerg(2014),stressthatmegaprojectsshouldbedefined
quantitatively,intermsoftheircost:
“Megaprojectsarelarge-scale,complexventuresthattypicallycostabillion
dollarsormore,takemanyyearstodevelopandbuild,involvemultiplepublic
andprivatestakeholders,aretransformational,andimpactmillionsof
people.”(Flyvbjerg2014,p.6)
Wedemur,consideringthattherealmarkofamegaprojectistheorganizational
complexity,ambiguity,ambition,politicalityandriskthatareentailed(cf.Baccarini,
1996;Bakhshietal,2016).Notallexpensiveprojectsneedbecomplex,ambiguous,
ambitious,politicalandrisky;somewhatsmaller,butstillcostly,projectsmightwell
beallofthese.
Whatconstitutesaclassic?
Alexander(1989,p.9)describesclassicsas"earlierworksofhumanexploration
whicharegivenaprivilegedstatusvis-a-viscontemporaryexplorationsinthesame
field".Whilethisisonepossibleanswertothequestionofwhatconstitutesaclassic
thereareotherconsiderations.Multiplecategoriesandcriteriaexistthatdetermine
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aclassic.SöderlundandGeraldi(2012),forinstance,categoriseclassicsintofour
types,eachusingadifferentcriteriatodeterminewhetheratextisaclassic.Thefirst
typeiscalled‘obviousclassics’,atypeofclassicdeterminedbyitsprominenceand
acceptanceinthefield,signifiedthroughthenumberofcitationsreceived.Other
publicationsbecomeclassicsduetotheinfluenceandimpacttheyhavehadonthe
field,intermsofshapingitscurrentstate.Thissecondtypeofclassicstheycall
‘latentclassics’.ThethirdtypeiswhatSöderlundandGeraldi(2012)label‘potential
classics’,worksofscholarshipsthatpresentinnovativeideasandsolutionsignored
byscholarsatthetimeoftheirpublication.Thefourthtypeisthecategoryof
‘unintendedclassics’,worksneverintendedtocontributetoaparticularfieldtothe
extentthattheydid.AnexampleforthiscouldbeHenryGantt’sworkandthe
contributionthatitmadetothefieldofgeneralprojectmanagement(Söderlundand
Geraldi,2012).Whileweagreewiththesecategories,wearguethataclassicmust
meetacombinationofalltheabove-mentionedcategoriesandcriteria–ratherthan
justone.
AsSöderlundandGeraldi(2012)rightlyargue,theprocessofdeterminingaclassicis
nota“scientificexercise”(2012,p.568).Kuhn(2012)proposedfourcriteriafor
constitutingsomethingasaclassicalwork.First,onecharacteristicofaclassicisthe
noveltyoftheideawhichitconveys.Second,aclassicmustbecommunicated
effectivelysothatitcanreachabroaderaudience.Third,classicsmustbemeasured
bythewidespreadawarenessoftheworkamongstrelevantscholarsinthefield.
Fourth,disseminationofresearchinthemassmediaisaneffectivetechniqueto
measuretheimpactofclassics.Drawingonanother,perhapsunlikely,startingpoint
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forassessingaclassicinmegaprojectsandfordevelopingspecificcriteriaforthe
exercise,istheliterarywriterCalvino(2000),whooffersapostmodernliterary
perspectiveonwhatconstitutesaclassic,providingfourteencriteria.Hisdefinitions
aretailoredtowardsunderstandingthevalueofgreatworksinliterature,focusing
ontheroleofclassicsasformativepointsinasocietyorculturebutalsoconsider
theirpersonalimpactandthewaythattheyshapeperspectivesontheworld.1
Calvino’scriteriacanbecustomisedforanenquiryintoacademicclassics,focusing
lessontheimpactonanindividual,andmoreontheobjectiveinfluenceofthework
ontheformationofafield.Hence,thispapercombinesCalvino’s(2000)workwith
Kuhn(2012)andelementsofSöderlundandGeraldi(2012),toestablishfourcriteria
thatwereusedinourassessmentofwhetheraworkisaclassicinitsacademicfield.
Thefirst,andsimplest,criterionrelatestotheinfluenceofthework,orwhatKuhn
(2012)termsaspreadofawareness.Aclassicisaworkaboutwhichmuchisspoken;
“…aworkwhichconstantlygeneratesapulviscularcloudofcriticaldiscoursearound
it…”(Calvino,2000,p.6).Whetheritisinpraiseorcondemnation,aclassicmust
makeanimpact,andthesimplestwaytounderstandthisinanacademiccontextis
thenumberoftimesaworkhasbeencited.
Thesecondcriterionrelatestothepersistentvalueoftheworkintermsofitsimpact
onpublicdiscourse,asKuhn(2012)contends.Anacademicclassicshouldbeawork
thatisnotonlyofaparticulartimebutwhoserelevanceasapointofreference
1Calvinotalksofclassicswithasenseofromanticwonder.ToCalvino,“…theclassicshelpusunderstandwhoweareandthepointwehavereached…”(2000,p.9).Classificationofaworkofliteratureasaclassiccanbeaveryinterpretiveprocessandalthoughheprovidescriteria,Calvinoacknowledgesthat“…whatdistinguishesaclassicisperhapsonlyakindofresonanceweperceiveemanatingeitherfromanancientormodernwork,butonewhichhasitsownplaceinaculturalcontinuum”(p.7).
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persiststhroughtime.Inanacademiccontextthiscouldbejudgedthrough
referencetothelong-termcitationrateofthework,acriterionparticularlyrelevant
toolderworks.Ifanolderworkcontinuestobecited,despiteitsageandthe
changingwhimofthetimes,itclearlyhashadalastingimpactuponthefield.The
long-termsignificanceofrecentlypublishedworkswould,ofcourse,beimpossible
tojudge.
Thethirdcriteriaweconsiderinthispaperrelatestothewayinwhichclassicsserve
toshapeadiscipline.Calvinodescribesclassicsas“…thosebookswhichcometous
bearingtheauraofpreviousinterpretations,andtrailingbehindthemthetracesthey
haveleftintheculture…”(2000,p.5).Aclassichasaformativemorphological
functioninadiscipline.Influentialtextsprovideunitytootherwisedisparate
elements,providingacommonfocus,conceptsorlanguagetoadiscipline,framing
thecontextwithinwhichfuturedevelopmentscanbebuilt.Classicsdefinethe
discoursebyenunciatingsignificantaspectsofthedisciplinethathavehereto
remainedunexpressed.Kuhn(2012,p.10)talksofclassicsasbeing“…sufficiently
unprecedentedtoattractanenduringgroupofadherentsawayfromcompeting
modesofscientificactivity.”Heemphasisesthreefactorshere:thenewnessofthe
thoughtsexpressed,theirattractivenessandincompatibilitywithaspectsofprevious
waysofthinking.
Thethirdcriterionisboththemostdifficulttoassessandthemostessential.There
aremanyworksofpopularfictionthathavesoldconsiderablymorethanJoyce’s
(1986)Ulyssesbutthatareunlikelyevertobeconsideredclassics.Ulyssesheraldeda
wholenewapproachtoliteraryfiction,butmayneverselllikeStephenKing.To
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shapeadiscipline,aclassicmustservetoredefinehowthefieldisseen.Itmustsay
somethingsubstantiallydifferenttothenorm;inKuhn’s(2012)termstheirmustbe
noveltyinitsideas.
Thefourthandfinalcriterionthatwillbeusedasapointofcomparisoninthispaper
relatestothepersonalimpactthattheworkhasonthereader.Aclassicisaworkof
asignificantdepth,onethatoffersnewinsight,changingthereader’sperspective.A
classicisabookforallseasons,itissomethingthatonereturnstoagainandagain,in
Kuhn’s(2012)terms,asanexemplarytextthataidsone’sunderstandingofthe
world,Calvinoconcurs:“Aclassicisabookwhichwitheachrereadingoffersasmuch
ofasenseofdiscoveryasthefirstreading”and“…abookwhichhasneverexhausted
allithastosaytoitsreaders”(Calvino,2000,p.5).Whetherthisisthrough
expressionoftheacceptedknowledgeinafieldinwaythatprovidesrevitalisationor
integrationofestablishedconceptsorthroughfundamentallyreshapingadiscipline,
aclassicplaysaroleinframingthereader’sworld-view.Calvino(2000,p.7)
expressesthepersonalinteractionbetweentheworkandthereaderwhenhe
comments:“’Your’classicisabooktowhichyoucannotremainindifferent,and
whichhelpsyoudefineyourselfinrelationorevenoppositiontoit.”Asacriterionthis
onenecessarilyinvolvesasignificantsubjectiveassessment;italsoimpliesthatan
understandingofthedepthofaworkcanonlybeestablishedthroughaclose
readingofthetext.
