New Insights into Project Management Research: A Natural Sciences Comparative

Abstract

In this article, a new research perspective toward project management phenomena is developed; it builds on the existing natural science theory of genotyping and phenotyping by developing a contemporary comparative model for project management research, which compares natural science molecular biology (genomics) as a way to investigate social science (specifically, project management) phenomena. The comparative maps concepts and terminology and, in doing so, explains why phenomena in genomics (study of genetics) can be compared with practices, behaviors, and established thinking in project management. To support the theory building process, the attributes of complex adaptive systems (CAS) are used to validate the constructs of the research. The comparative is then used to answer the research question by identifying two social science phenomena: “lessons intentionally not learned” and “bricolage of competing methodology subelements,” followed by a detailed explanation of the reasons for the phenomena using the attributes of the comparative. This article provides further examples of phenomena that were derived from the comparative model as well as the types of research questions where the model would provide insight. The authors believe that using a comparative model will challenge established thinking so that many aspects of project management will be seen in a new light in both the research and practitioner communities of project management.