Project narratives: directions for research

Abstract

Projects are peopled at all levels, and people make sense of their lives via narrative thought as the temporal and dramatic dimension of human existence is emphasized in them. Narratives organize people’s lived experiences and create order out of random incidents and events. Such an order can help them understand the passage of events and even guide action. Narratives such as the need for the project, sustainability of the project, innovation in the project can be crafted and maintained in different ways. In this chapter we discuss how different organizational theories such as sensemaking, social identity theory, and organizational power can help understand the narrative practices in project settings. We review studies in project settings that apply narratives to shape the project vision, identity, and image to improve the project management practice.