LetusnowputthesecriteriatothetestusinganobviousPMcandidate.Isthe
PMBOKGuide(PMI,2013)aclassicoftheprojectmanagementliterature?The
PMBOKGuideinitsfivereincarnationswouldcertainlypassthefirsttwocriteria,
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bothintermsoftherawnumberoftimesithasbeencited,aswellasthelongevity
ofitsrateofcitation.However,theauthorsarenotconvincedthatthePMBOKGuide
iswritteninawaythatshowsthedepthofexpressioninwhichonewouldfindnew
levelsofinsightuponasecondreading.Ithasnotbecomepartoftheauthors’
fundamentalworldvieworpartofthewayinwhichwebothseeourselvesand
interprettheworldaroundus.Rather,itplaystheroleofaninfluentialnormative
text,onethatsummarisesbase-levelexistingknowledgeinthefield,ratherthan
transformingit.Onthisbasis,thePMBOKGuidecouldnotbecalledaclassicofthe
projectmanagementliterature.
Whatconstitutesaclassicworkonmegaprojects?
Inthispaperwedonotofferasystematicsamplingmethodbutapersonalselection
ofclassicworksthatseemsrelevanttothisspecialissue,inlinewithwhatKilduffand
Dougherty(2000)didpreviouslyforasimilaranalysis.Inthecaseofworkson
megaprojects,onecouldaskwhethertheworksayssomethingsignificantabout
megaprojectsthatissubstantiallydifferenttothebroaderliteratureonproject
management?Doesitservetoconsolidateresearchintomegaprojectmanagement
intoadistinctareaofresearch?Doesitprovideaunifyingforce,whetherthrough
attractionoropposition,thatbringsthefieldtogether,andestablishesabaseupon
whichothersbuild?
Wewillreviewthethreemegaprojectworksoutlinedaboveforthefollowing
reasons:First,wedecidedtofocusonscholarlybooksasbookscanbeclassifiedas
moreofamassmediumthanjournalarticles,oneofthecriteriaKuhn(2012)puts
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forward.Inotherwords,bookshaveahigherpotentialtodisseminatemegaproject
knowledgetoagreateraudience.Thechosenbooksfurtherprovidearepresentative
perspectivefromdifferenterasanddecades.Eachofthosedecadesfocusedon
differentaspectsofmegaprojectmanagementandthedifferenceshelpus
determinewhethertheircontributionwasground-breaking,innovativeor
revolutionaryatthetime,whichhelpsustocoverKuhn’s(2012)criteriaofnovelty.
Intheremainderofthispaper,wewilladdresstheoverarchingquestionsofwhether
thereareclassicsinthemegaprojectmanagementliterature,usingthefourcriteria
gleanedfromKuhn(2012),SöderlundandGeraldi(2012)andCalvino(2000).
Book1:TheAnatomyofMajorProjects,byMorrisandHough
MorrisandHough’s(1987)influentialworkTheAnatomyofmajorprojectspresents
theresultsofresearchintoaseriesofmajorprojects,mainlyintheUK,includingthe
ChannelTunnel;Concorde;theAdvancedPassengerTrain;theThamesBarrier;the
Heysham2NuclearPowerStation;theFulmarNorthSeaOilField;the
computerizationofPAYE,andProjectGiotto.Intermsofnominalvaluetheprojects
studiedinthisbookfallsubstantiallyshortofthe$1billionbenchmarkoftenusedas
acriterionforcategorizationasamegaproject(e.g.Flyvbjerg,2014).However,most
oftheprojectsandthedegreetowhichtheprojectsweresubjecttobroader
politicalinfluencesuggestthatthese‘majorprojects’areindeedwhatonewould
nowtermmegaprojects.
Thebookfocusesonthepracticalitiesofimplementation,stylingitselfasa“studyof
therealityofprojectmanagement”inthesurtitle.Theauthorsidentifythatthework
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answersspecificdeficienciesintheprojectmanagementliterature:“…project
analysishasoftentendedtogivetoolittleattentiontothemanagementand
implementationaspectsofprojects…andhasdwelttooexclusivelyontheeconomic
andfinancialaspects”(p.7).Thebookcanbeconsideredaprecursortothemore
recentstreamofresearchfocusingonthe‘actuality’ofprojectmanagement,
startingwithworksbyCicmiletal(2006),Winteretal(2006)andBerggren&
Söderlund(2008).
Criteria1&2:overallimpactoftheworkandimpactovertime:Theworkhasbeen
cited941times,accordingtoGoogleScholar(19/2/16),whichisaquiterespectable
numberofcitations.Reviewofthecitationrateforthework(Figure1)demonstrates
thelongevityofthework.Itisclearthatthisworkisnotonlyaninfluentialtextbut
alsoonethatreaderscontinuetofindrelevant.Onemightdrawtheconclusionthat
theworkisactuallybecomingmorerelevantovertime,perhapspeakingin2011,
andthattheworkwasaheadofitstime.However,thecitationratesneedtobe
understoodinthecontextofthebroaderfield.Previousresearch(Pollack&Alder,
2015)hasshownthatthecitationandpublicationratesforprojectmanagement
relatedpublicationshasbeengrowingandcanbegraphedwithasimilarcurve:all
shipssailhigheronarisingtideirrespectiveoftheircontent.Nonetheless,itissafe
tosaythattheworkcontinuestobeseenasrelevanttoawideaudience.Thiswork
comfortablypassesthefirstandsecondcriteria.
Figure1here
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Criterion3:Formationofadistinctdiscipline:Itislesseasytoassesstheinfluence
thatthisworkhashadinshapingthediscipline.Reviewingthepublicationsource
(e.g.journal,conferenceorbooktitle)ofthe67publicationsthatcitedthisworkin
2015showsthatapproximately28%ofthesepublicationsweregenerallypublished
insourcesdirectlyrelatedtoprojectmanagement.Approximately14%were
publishedinsourcesrelatedtogeneralaspectsofmanagement,27%werein
engineeringortechnologyrelatedpublications,while32%werewhitepapers,
unpublished,orwerenotlistedinsuchawaythatallowedthepublicationtobe
identified.Overall,thedatasuggeststheworkhashadabroadinfluenceandthatits
relevanceisnotlimitedtoprojectmanagementspecificpublications.However,only
9%ofthepublicationscitingMorrisandHough(1987)in2015mentioned
‘megaprojects’or‘megaprojects’inthefulltextofthepublication.Mostly,thework
isbeingreferredtoincontextsnotexplicitlyrelatedtomegaprojects.Thequestionis
canitbeaclassicofmegaprojectmanagementresearchifitisprimarilyreferenced
inareasthatdonottouchonthearea?Foraworktoplayaformativeanddefining
roleintheestablishmentofadiscipline,onewouldexpectthatasubstantial
proportionofworksinthefieldwouldcitethework.Inaddition,aGoogleScholar
search(19February2016)for‘megaproject’returns1520publicationssince2015.
MorrisandHough(1987)donotappeartobecitedbymanyoftheseworks.
