Abstract
PurposeThe professionalization of project management (PM) profession has developed differently according to the different environments in which it has been introduced. The purpose of this paper is to examine an example of this professional project (Italy) with this research question: “what have been the professionalization strategies of PM professional associations within Italian field?”Design/methodology/approachThe authors develop a qualitative case study made up of semi-structured interviews and archival data.FindingsThe analysis demonstrates how PM in Italy has embarked on a clear upward trajectory in terms of its occupational size, economic significance and institutional development. However, the development of PM in Italy considerably lags behind Anglo-Saxon countries. The authors also identify three main strategies through which this professionalization project is being accomplished (see Section 5). These are corporate engagement, expanding membership and institutional recognition.Research limitations/implicationsThe study reviews the professionalization of PM in Italy. This is not a comparative study, but rather highlights Italian PM professionalization. Moreover, the authors expect significant findings could be reached with a comparable research across different national contexts.Originality/valueThis work constitutes the first detailed and comprehensive study in the field of PM within the Italian context.
Highlights
There is a growing literature on the professionalization of project management (PM) and a consensus that amongst new knowledge-based occupations this group has made considerable progress towards professionalization (Hodgson & Muzio, 2011; Peter W G Morris, 2010; Muzio, Hodgson, Faulconbridge, Beaverstock, & Hall, 2011; Paton, Hodgson, & Muzio, 2013)
This is important because the development of the project management field including its professionalization, emerges from the daily interactions between these different actors, as it is through these interactions that, at an aggregate level, activities within a particular field are organized and legitimized (Scott, Ruef, Mendel, & Caronna, 2000)
This paper focused on the developmental trajectories of the PM profession in Italy
Summary
There is a growing literature on the professionalization of project management (PM) and a consensus that amongst new knowledge-based occupations this group has made considerable progress towards professionalization (Hodgson & Muzio, 2011; Peter W G Morris, 2010; Muzio, Hodgson, Faulconbridge, Beaverstock, & Hall, 2011; Paton, Hodgson, & Muzio, 2013). The Project Management Institute (PMI) with 477,616 worldwide members (PMI, 2017) is one of the world’s largest and most global professional associations. PM itself has developed a systematic and comprehensive body of knowledge (PMBOK) and a system of formal qualifications whilst in the UK the Association of Project Management (APM) has been recently awarded a Royal Charter, a high profile symbol of a professional status. PM seems to be developing a new pattern of corporate professionalization (Kipping, Kirkpatrick, & Muzio, 2006; Muzio, Hodgson, et al, 2011; Thomas & Thomas, 2013) which engages very actively with large organizations which are the key users and employers of project managers, while traditional profession relied more on the state sanctioned monopolies
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