The Role of Exemplary Entrepreneurship for the Projectification of Society in Germany

Abstract

Large-scale projects in Germany are often delivered too late and with excessive costs. This is partly due to lagging projectification in the public sector and also because there is a lack of exemplary entrepreneurship. Therefore, this paper explores the role of exemplary entrepreneurship in the projectification of society in Germany, utilizing the example of Elon Musk and Tesla´s fourth Gigafactory near Berlin. Building on qualitative and quantitative research on the projectification of society in Germany with reference to institutional theory, findings from an explanatory case study are compared, and the insights are discussed. For instance, the reputation of the entrepreneur, Elon Musk, is that of an innovator who can overcome well-established rules in Germany and contribute to a significant acceleration of large-scale projects by making courageous decisions. Upcoming projects in Germany are already using Elon Musk's success story as a role model for their own approach. Although this case study is only one example of a large-scale project managed in an entrepreneurial way and further case studies should explore the interrelationship, it shows that projectification of society in general and the performant realization of projects, in particular, can benefit from it. As a result, promising behaviors and approaches for implementing similar projects can be induced, providing a boost to the projectification of society overall.