Aclosereadingoftheworkalsoprovidesafurtherunderstandingofthewaysthatit
hascontributedtothefield.Theauthorsidentifiedawidevarietyoffactorsthat
affectedtheperformanceofthemajorprojectstheystudied,includingleadership
challenges,diffusesponsorship,governmentinfluenceoverindustry,contextual
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change,successmeasurementoverthelongerterm,estimationissues,production
beforespecificationsarecompleteandgovernmentassumptionofrisk.Inmany
casesitisdifficulttodifferentiatebetweenhowthesefactorsaffectmajorprojectsin
awaythatissubstantiallydifferentfromsmallerprojects.Forexample,theyidentify
thatmajorprojects“…requireanexceptionallevelofmanagement”(p.14),whichis
generallytakentobeleadership.Leadershipisalsoanareaofsignificantresearchin
thegeneralprojectmanagementliterature(e.g.Lloyd-Walker&Walker,2011;
Tyssenetal,2014)aswellasamajorsubfieldofcontemporarymanagementand
organizationstudies.ItwouldbeaccuratetosaythatwhileMorrisandHough(1987)
identifythatmajorprojectsseverelychallengetheleadershipqualitiesofthosewho
undertakethem(p.241)theydonotexploreindetailthewaysinwhichleadership
challengesarequalitativelydifferent,orwhetherthedifferenceissolelyamatterof
degree.Nordotheymakeanysignificantimpactonleadershipresearch,asfew
leadershipstudiesacknowledgetheirwork.
MorrisandHough(1987)identifysponsorshipasanissueinmajorprojects,noting
thattheseprojectsareoftensponsoredbyaggregateorganisations(p.15).Theygive
theexampleoftheConcorde,whichwassponsoredbysixorganisations,“…withno
oneauthorityinabsolutecontrol”(p.51).Theimpactofalackofauthoritativeclarity
insponsorshiphasalsobeenidentifiedinthegeneralprojectmanagementliterature
(e.g.Bryde,2008;Pinto&Patanakul,2015).Itremainsunclearwhethersponsorship,
aswithleadershipissuesonmajorprojects,isafundamentallydifferent
phenomenoninmegaprojectstotheissuesencounteredonsmallerprojects.
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Theinfluenceofgovernment,particularlyintermsofastrategicinterestin
developingindustryalsoemergesasarecurringtheme,particularlyintheConcorde
development,ICL’sinvolvementinthePAYEcomputerizationandtheHeysham2
reactor.TheConcordeprojectwasinitiatedatacross-nationalAnglo-French
governmentlevelasawayofpropellingtheEuropeanaeronauticindustrytothe
nexttechnologicallevel.“Itseemsthatthey[theFrenchGovernment]neverhadany
doubtthattheprojectwasnotcommerciallyviable,butregardeditasthevehicle
wherebytheirindustrycouldberesuscitated”(p.45).ThePAYEcomputerization
projectwassignificantlyre-scopedbeforecontractswerelet,toensurethatICL
couldsecurethecontract.ICL,theUK’slargestcomputercompany,hadbeen
sufferingpoorreturnssuchthatitwaspoliticallyexpedientforgovernmenttothrow
itasignificantcontractualbone;hence,thecontractwasawardedtoICLforpolitical
reasons(p.176),andhelpedtoensurethecompany’songoingviability,atleastfora
while.ForHeysham2,the‘ThermalReactorStrategy’adoptedbytheUK
Governmentdeterminedthetechnologiesthatcouldbeusedandthedirectionof
theproject(p.115).Itisunlikelythatgovernmentwillgetinvolvedinthedirect
operationofsmallerprojects(exceptwhereitistheclient);nonetheless,
governmentstrategycanhaveaninfluenceonsmallerprojects(e.g.Lowetal,2015;
Pollacketal2013).
Inacontextwheretheinfluenceofgovernmentinmajorprojectsappearsmore
pronounced,manyfactorsassociatedwithgovernment’srolealsobeenidentifiedon
asmallerscalebyauthorsresearchingsmallerprojects.Forinstance,government
involvementinstrategicpartneringandprocurement(Beachetal,2005)hasbeen
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identifiedingeneralprojectmanagementasawayofprovidinglong-termbenefits
toorganisations.Companiesmayenterintopartnershipsasawayofsecuringtheir
holdonasectoroftheprojectmarketortodevelopnewcapabilities.Other
companiesmightunderbidongovernmentcontracts(Manuetal,2015)asawayof
maintainingamarketpresencewhenstrugglingfinanciallyorasawayofenteringa
newmarket.
Theinfluenceofthecontextofmajorprojectsandoffactorsoutsidethestandard
remitofprojectmanagementalsostandsoutinMorrisandHough’s(1987)work.
Thecontextinwhichworkisdonehasalsobeenshowntohaveasignificantimpact
onworkatboththeproject(Klimkeit,2013)andprogramme(Pellegrinelli,2002)
level.Itispossiblethatthisismorepronouncedinmajorprojects,duetotheirlong
duration(Morris&Hough,1987,227).MorrisandHoughidentifythataconsiderable
percentageofthecostincreasesontheChannelTunnelcouldbeputdownto
inflationandexchangeratemovements(p.31),whileingeneral“…thecausesofthis
poorperformancearegenerallytobefoundinareaswhichhavetraditionallynot
beentheconcernofprojectmanagement…escalation,governmentorclientinduced
changes,increasedorderquantities,increasedsafetyrequirements,interestcharges,
landacquisitionchargesandsoon.”(p.12).Unanticipatedchangesincontextual
constraintscanbeparticularlyproblematicandthelongertheproject,themore
likelyitistoexperiencesignificantchangesincontextasunexpectedeventshappen,
afactorthatappearstobecontingentmoreontheprojectdurationthanthesizeof
theproject.
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MorrisandHough(1987)foundthatinmanycasestherewaspressuretoprogress
theprojectbeforeearlierstageswerecomplete.IntheThamesBarrierproject,the
designwasstartedbeforemanyrequirementshadbeenfinalised,resultingindelays
inproduction(p.83).Heysham2alsoexperiencedasituationwheredevelopment
workwasundertakenduringdesignandconstruction,ascompleteexplorationof
designchangeshadnotbeenconsidered(p.110).Theyidentifiedoverlappingdesign
andproductionasacauseofgreatconcerninmajorprojects(pp.216-7).Thesize,
technicaluncertaintyandcomplexityofmajorprojectsmakeitparticularlydifficult
toclearlyidentifygoalsandobjectives(p.211).Examinationoftheliterature
suggeststhattheseissuesarenotlimitedtomajorprojects,withissuesof
overlappingdesignandconstructionactivitiesidentifiedintheconstructionindustry
(Hossain&Chua,2014),whileissueswithuncleargoalsandobjectivesarefoundto
becommoninorganisationalchange(Costelloetal,2002)andITprojects(Müller,
2003).
MorrisandHough(1987),focusingonIssuesintheestimationofmajorprojects,
suggestthatperhaps“thebiggestsingleimpactofgovernmentonmajorprojects,
andthecauseofthegreatestregrets,hasbeenthemakingofcommitmentswithout
aproperinvestigationoftheconsequences.”(p.225).Forexample,theConcorde
projectsufferedfromambiguousspecifications,withnoclearscheduleorbudget
againstwhichfuturegrowthcouldbemeasured(p.213).TheConcordetesting
programwassignificantlybeyondthescaleofanypreviousaircrafttesting,
significantlycontributingtooverspendingontheproject(p.47).Inaddition,
estimatesdidnotanticipatethelowuptakeoftheaircraft.Itwasarelativelylow
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volumeandexpensivenichecarrieratatimethatlessinnovative,sub-sonicplanes,
suchastheBoeing7serieswerecreatingmassmarkets.Thisresultedina
commerciallyunacceptableproduct(p.57).
