Novel research methods in project studies

Abstract

Studies of projects, project-based organisations and project organising have reached a pivotal juncture, marked by an increasing need to innovate methodologically. Project research has traditionally been dominated by survey-based quantitative approaches aimed at measuring variables and identifying statistical patterns across large samples. While these methods have advanced the foundational body of knowledge in project management, they are increasingly critiqued for their limitations in accessing the depth and complexity of lived project experiences (Green and Sergeeva, 2019). Early survey instruments often relied on close-ended, pre-categorised items, factor-based approaches, offering minimal scope for respondents to elaborate on meanings or experiences (Lupton, 1993). As project contexts become more complex, dynamic, and socially embedded, this limitation has stimulated a methodological turn in project studies towards more qualitative, interpretive, and context-sensitive research approaches. There is a need for more and novel methods which could capture the diversity in projects and the different platforms that project stakeholders are active in. This Special Issue of Project Leadership and Society brings to the forefront the importance of novel research methodologies, methods, and data that can advance our understanding of projects and project organising in contemporary society. The objective is not merely to diversify the tools available to researchers but to reimagine how knowledge is produced in a field that is inherently interdisciplinary, practice-oriented, and deeply embedded in real-world challenges (Pink et al., 2010). The special collection of papers responds to long-standing calls for more reflexive, engaged, and multi-modal research practices in the social sciences (Pierce, 2008; Arino et al., 2016). [...]