Rethinking Leadership in Projects for a Resilient and Just Future

Abstract

With their emphasis on the human aspects of project work, project leadership theories offer a powerful way of understanding how project performance may be enhanced. Based on a meta-theoretical reflection, viewing theory generation as social practice, and drawing on a narrative literature review, this article argues that dominant assumptions of modernism limit the potential of project leadership theories to help create a resilient and just future. Instead, it proposes embracing the duality of modernism and postmodernism by presuming the mutual constitution of seemingly contradictory leadership elements as well as projects and more permanent forms of organizing. Accordingly, it offers a new agenda for future research.