Measuringsuccessisnotoriouslydifficulttoevaluateinmajorprojects.Morrisand
Hough(1987)foundthatoverrunswerenotalwaysthebestmeasureofthesuccess
ofaproject,asprojectsmightstillbeprofitabledespitedelaysoroverrunsdueto
changesinmarketconditions(p.13).Theyalsofoundthatsuccesscouldnotbe
evaluatedathandover.Fromtheowner’sperspective,successmaynotbe
assessableuntilafterthepaybackperiodorsubsequenttoaninternalrateofreturn
beingassessed(p.194).However,thesefactorsarenotuniquetomajorprojects,
withpoorestimationandunderestimationidentifiedinsmallerprojects(Longetal,
2004),althoughresearchdoessuggestthat,astheactualsizeofprojectsincreases,
thesizeofcostoverrunsalsotendstoincrease(Jørgensenetal,2012).Turnerand
Zolin(2012)discussthegeneralneedinprojectsforsuccessassessmentatthepoint
whentheimpactofprojectdeliverablesbecomesclear.Thesuccessofallprojects
canbemostaccuratelyassessedwhenitisclearwhethertheprojecthascontributed
toorganizationalobjectives.TheclassiccaseistheSydneyOperaHouse:overa
thousandpercentoverbudget,andfiveyearslateindelivery.AsFlyvbjerg(2014)
notes,themajorpoliticalwranglesintheprojectdestroyedthearchitectUtzon’s
career,potentiallydeprivingtheworldofothercomparableworks.However,viewed
fromtheperspectiveoftheimpactonAustralia,itisoneofthemostsuccessful
constructionsofthetwentiethcentury.
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MorrisandHough(1987)foundthatinsomecasesgovernmentultimatelyassumes
thefinancialrisksassociatedwithprojects,supportingcontractorsthrough
otherwiseuntenablesituations.Forexample,intheHeysham2development,itwas
acceptedthatthegovernmentultimatelyacceptedtheriskoftheproject’ssuccess,
asthedeveloperwastoosmalltobeabletoguaranteethestation’sperformance(p.
117).InthePAYEcomputerization,thegovernmentprovideda£200millionloan
guaranteetobailoutICL,allowingtheprojecttoprogress,albeitwithadifferent
managementstructure(p.163).Governmentsupportforcontractors,orassuming
whatwouldotherwisebeconsideredacontractor’sriskinaproject,appearstobe
oneoftheonlyfactorsidentifiedinthisstudythatisparticulartomajorprojects.
ThemajorityoffactorsidentifiedbyMorrisandHougharealsoapplicabletosmaller
projects.Thisisacknowledgedbytheauthors,whocomment“…mostofthefindings
arealsorelevanttothemanagementofprojectsingeneral”(p.211).Thereis
nothinginthisworktosuggestthatthepurposewastoidentifyfactorsthat
distinguishedmajorprojectsfromsmallerprojects.Thepurposeappearstobeto
learnabouttheprocessofprojectwork,usingmajorprojectsasthefocusof
analysis.Inthis,theworkmaybeverysuccessful.However,itisalsonotsurprising
thatmanyofthefindingsareapplicabletoprojectsingeneral.Thisgeneralrelevance
speakstoourearlierobservationthatwhiletheworkiscitedquitewidely,itisoften
inreferencesthatdonotmakeexplicitreferencetothemanagementof
megaprojects.
Theverdictonthiscriterionisnotpositive.Withrespecttothethirdcriteria,itis
unclearwhetherthisworkhashadastronginfluenceintheformationof
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megaprojectmanagementresearchasadistinctareaofenquiry.Althoughitmakes
manyinterestingobservationsaboutthemanagementofmajorprojects,asmostof
theseobservationsarealsoapplicabletosmallerprojects,itisunlikelythatthework
hasplayedastrongroleinthedevelopmentofanidentifyformegaprojectresearch
thatisdistinctfromgeneralresearchintoprojectmanagement.
Criterion4:Personalimpact,depthandinsight:Considerationofwhetheraworkisa
classicrelatesasmuchtotheeleganceofthewritingasthepertinenceofthe
findings.MorrisandHough’sworkfocusesonafactualanddescriptiveretellingof
theeventsthatoccurredintheprojectsconsidered.Itisunclearwhetheritisthe
kindofworkthatwouldprovidefreshinsightifreadagainadecadelater;theclarity
ofproseinMorrisandHough’sworkensuresthatitsfullmeaningisapparentatfirst
reading.Inotherwords,thetextdoesnotdisplaydeepandengagingcomplexity–it
makesitspointsclearlyandconcisely.
Thesignificanceofanyresearchworkneedstobeseeninthecontextof
contemporaryresearch.AtthetimeofMorrisandHough’s(1987)publication,very
littleresearchhadbeenconductedintothepracticalaspectsofproject
management.Researchtendedtofocusonabstractedprocess,withlittledirect
enquiryintothespecificactionsandcontextthatshapedaprojectandledtoone
outcomeinsteadofanother.Inthiscontext,MorrisandHough’s(1987)workwas
innovative,bringinggreateremphasistobearonthelivedexperienceofprojectsas
opposedtoidealisednorms.Inthisrespecttheirworkhasplayedasignificantrolein
shapingprojectmanagementmoregenerally.Withrespecttowhethertheirwork
containsdeepinsightintothemanagementofmegaprojectsorcreatesasynthesis
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thatcarriesinnovationintothefield,theanswerisqualified.Theirworkcanbe
describedasofferingfindingsofinterestandrelevancebothtoprojectmanagement
andmegaprojectmanagementbut,accordingtothesecriteria,itshouldnotbe
consideredaclassicofmegaprojectmanagementresearch.
Book2:IndustrialMegaprojects:Concepts,StrategiesandPracticesforSuccessby
EdwardW.Merrow
Merrow’s(2011)IndustrialMegaprojectswillbereviewedinthissection,and
evaluatedagainstthecriteriatounderstandwhetheritcanbeconsideredaclassicof
megaprojectresearch.Theworkplacesemphasisonmakingbusinessdecisionsand
makingtherightprojectdecisionsbeforecommittingtoamegaproject.Thissuggests
thattheworkiswrittenwiththeprojectownerinmind,ratherthananacademic
audience.Implementationissuesreceivelessemphasisinthebook,beingtreated
onlyinthelatterchaptersofthebook.
MerrowacknowledgesthecontributionmadebyMillerandLessard(2000)tothe
megaprojectfield.Theseauthorsdealtwiththesettlementorshapingofprojects
anddecision-making,towhichalmostthreechaptersoftheirbookaredevoted.In
comparinghisworkwithMorrisandHough(1987),Merrowconcurswiththeir
disappointmentconcerningthepoorsuccessrateoflargeprojects.Merrowalso
acknowledgestheworkbyFlyvbjergetal(2003)asamajorcontributiontothe
megaprojectliterature.Hestatesthathesharessomeoftheconclusionsreachedin
Flyvbjergetal(2003)butexplainsdifferencesbetweenthetwobooksfociintermsof
Flyvbjergetal(2003)focusingonlargepublicsectorfundedinfrastructureprojects
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(p.20)whereasMerrow’sfocusisonprivatesectormegaprojects.Hefurther
explainsthatwhileprojectsinthetwosectorssharesomecommonpathologies,
publicsector(anddefence)projectsare‘frequentlybesetbyaphenomenonknown
as“buy-inandhook”inwhichlowcostsarepromisedearly,knowingfullwellthat
eventualcostswillbemuchhigher.Althoughthisdeceptionisnotunknownin
privatesectorventures,itisnotverycommon,simplybecausethereisusuallyno
taxpayeravailabletofootthebilllater’(p.20).
Merrow(2011)accessesadatabaseofmorethan318projects,predominantlyinthe
areasofOil&GasProduction,PetroleumProcessingandRefining,Mineralsand
Metals,Chemical,LNG,PowerGenerationandPipelines.Whileitisnotclear
whetherthedatasupportingthisworkhasbeensubjectedtoindependentand
scholarlypeerreview,Merrowgoesintoconsiderabledetailaboutthedata
collectionandanalysismethods,givingthereaderreasonableconfidenceinthe
validityofthefindings.Theworkfillsagapintheliterature,complementing
Flyvbjergetal’s(2003)focusonpublicsectorfundedmegaprojects.
Criterion1&2:Overallimpactoftheworkandimpactovertime:Atthetimeof
writing,thebookhadbeencitedover90times,since2011(Figure4).Fromthe
citationrateitisobviousthattheresearchcommunityhasbeguntotakenoticeof
Merrow(2011).Thenumberofcitationshasconsistentlyincreasedsinceits
publicationin2011.Theprimarysourceofcitationsareprojectmanagement
journals.Otherjournalsrelatedtoplanninganddefencehavealsobegunto
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acknowledgethework.Itisalsoimportanttonotethatprominentproject
managementresearchreferencesthiswork(e.g.Mancinietal,2015;Brookes&
Locatelli,2015;Brookesetal,2015;Atkinson,2015;Mišić&Radujković,2015;
Flyvbjerg,2014).Theoveralltrendofcitationsandtherecognitionbeingawardedto
thisworkinprojectmanagementjournalsaswellasbyprojectmanagement
researcherssuggestitsimpactwillriseovertime.
