On Stupidity in Project Management - A critical reflection of PM in a VUCA world

Authors

  • Mogens Frank Mikkelsen University of Copenhagen Denmark
  • Carl Marnewick Professor University of Johannesburg, South Africa
  • Louis Klein European School of Governance Germany

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.19255/JMPM02412

Keywords:

Project complexity, Stupidity, VUCA

Abstract

The culprit for project failure is the complexity that is associated with a project. Unfortunately, project complexity will be part and parcel of a project especially in a VUCA world. This implies then that projects will continuously fail as the culprit is not disappearing. However, the purpose of this paper is to show how complexity at times appears like an opaque conundrum, which allows hiding whatever in it, even stupidity. The analysis of 1064 datasets from a questionnaire-based survey on stakeholder complexity reveals that project stakeholders do not treat project complexity with the necessary respect that sometimes borders stupidity. The article highlights that project stakeholders do not apply common sense when dealing with project complexity. Our journey in understanding project complexity became a learning journey into stupidity and a critical reflection on our frivolous liaison with the VUCA world.

Author Biographies

  • Mogens Frank Mikkelsen, University of Copenhagen Denmark

    Enrolled on a PhD study at IT University of Copenhagen, Innovation Management & Entrepreneurship (TIME). Working title: Navigating project complexity in the pursuit of project success. Worked 14 years as trainer and instructor in the field of Project Management from 2005. Worked 15 years as practitioner of Project Management from 1990 to 2005. Certification of project management: PMP, IPMA level C, PRINCE2 practitioners, MSP and Scrum master Member of Danish Project Management Association. Published handbook for practitioners in Danish “Ledelse af komplekse projekter”, 2016 (title translation: Leading complex projects) Master of Science, Danish Technical University. 1990

  • Carl Marnewick, Professor University of Johannesburg, South Africa

    Carl Marnewick received his BSc, BSc (Hons), MSc and PhD in Computer Science from the Potchefstroom University for Christian Higher Education, Potchefstroom, South Africa, in 1989, 1990, 1992 and 2009, respectively. He is a Professor with the University of Johannesburg, South Africa. The focus of his research is the overarching topic and special interest of the strategic alignment of IT projects with the vision of the organization. A natural outflow of the research is the realization of benefits to the organization through the implementation of IT/IS systems. His research to date has identified impediments in the realization of benefits, which is part of a complex system. He is currently the Head of the Information Technology Project Management Knowledge and Wisdom Research Cluster. This research cluster focuses on research in IT project management and includes governance, auditing and assurance, complexity, IT project success, benefits management, sustainability and agile project management.

  • Louis Klein, European School of Governance Germany

    Dr Louis Klein serves as dean at the European School of Governance (EUSG) and Secretary General of the International Federation for Systems Research (ISFR). Educated as an economist and social scientist, Dr Louis Klein became a dedicated systems scientist and cybernetician. He served as a research director at the International Centre for Complex Project Management (ICCPM), as director at the World Organisation of Systems and Cybernetics (WOSC), and as VP of the International Society for the Systems Sciences (ISSS). Dr Louis Klein is co-founder of Systemic Change Journal (SCJ), member of the editorial board of the Project Management Journal (PMJ) and co-publisher of the German philosophical business magazine agora42.

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Published

2022-05-20

Issue

Vol. 8 No. 2 (2020): The Journal of Modern Project Management

Section

Articles-JMPM

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Copyright (c) 2022 Mogens Frank Mikkelsen, Carl Marnewick, Louis Klein

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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

How to Cite

On Stupidity in Project Management - A critical reflection of PM in a VUCA world. (2022). The Journal of Modern Project Management, 8(2). https://doi.org/10.19255/JMPM02412

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