Book Review: Complexity Theory and Project Management
Project Management Journal, 2011
simple definition. Applied to project management, it relates to the behaviors and performance of ... more simple definition. Applied to project management, it relates to the behaviors and performance of virtual teams. It does not necessarily reflect complicated or large projects. Nor does it imply technical difficulty. Complexity theory is a relatively new science with roots in math and sciences. Having slowly moved to social sciences and business, it is now trying to find its place in project management. Wanda Curlee and Robert L. Gordon’s book Complexity Theory and Project Management is an ambitious attempt to explain complexity theory and illustrate how it can be applied to managing 21st-century projects that are characterized by virtual teams. The authors first introduce complexity theory, which acknowledges that studying a small part of an “open system” does not explain the whole. For example, examining how a single ant works independently does not reveal the dynamics of its colony. Project teams are similar systems. Complexity theory can be applied to understand and manage them. The authors also note early in the book that complexity theory evolved from chaos theory, a key facet of which is commonly known as the “butterfly effect.” Flapping of wings by a butterfly in one part of the world may create a drastic change in the weather pattern in another part. In simple words, all forces are connected. When a project is moving forward, it is best to put all the forces working in the same direction. The authors posit complexity theory as a concept and a tool to manage project teams at the edge of chaos where creativity occurs. They contend that there are many unknowns in complex projects that are better handled by a flexible process that promotes openness, coincidence, and serendipity, as opposed to the rigid traditional project management that focuses on order, structure, and planning. The book is broken down into five parts with a total of 22 chapters. Part I introduces complexity theory and points to deficiencies in current project management. Part II of the book is about strategies to apply complexity theory to make projects more successful. Part III presents case studies. Part IV shows how to create communities in your organization to support complexity theory. Part V is a summary with the authors’ insights on the future of complexity theory in project management. The book offers various tools for managing virtual teams. It also provides a number of case studies and examples of complex projects. Practitioners will find many of the checklists and self-assessments in the book to be useful. A broad list of references is available at the end of each chapter. A cogent characterization of complex projects early in the book would have helped the reader with a better understanding of this complex topic. Programs or program management are never mentioned in the book, leaving the reader to ponder the role of complexity theory in program management. Under the header “Practical Tip,” the authors pepper the book with practical pointers. Most of the dispensed advice, however, is ubiquitous in the literature and too simplistic, lacking depth: “Genuine enthusiasm is an effective way to motivate a team,” “Teams can make a difference in an organization. No one is smarter than all of us,” and “Focus on strengths.” Curlee and Gordon boldly predict that we are in the nascent phase of the third and newest period of project management driven by complexity theory after the historical (ancient) and modern (since the late 1950s) periods. If they are prescient in this, Complexity Theory and Project Management is a key short step in what may be a long journey ahead.
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