Figure2here
Criterion3:Formationofadistinctdiscipline:Acloserreadingofthebookprovideda
betterunderstandingofhowithascontributedtothediscussionofmegaprojects.
Thebookstartsbyintroducingsevencriticalmistakesthatcancauseproblemsin
megaprojectsrelatedtostrategy,moneyandpeople.Mostofthesepointscanalso
befoundinthegeneralprojectmanagementliterature,suchasschedulepressure,
adequatedecisionmaking,upfrontplanningandshaping,relationshipbetween
constraintsandappropriateriskallocation.Theseissuesarenotmegaproject
specific.Somepointsofmorespecificinterestincludeallocationofaproject’s
potentialvaluetoprovideastablefoundationforitsexecution,adiscussionthat
goesfurtherthantheliteratureonvaluemanagement(e.g.Thiry1997).Another
importantpointsuggeststhatprojectcommissionersshouldavoidmakingthe
projectmanagerascapegoatforfailure;manythingscangowrongandtheproject
managementcannotbeheldaccountableformanyofthese.
ThetwomostvaluableaspectsinMerrow(2011)aretheviewsonshapingstrategy,
andtheimportanceplacedonteamsinmegaprojects.Shapinghadearlierbeendealt
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withextensivelyinMiller&Lessard’s(2000)workonlargeengineeringprojects.
Merrow’s(2011)innovationwasthediscussionofacountryadvanceteamdoinga
reconnaissanceoftheenvironmentinwhichmegaprojectswillbecarriedout,
consideringtheprevioushistoryofprojectsinthearea,payingattentiontolocal
content,takingintoconsiderationreligiousandculturalcontextandevaluatinglocal
labouravailability.Theseaspectsarelikelytobefoundintheliteratureon
developmentprojectsbutemphasisingtheirimportanceisofconsiderablevalueto
themegaprojectfield(vanMarrewijk,2015).
Considerableattentionisalsodevotedtoteams,withthepointofdifferencefrom
theprojectmanagementliteraturebeingtheemphasison‘ownerteams’.Whilethe
projectmanagementliteraturehasstartedemphasisingtheroleoftheproject
ownerorsponsor(Bryde2008;Andersen2012)theroleofthewholeteamisrarely
discussed.Theroleoftheteambecomesespeciallyimportantinmegaprojectsdue
tothecomplexitiesinvolved,requiringmultipleexpertstomakestrategicdecisions
atthefrontend,notnecessarilyineasydecisionalignmentwitheachother.
Proposedalternativeorganizationalmodelsforteams,suchasthehubandspaceor
organicmodels,mightbeusefulinstructuringthemultipletypesofteamsinvolved
inmegaprojects.
Intermsofmegaprojectclassicsthebook’sprimaryaudiencewouldseemtobe
ownersorsponsorsofmegaprojectwhilecoveringdetailsotheraudiencesmight
appreciateaswell.Itisverymuchapractitioners’text–thereislittleinthewayof
theoreticalorempiricalinnovationinthetext,despiteitbeingwelldocumented.
Whileshapingisanimportantfeatureofthebookitisnotabreakthroughtopic:
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previousauthorswroteaboutshaping(Miller&Lessard2000,Williams&Samset
2000andEdkins,Geraldi,Morris&Smith2013).Contracting,governance,riskand
successhadalsobeendiscussedpreviouslyinprojectmanagementliterature.The
workoncomplexprojectsintheseareasisalsoapplicabletomegaprojects(Pryke&
Smyth2006;Zheng,Roehrich,&Lewis,2008andThamhain2013).
Criterion4:Personalimpact,depthandinsight:Itistoosoontoevaluatetheimpact,
depthandinsightofthebook,as,atthetimeofwriting,ithadonlyrecentlybeen
published.Itissafetoassumethatitsimpacthasnotyetreacheditspeakandthat
thebook’sreceptionwilldevelopfurther.Ifonewantedtocoverthefieldof
megaprojectscomprehensivelybyconsideringboththepublicandprivatesectors
onewouldfinditnecessarytoconsiderthistext.Oneoftheimportantfeaturesof
thebookisitsrelianceondataandtheguidanceprovidedforevaluatingfailure
basedonevidence.Anotherimportantaspecthighlightstheimpactofsafety,which
isusuallyonlydiscussedintheconstructionmanagementliterature.Safetybecomes
extremelyimportantinthemegaprojectsector,especiallywherehazardous
materialsarepresent,afocusofmanyofthecasesinthebook.Theworkisan
interestingcomplementtootherresearchinthefield,butaccordingtothecriteria
establishedinthispaper,couldnotyetbeconsideredaclassicinthefield.
Book3:MegaprojectandRisk:AnAnatomyofAmbition,byFlyvbjerg,Bruzelius
andRothengatter
ThissectionreviewsFlyvbjergetal’s(2003)bookMegaprojectandRisk:AnAnatomy
ofAmbition.Theworkprovidesadetailedexaminationofthephenomenonof
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megaprojectsandtheirunderlyingproblemsseenfromtheperspectiveofrisk
management.Thebookusesthreecasestudiesofrecentlycompletedroadandrail
crossingsinEurope:theEurotunnelconnectingEnglandandFrance,theØresund
LinkconnectingSwedenandDenmarkandtheGreatBeltLinkconnectingDenmark
withcontinentalEurope.Thebookshowsthatconventionalpracticesofmegaproject
managementdonottakeintoaccounttheuniquechallengesthatattendtheir
planning,design,constructionandoperation.Afourthcasestudy,acrossingproject
betweenDenmarkandGermany,thatisstillintheplanningstages,isusedto
demonstratehowsolutionsproposedbytheauthorscanhelptoincreasethe
successrateofmegaprojects.Inaddition,Flyvbjergetal’s(2003)workusesdata
fromotherlargeinfrastructureprojectsintheUnitedStates,Europeandelsewhere
tosupporttheirargument.
Inattentiontoriskorpoorriskmanagementingeneral,itisargued,incombination
withalackofaccountability,createsatoxicenvironmentof“appraisaloptimism”
thatleadstoinaccurateestimateswhilepoorimplementationofprojectsleadsto
highfailureratesandlargecostoverruns(Flyvbjergetal,2003,p.73).Thesearethe
mainproblemswithwhichtheauthorsdealaninresponsetowhichtheyoffer
multiplestrategies.First,theyarguethatriskmanagement,especiallyaccountability,
shouldbeamoreprominentaspectofthedecision-makingandgovernance
processesinmegaprojects.Second,megaprojectsrequirebetterinstitutional
arrangementsinwhicheitherthedecision-makerscarrytherisksofthedecisions
madeortherisktakersmakeimportantdecisions.Bothscenarioswouldcreate
incentivestoproducemoreresponsibledecision-making,astherewouldbeaclear
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accountabilitybetweendecisionsmadeandriskstaken.Lastly,transparencyshould
beusedasatooltomanageandenforceaccountabilityofdecision-makers.For
instance,theassumedroleofgovernmentistorepresentandprotectthepublic
interest.Transparencyinthatcasemeansthepublichasthepossibilitytoverifythis
assumptionatalltimes.
Criterion1:overallimpactofthework:Asoutlinedabove,thefirst,andsimplest,
criteriontoassessaclassicrelatestotheinfluenceorimpactofthework,whichin
anacademiccontextismeasuredbythenumberoftimesaworkhasbeencited.
