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Projects, paths, and practices: sustaining and leveraging project-based relationships

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  • Stephan Manning
  • Jörg Sydow

Abstract

In this article, we examine how project entrepreneurs maintain and leverage long-term project-based relationships in highly uncertain and volatile project businesses with clients and key service providers across ever changing collaborative contexts. Based on a thorough analysis of TV project networks, using both quantitative and qualitative data, we find that project entrepreneurs form core teams with particular clients and service providers, and establish sequences of related projects thereby forming collaborative paths. These paths allow partners to exploit and stretch existing, and explore new capabilities and partner resources across time and contexts of collaboration. Paths are promoted by connecting practices partners apply to establish task and team linkages between past, present and potential future projects. Our findings promote a more processual understanding of project-based organizing and learning, and tie formation and maintenance in dynamic industry contexts. Copyright 2011 The Author 2011. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Associazione ICC. All rights reserved., Oxford University Press.

Suggested Citation

  • Stephan Manning & Jörg Sydow, 2011. "Projects, paths, and practices: sustaining and leveraging project-based relationships," Industrial and Corporate Change, Oxford University Press and the Associazione ICC, vol. 20(5), pages 1369-1402, October.
    • Handle: RePEc:oup:indcch:v:20:y:2011:i:5:p:1369-1402
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    File URL: http://hdl.handle.net/10.1093/icc/dtr009
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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Manning, Stephan, 2017. "The rise of project network organizations: Building core teams and flexible partner pools for interorganizational projects," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 46(8), pages 1399-1415.
    2. Wagner Reinhard F. & Radujkovic Mladen, 2022. "Effects of lagging projectification in the public sector on realizing infrastructure projects," Organization, Technology and Management in Construction, Sciendo, vol. 14(1), pages 2559-2570, January.
    3. Nuno Oliveira & Fabrice Lumineau, 2017. "How Coordination Trajectories Influence the Performance of Interorganizational Project Networks," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 28(6), pages 1029-1060, December.
    4. Davies, Andrew & Manning, Stephan & Söderlund, Jonas, 2018. "When neighboring disciplines fail to learn from each other: The case of innovation and project management research," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 47(5), pages 965-979.
    5. Sydow, Jörg & Schreyögg, Georg & Koch, Jochen, 2020. "Current interest in the theory of organizational path dependence: A short update on the occasion of the 2019 AMR Decade Award," Discussion Papers 2020/12, Free University Berlin, School of Business & Economics.
    6. Lenfle, Sylvain & Söderlund, Jonas, 2022. "Project-oriented agency and regeneration in socio-technical transition: Insights from the case of numerical weather prediction (1978–2015)," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 51(3).
    7. Turner, James A. & Klerkx, Laurens & White, Toni & Nelson, Tracy & Everett-Hincks, Julie & Mackay, Alec & Botha, Neels, 2017. "Unpacking systemic innovation capacity as strategic ambidexterity: How projects dynamically configure capabilities for agricultural innovation," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 68(C), pages 503-523.
    8. Bossink, Bart A.G., 2017. "Demonstrating sustainable energy: A review based model of sustainable energy demonstration projects," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 77(C), pages 1349-1362.
    9. Sylvain Lenfle & Jonas Söderlund, 2019. "Large-Scale Innovative Projects as Temporary Trading Zones: Toward an Interlanguage Theory," Post-Print hal-02390158, HAL.
    10. Stephan Manning & Arie Y. Lewin & Marc Schuerch, 2011. "The Stability of Offshore Outsourcing Relationships," Management International Review, Springer, vol. 51(3), pages 381-406, June.
    11. Papachristos, George & Papadonikolaki, Eleni & Morgan, Bethan, 2024. "Projects as a speciation and aggregation mechanism in transitions: Bridging project management and transitions research in the digitalization of UK architecture, engineering, and construction industry," Technovation, Elsevier, vol. 132(C).
    12. Fanny Simon & Albéric Tellier, 2016. "Balancing contradictory temporality during the unfold of innovation streams," Post-Print hal-01572302, HAL.
    13. Peter B. Doeringer & Pacey Foster & Stephan Manning & David Terkla, 2013. "Project-based industries and craft-like production: structure, location and performance," Chapters, in: Frank Giarratani & Geoffrey J.D. Hewings & Philip McCann (ed.), Handbook of Industry Studies and Economic Geography, chapter 4, pages 99-151, Edward Elgar Publishing.
    14. Stephan Manning & Daniel Roessler, 2014. "The Formation of Cross-Sector Development Partnerships: How Bridging Agents Shape Project Agendas and Longer-Term Alliances," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 123(3), pages 527-547, September.
    15. Leonhard Dobusch & Elke Schüßler, 2013. "Theorizing path dependence: a review of positive feedback mechanisms in technology markets, regional clusters, and organizations," Industrial and Corporate Change, Oxford University Press and the Associazione ICC, vol. 22(3), pages 617-647, June.
    16. Stephan Manning & Cristiano Richter, 2023. "Upgrading against the odds: How peripheral regions can attract global lead firms," Journal of International Business Policy, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 6(1), pages 1-23, March.
    17. Lobo, Sunila & Whyte, Jennifer, 2017. "Aligning and Reconciling: Building project capabilities for digital delivery," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 46(1), pages 93-107.
    18. Braun, Timo & Müller-Seitz, Gordon & Sydow, Jörg, 2012. "Project citizenship behavior? – An explorative analysis at the project-network-nexus," Scandinavian Journal of Management, Elsevier, vol. 28(4), pages 271-284.

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