Managing through Projects in Knowledge-based Environments

Knowledge-based competitive advantage erodes if it is not continually refreshed. Organisations increasingly rely on projects to enhance their knowledge-base through specific project deliverables such as new products and technologies. But, to do this, projects must go beyond the specific deliverables for which they are designed, and also become sites and opportunities for the creation, mobilisation and integration of knowledge. In this article we argue that projects interact with the organisation’s knowledge base primarily through three key activities: (a) by mobilising knowledge that is needed to meet project objectives; (b) by creating knowledge within and through the project; and (c) by integrating knowledge during the project. We further argue that these knowledge-related activities take place at multiple levels of the organisation. Specifically, they occur at the interorganisational level when multiple organisations work together, at the intraorganisational level where different functions and business units are called to support and collaborate on projects, at the interproject level where populations of projects share and exchange knowledge, and at the intraproject level where knowledge is bound up with team and leadership dynamics. We use examples from the Special Issue to illustrate different project-related knowledge activities and different organisational levels at which these activities take place. This analysis helps to illuminate the wider range of roles which projects may play in exploiting knowledge within and between firms. A number of practical implications flow from this analysis. We conclude with reflections on the evolution of projects as key sites for improving the competitive performance of the organisation.