MegaprojectandRisk:AnAnatomyofAmbitionistheoneofthemostcitedworksin
thefieldofmegaprojectsormegaprojectmanagement,with2292citations
(www.googlescholar.com,accessed28September2016).Despitethefactthat
booksandbookcitationshavelongbeenneglectedinbibliometricanalysesin
comparisontoacademicjournalarticles(Torres-Salinasetal,2014),acitationcount
isaclearindicationoftheinfluenceandimpactaworkhasonaparticularfieldand
topic.FromthatperspectiveFlyvbjergetal’s(2003)bookisinastrongpositiontobe
consideredaclassicworkinmegaprojectmanagement,especiallyincomparison
withothertextsinthefield.
Criterion2:impactovertime:Thesecondcriterionessentiallydealswiththe
longevityoftheimpactandinfluenceofabookonaparticularfield.Thelong-term
significanceofcitationsofMegaprojectandRisk:AnAnatomyofAmbitionhavebeen
steadilyincreasingsincefirstpublicationin2003(pleaseseefigure3).Startingwith
11citationsinthefirstyear,thebookhasbeenconstantlycitedmorethan200times
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peryearforthelast5-6years,whichisagoodindicationofthelastingimpactthe
workhasmadeonthefieldofprojectmanagement.
Figure3here
Criterion3:Formationofadistinctdiscipline:Thethirdcriterionweconsiderinthis
paperrelatestothewayinwhichclassicsservetoshapeadiscipline,providing
morphologicalunitytoanotherwisedisparategroup,affordingacommonfocus,
conceptsorlanguagewithwhichtodevelopadiscipline,andsetthecontextwithin
whichfuturedevelopmentscanbebuilt.Toshapeadiscipline,aclassicmust
therefore(re)definehowthefieldisperceived.Putsimply,itmustbethe(oroneof
the)book(s)thatcomestomindwhenthinkingaboutthefieldofmegaprojects.
Kuhn(2012)highlightsthatscientificevolutionisnecessarilybasedonpastcodified
scientificachievementsacceptedbyarelevantcommunityofpracticeasthe
theoreticallyparadigmaticfoundationofafield.Classicbooksareoftenreadinitially
togainagoodunderstandingoftheparticularfield,Kuhnsuggests.Theseclassical
workshelptointroduceconceptsandattractadherentsfromcompetingmodesof
scientificactivity.Theybecomenodalpointsinthecreationofactionsnetworks
linkinganinvisiblecollegeofscholarsbecauseoftheirneworunprecedented
conceptsorparticulartheories.
HowdoesFlyvbjergetal’s(2003)bookscoreinrelationtoKuhn’s(2012)description
ofclassics?MegaprojectandRisk:AnAnatomyofAmbitiondoesnotintroducemany
neworunprecedentedconceptsorexplainindividualtheoriesinadifferentway.
Accordingtotheauthors,threefeaturesaresystematicallymismanagedin
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megaprojects,namelyuncertaintyaboutfacts,high-decisionstakesandvaluesin
dispute.Riskassessment,essentialtodealingwiththesefactors,isusuallyabsentor
inadequate(Coates,2004).Noneofthesepropositionsorfindingsisparticularlynew
foreithermanagementorprojectmanagement.
Wenowlookatafewspecificargumentsproposedinthebookinmoredetailand
reviewtheirnoveltyandimpact.Oneofthefirsttopicsthebookdiscussesisthe
relationshipbetweencostestimatesandprojectperformance.Moreprecisely,
Flyvbjergetal’s(2003)arguethatpoorestimationsleadtounsuccessfulprojects,
especiallyinregardstocostoverruns,aninsightthatisnotnewtothefieldof
projectmanagement.AsAtkinson(1999;2006)demonstrated,manystandard
projectsfailtomeetthiscriterionlongbeforetheriseofmegaprojects.Inparticular,
Atkinson(1999)arguesthatitispoorplanning,inaccurateestimatingandlackof
controlthatleadstocostoverruns.Moreover,thePMBOK(PMI,2013)describes
costestimatingasacoreprocessintheplanningphaseofaprojectandtherefore
regardsitasavitalcomponentindeliveringasuccessfulproject.Poorexecutionof
thisprocessmustthereforenecessarilyleadtopoorprojectperformance.
AnotherargumentputforwardinMegaprojectandRisk:AnAnatomyofAmbitionis
thatpeople’sunderlyingpoliticalorpersonalagendasdrivewoefulestimates,such
asthoseofoverallprojectcostortheusagerateofaparticularpieceof
infrastructure(i.e.abridgeortunnel).Giventheseestimates,aninformation
asymmetrybetweentwopartiesinwhichonepartypossessesmoreinformation
thenanother(Forsytheetal,2015)enablesexploitationoftheprojectsituationonce
workiscommenced.Whilethisconceptisabsolutelyrelevant,itis,however,not
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newtothefieldeitherofmanagementorprojectmanagement.Itismerelya
particularspecificationofthePrincipal-Agentproblemoutlinedbyagencytheory.
Agencytheoryremindsusthatmuchoforganisationallifeisbasedingeneralon
practitionersorstakeholdersactinginself-interesttoserveparticularpurposes
(Eisenhardt,1989).Inparticular,agencytheorycontributestounderstandinghow
informationcanbeusedasacommodityinanorganisationalsettings,which
Flyvbjergetal(2003)describeintheirbookasthe‘biasofoptimism’discernible
whenenrollingsupportforaproject.
Theauthorsarguethatestimatesandthusriskmanagementarehighlyinfluencedby
theoptimismbiasofprojectmanagers(Flyvbjergetal,2002;Flyvbjergetal,2004).
Flyvbjergetal(2003)usetheterm‘ambition’todescribethisbehaviour.Whilethis
argumentisvalid,importantandrelevantitisnotanewfinding,neitherinthe
specificfieldsofprojectandmegaprojectmanagement(e.g.Flyvbjergetal,2002;
RazandMichael,2001)norintheorganisationalliterature(Heaton,2002;March
andShapira,1987).Thistypeofmanagerialbehaviouralsofindssupportinlarge
partsofthepsychologyanddecision-makingliterature(KahnemanandLovallo,
1993;KahnemanandTversky,1979).AsHeatonshows,managersareoptimistic(i.e.
ambitious)whenthey“systematicallyoverestimatetheprobabilityofgoodfirm
performanceandunderestimatetheprobabilityofbadfirmperformance”(2002,p.
33).
Twofactorscontributetooptimisticbehaviour:First,managersbelievethatthey
havecontrolovertheorganisation’sperformance(MarchandShapira,1987)with
peoplegenerallybeingoptimisticaboutthingstheythinktheycancontrol.The
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notionofcertaintyandbeingabletocontroltheoutcomewhenstrictlyfollowing
certainprocessesisembeddedintraditionalprojectmanagementthought(Cicmilet
al,2006).Hence,itisnotsurprisingthatprojectmanagersareoptimisticabouttheir
abilitytodeliverasuccessfulproject.
Second,highdegreesofcommitmenttowardsparticularprojectsorpiecesofwork
escalateoptimism.Theescalationofcommitment(Staw1981)isawell-known
phenomenonsuchthat,asHeaton(2002)outlines,“peoplearemoreoptimistic
aboutoutcomestowhichtheyarehighlycommitted”(2002,p.33).Commitmentto
deliveringasuccessfuloutcomecanhaveavarietyofdifferentdrivers,suchas
people’sfinancialinvestment,theirprofessionalreputation,oremployability(e.g.
Gilson,1989).Assuch,themoreisatstakefortheparticularindividual,themore
committedtheyareandthemoreoptimistictheyarethattheprojectwillperform
well.Asanexample,ifacontractorseesachancesignificantlytoimproveits
reputationbysuccessfullydeliveringaproject,thecompanyismorelikelytoengage
intheprojectorhaveahigherinterestintheproject.Quitesimilarly,ifapolitician
canproduceamajorpieceofinfrastructurethatwillchangethefaceofacityintheir
periodofcandidature,theunderlyingdriveforelectoralsuccessmightmakethem
morelikelytosigntherelevantdocuments.Inbothcases,therelationshipbetween
personalriskandrewardplaysakeyrole.Conversely,whereaprojectisnot
successful,whereitappearstobefailing,thiscanalsoleadtoenhanced
commitment.InStaw’s(1981)terms,therecanbeanescalationofcommitmentto
failingprojects,asthoseresponsibleforthemseeknottobeassociatedwithfailure.
