Original Article

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Danstan Bwalya Chiponde, Barry Gledson , and David Greenwood 

July 23, 2022

https://doi.org/10.25219/epoj.2022.00102

In their 2011 paper titled “Managing the Institutional Context for Projects” Morris and Geraldi raised the  importance of the institutional context in the management of projects. Building on that, this study proposes  the conceptualisation and understanding of project-related failure and success through an institutional  perspective. This is based on an understanding that projects are distinctive, time-constrained, undertakings  meant to generate benefits for all associated stakeholders whose perception of failure varies. Yet, little  attention has been given to explaining how such perception is influenced by underlying institutional contexts.  Therefore, the aim of the study was to examine the knowledge base for contrasting perspectives of project  managers and construction managers around project-related failure in light of the institutional perspectives.  To do this, a systematic literature review (SLR) approach was adopted. The first finding of note from this  SLR is the dominance of interest in and from the UK Construction Industry (UKCI). This may be attributed  to the culture and structure of the UKCI driven by the autonomy and authority of organisations such as the  National Audit Office (NAO). The findings further reveal that in the general Project Management (PM)  literature, considerations of failure are more introspective and discussed more in terms of project outputs  with the causes associated with project management limitations. Considering the three levels discussed by  Morris and Geraldi (2011) the PM perspective of failure and success can be associated with the technical  level of analysis of project outputs. In contrast, the Construction Management (CM) literature focuses  predominantly on specific failures, and on external failures. Causes are more attributed to profitability and  the wider supply chain and this can be associated with Morris’s strategic level focus on effectiveness and  value. The results from this study call for a systemic approach by heeding the call of Prof. Peter Morris to  consider the institutional context level in the perception and analysis of failure instead of solely focusing on  output or technical level parameters of time cost and quality.  

Keywords:    Project Failure, Project Manager, Construction, Perception, Institutional Theory