Introduction to the Research Handbook on Complex Project Organizing

We argue that research in complex project organizing (CPO) is central to addressing the grand challenges that society faces in terms of both sustainable development and the implementation of fourth industrial revolution technologies. From a review of the development of CPO research across three streams of projects-as-coordination, projects-as-systems, and projects-as-contracts we show how this book supports the further development of CPO research to address these challenges. We first introduce the core concepts of CPO research (uncertainty, complexity, temporality, projectivity) before we present a range of 11 theoretical perspectives that have enriched research in the field across nominalist or realist ontologies, and agency or structure foci. We then turn to research on specific aspects of CPO research ranging from megaprojects to value across 15 topics. We close by exploring the implications of the new digital technologies for CPO research and the prospects for Project Organizing 4.0 in 7 chapters.