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MarchandShapira(1987)outlinethat“managersrecogniseboththenecessityand
theexcitementofrisktakinginmanagement,buttheyreportthatrisktakingin
organizationsissustainedmorebypersonalthanbyorganizationalincentives”
(1987,p.1408).Theself-interestednatureoftheagentisdemonstrated(Jensenand
Meckling,1976),wheretheagentmayormaynotbehaveasagreedwiththe
principal(i.e.inthebestinterestoftheorganisation),whichexplainsthenotionof
managerialambitionoroptimismwithinprincipal-agencytheory.
ThesearejustsomeexamplesofthepointsputforwardinMegaprojectandRisk:An
AnatomyofAmbitionthatindicatethatnotalloftheargumentsmadeinthebook
canbeclassifiedasnovelorsubstantiallydifferenttowhattheorganisationalor
projectmanagementliteraturehadalreadyproduced.However,thebookachieves
somethingfarmoreimportantthanproducing(andtesting)individualhypotheses.
Theauthorshavemanagedtoprovideabiggerpictureofhowdifferent,existing
theoriesandconceptsbelongtogether,usingmegaprojectsasaplatformfordoing
so.Inthenextsectionwewillexplainfurtherwhatwemeanbythisstatement.
Asoutlinedearlier,oneofthecharacteristicsofaclassicisthatitprovidesaunifying
forcethatbringstogetherafield,constitutingmorphology,establishingabasison
whichotherscanbuild.WearguethatMegaprojectandRisk:AnAnatomyof
Ambitiondoesexactlythatforthefieldofmegaprojects.Thenumbersofconcepts
thathavebeenusedandintroducedinthebookarevast.Itencompassesand
combinesmanydifferentorganisationalconceptsthathavepreviouslybeen
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discussedlargelyinisolationfromeachother,suchas(project)governance,risk
management,transparency,decision-making,privatisationandaccountability.
MegaprojectandRisk:AnAnatomyofAmbitiondeliversamonumentaland
unprecedentedeffortcombiningthesedifferentconceptsintoonecoherent
framework,thusprovidingabiggerpictureofhowmegaprojectsoperate(whichcan
toacertainextentevenbeappliedtoorganisationsand‘normal’projects).Weargue
thatthisisthetruevalueofFlyvbjergetal’s(2003)work.
Providingacoherentframeworkforabiggerpicturehelpsafieldtodevelop
commongroundsandestablishformalproblemsthataresufficientlyopen-endedto
leaveavarietyofnewproblemsforresearcherstoresolve(Kuhn,2012).Oneofthe
mainproblemsofmanyacademicorscientificdisciplinesistheamountof
knowledgethatisproducedduringthecourseofestablishingadistinctfield.The
knowledgeproducedisoftenlargeinquantityandnotalwayscoherent;oftenitcan
makecompetingclaims(Bredillet,2010).Thedevelopmentandestablishmentofthe
fieldmightthereforebecomestalledduetointernalconflictsanddebatesthatarise
asaby-productofsuchknowledgeoverload.Abiggerpicturecanserveasavaluable
solutiontothisissue,asitrequirestakingastepbacktogainperspective(Boschet
al,2007).Oftenthisallowsustolookatthingsfromadifferentperspectiveandby
doingsoidentifyopportunitiesforinnovationorareaswheremoreknowledgeis
required(Chrissley,2012).However,itisnotsufficienttoaddthisstepofcapturing
thebiggerpictureattheendordoingitinisolation;itmustbe“anintegral
mechanisminwhichtoexploreandanalyseacomplexprobleminaholisticway”
(Boschetal,2007,p.230).
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Academicorscientificfieldsthatoffernewinsightsandprovideabiggerpicturewith
relevantpracticalexamplescanbedescribedas‘paradigms’(Kuhn,2012).Paradigms
providemodels,frameworksandopen-endedproblemsthatagroupsof
practitionersfromwithinthefieldandotherfieldsaimstoresolve.Wearguethat
MegaprojectandRisk:AnAnatomyofAmbitionisaworkthathasmadeanearlyand
formativecontributiontoagrowingstreamofresearchonmegaprojects.More
precisely,Flyvbjergetal’s(2003)bookhascertainlyattractedanenduringgroupof
followersawayfromstandardprojectmanagement.Oneindicationofthisimpact
canbeseeninthenumberofpublicationsonmegaprojectsinacademicjournals.A
searchoftheScopusdatabasewasconductedwith‘megaproject’asthesearch
term.Thenumberofpublicationsresultingfromthissearchincreasedsignificantly
from2003(Figure4).
Figure4here
Theyears2002and2003showedonly22and25articlesonmegaprojects,
respectively.Thisnumberwentupto40articlesin2004,52in2005,and115articles
in2015.Thearticlespublishedinthefieldofmegaprojectmanagementincreasedby
afactorofover4inthefirsttenyearsafterpublicationofFlyvbjergetal(2003).The
mainfindingofthisScopusanalysis,however,isthatthefieldstagnatedintheyears
leadingupto2003,hardlyexisting,withanaverageofonlyabout10publicationsper
annumintheyearsleadinguptoit.
Criterion4:Personalimpact,depthandinsight:Thefourthcriterionaddressesthe
personalimpactthataworkhasonthereader.Aclassicalbookisnotonlyabook
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thatofferssignificantdepths,newinsights,orabiggerpictureofaparticulartopic.A
classicalbookiswrittenwithacomplexitythatmakesthereaderre-readit,aseach
timethereisasenseofdiscoveryofnewconcepts,problems,orideasthatthe
readerfailedtopickupearlier(Calvino2000).Thismeansthatthereader–whether
agreeingordisagreeingwiththeargumentsputforward–keepsthinkingaboutthe
book.Onecannotbeindifferenttothework.Somefactorscontributetoabook
achievingthis.Onefactor,andprobablythemostimportantone,isthewayinwhich
thebookhasbeenwritten.MegaprojectandRisk:AnAnatomyofAmbitioniswritten
inaclearandlogicalwaythatisprovocativetoreadratherthanbeingrambling,
simplisticorpoorlystructuredacademicallybecauseitsmainfocusisonthe
practitionerwiththeexpectationthatthethereaderwillexpecttofinditeasyto
followthelineofargument(Olson,1996).Indeed,onanumberofoccasionsithas
beenengagedwithinvariousways(e.g.vanMarrewijk,Clegg,PitsisandVeenswijk,
2008;vanMarrewijk,Ybema,Smits,Clegg,andPitsis,forthcoming).
Havingpraisedthebookforitsacademicengagementthisisnottosaythatthisisits
onlyaudience.AfinalaspectthatmakesMegaprojectandRisk:AnAnatomyof
AmbitionstandoutfromthecrowdisthatFlyvbjergetal(2003)foundawayto
combineacademicrigourwithpracticalapplicability.Theywereabletoexpressthe
underlyingideas,solutions,andargumentsinawaythatallowsalargespectrumof
readerstoengageinthesubsequentdiscussionaroundthebook.Assuch,itdelivers
anoutcomethatmanyacademicsaimfor;itbridgesthegapbetweentheoryand
practice.Moreover,Flyvbjergetal(2003)reignitedtheterm‘megaproject’,makingit
awidelyusedterm,notonlyinacademiccirclesbutalsointhebroaderindustry.
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Discussion
Anybookconsideredworthwhileonthecriteriawehaveoutlinedwillbesubjectto
criticism;indeed,criticismistheharbingerofpraise.Thosethingsthatarenot
worthyofcritiquerankfarbelowthosethataresodistinguished.Whilewehave
praisedMegaprojectandRisk:AnAnatomyofAmbitionthepoliticalityofprojectsis,
perhapssurprisingly,inviewofFlyvbjerg(1998),notrenderedinthisworkinas
conceptuallyacohesivemannerasonemightexpect.Itisnotjustthatthereare
‘politicalsublimes’andother‘sublimes’(Flyvbjerg,2014)atworkattheoutset.
Megaprojectsinvolvemultiplecompetenciescharacterisedbyspecificrationalities,
suchthattalk,decisionsandactionswillnotnecessarilybealigned,inanalltoo
familiarorganisationalpolitics(Clegg,1989).InBrunsson’s(2002)terms,getting
megaprojectsoffthegroundandkeepingthemgoing,presentsampleopportunity
forparticipantstomakeclaimsaboutqualitiesorconvictionstheydonotnecessarily
have,leadingtotheorganisationofhypocrisy.Facingdemandsforcertaintywhile
confrontingmuchthatisunknowableandundecidablemaywellmakehypocrisythe
norm.Thereisevidencetosuggestthatthisisthecaseinthefrequentfailureof
megaprojectstoachievethoseespressgoalsthatareusedtoenrolandenlistinitial
support.
Flyvbjergetal’s(2003)ideasofprojectrationalityanddeceptivebehaviourssuggest
thatprojectsroutinelyexceedestimatesoftheirriskintermsofcosts,completion,
andotherperformanceindicatorsbecausethoseassociatedwiththeir
commissioningandimplementationusedeceptiveindicatorsandmisleading
projections,resultinginthemisallocationofscarceresources(Flyvbjergetal,2003).
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Ifthiswerethecaseitwouldimplicateawholeprofessionofprojectmanagement,
aswellasalltheancillaryprofessionsassociatedwithit,inactionnetsthat
governmentministersandtheirpublicserviceadvisers,aswellasmerchantbankers
andshareholders,createeitherthroughduplicityor,attheveryleast,lackof
knowledgeorevenstupidity.
Givenduplicitousorstupidprojections,projectmanagerswillnotinfalliblyfixthem–
theyare,afterall,human.Implicitly,argumentsthatseethefailuresofmegaprojects
asresidinginalackofrealismthatdeliberatelymisleadsstakeholdersaboutthetrue
costsandcomplexityoftheprojectsassumesanorminwhichlarge-scale
organisationsarecharacterisedbyrationalbehaviours.Inprojectsthatarenotas
organizationallycomplex,ambiguous,ambitious,politicalandrisky,thefaçadesof
rationalitymaybeeasiertomaintain.Thecomplexityandambiguityofmegaprojects
canmakethemaintenanceoftheserationalityfaçadesmuchmoredifficult.
Inmegaprojects,everydaymanagersandengineersworktocreatesomesensein
contextscontainingamultiplicityofdifferentandvariablerationalitiesandcultures.
Theydrawoncontractualdocuments,BIMmodellingandothermaterialitieswith
variableinterpretations,incompletedataandmanyopportunitiesforgapstoarise
betweentalk,actionsanddecisions.Thisamplifiesthepotentialfor‘breaks’tooccur
andfor‘fixes’tobemoreadhocandindeterminateintermsofschedule,costsand
designvariables(thebreak-fixproblemasoutlinedbyFlybvjerg(2014).Ifthe
problemsofmegaprojectsresideinaninabilitytomaintainafaçadeofrationality
thatdisciplinesprojectsfromthestartandfixesthemwhentheybreak,ifruptures
tothefabricofrationalityareinherenttowhatprojectmanagersdo,perhapsa
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closerapproximationbetweenthedisciplinesofprojectmanagementandcurrents
inorganisationstudies,representedbyscholarsinactor-network-theory(Law,1992)
wouldbeuseful.Suchethnographieswouldentailthatapictureoftheactor
networksassociatedwithmoreandlesssuccessfulmegaprojectsmightbe
developedovertimethroughthickdescriptionsgleanedfromcloseandprolonged
encounterswithmegaprojectrealities.
Translationisacoreconceptofactor-networktheory.Translationreferstothefact
thatinasocialworldofmeaningandcollaboration,conflictandcommunication,
projectsarealwaysinprocess,beinginterpretedindifferentindexicalcontexts,from
differentpositionsofinterest,makingsensemakinginherently‘political’—hence,
projectsarealwaysbeingtranslated.Translationnecessarilyentailstransformation
inwhichinterestsarecontinuouslybeingidentified,attractedandtransformed
(CzarniaskwaandSevón,2005).Megaprojectsowetheirbeingtotheir‘assembly’by
actorsandactants—bothhumanandnon-human—toformevolvingactor-networks.
Withacomplexmultiplicityofothersinvolved,megaprojectsmaybestbetreatedas
complexandmechanicalculturesofsolidaritythatarefragileinconstructionand
easilysundered(vanMarrewijk,2015).Hence,thefocusshouldbeonthemeansof
assemblyandtheactionnetsinvolved,andafutureclassicmustincludethoseideas
toaddresssomeofthefield’smostprominentquestions.
Conclusion
Threesubstantiveandinfluentialworksonmegaprojectswerereviewedand
evaluatedintermsofwhethertheycouldbeconsideredclassicsofmegaproject
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managementresearch.TheAnatomyofMajorProjectsbyMorrisandHough(1987)
isaclearlyinfluentialwork.Thisisevidentinthetotalcitationstheworkhas
received,thesteadyflowofthesecitations,aswellastheinnovativenatureofthe
publication’sfocus.Readinthecontextofthetimeatwhichitwaspublishedtheir
workrepresentedasignificantchangeinhowresearchintoprojectmanagement
wasconducted,shiftingfromafocusonabstractedprocesstoenquiryintothelived
experienceofmanagingprojects.However,fewofthesourcesthatcitethiswork
focusspecificallyonmegaprojects,castingdoubtonhowinfluentialthisworkhas
beeninsettingtheboundariesofmegaprojectmanagementresearch.Manyofthe
findingsinthisresearchareequallyapplicabletoallprojects,notspecificallymajor
(ormega-)projects.Althoughtheworkcouldpossiblybeconsideredaclassicof
generalprojectmanagementresearch,itshouldnotbeconsideredaclassicin
megaprojectmanagementresearch.
Merrow’s(2011)IndustrialMegaprojects:Concepts,StrategiesandPracticesfor
Successhasprobablyhadinsufficienttimetomakeaconclusiveassessmentofits
impactonthefieldonthebasisofcitationsalone.Nonetheless,theevidencefor
conclusionsintheworkisbasedon385privatesectorprojects,suggestingthe
possibilityforasignificantcontributiontoourunderstandingofhowmegaprojects
aremanaged.Clearguidanceonhowtomeasurethesuccessofmegaprojectsisone
verypracticalcontribution.However,weconcludethatwhileitmakesasignificant
contributiontomegaprojectresearch,basedonthecriteriaestablisheditfallsshort
ofbeingaclassicinthefield.
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Oftheworksanalysed,thegreatestclaimforthestatusofaclassicofmegaproject
managementresearchismadebyFlyvbjerg,BruzeliusandRothengatter’s(2003)
MegaprojectandRisk:AnAnatomyofAmbition.Thesustainedhighcitationratefor
theworkindicatesapersistentimpactuponthefield.Althoughtheworkmaynot
introducemanynewideasorconcepts,thewayinwhichthedifferentandoften
previouslyunalignedtheoreticalconceptswerecombined,testedandanalysed
providesarigorousframeworkformanyoftheunderlyingissuesencounteredin
megaprojects.Theclarityoftheargumentsandtheirexpressionmakesthisbooka
masterpieceinthefieldofprojectmanagement,prizedforitsrelevance,theoretical
synthesisandaccessibility.Evenoveradecadelater,theissuesarestillrelevant,
whichunderlinesthelongitudinalimpactofthework.Nonetheless,inviewof
Flyvbjerg’s(1989)workandourdiscussionofethnographyinformedbyactor
networktheory,thereisaneedstilltoaddresstheinternalpoliticalityof
megaprojectsthroughreal-timeresearch.
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Zheng,J.,Roehrich,J.K.andLewis,M.(2008)Thedynamicsofcontractualand
relationalgovernance:Evidencefromlong-termpublic–privateprocurement
arrangements.JournalofPurchasingandSupplyManagement,14(1),43-54.
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Figures
Figure1:CitationsperyearsincepublicationofMorrisandHough(1987)
Figure2:CitationsperyearsincepublicationofMerrow(2011)
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Figure3:CitationsperyearsincepublicationofFlyvbjergetal(2003)
Figure4:MegaprojectspublicationsbasedonScopussearchresults
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