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Governance of Organizational Project Management and Megaprojects Using the Viable Project Governance Model

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Handbook of Systems Sciences

Abstract

This chapter applies a systems lens to the governance of projects, megaprojects (which are major undertakings, typically in infrastructure development), and Organizational Project Management (OPM), which is the integration of all project-related activities in an organization. The chapter provides an overview of systems thinking in the governance literature and relates it to the layers of an OPM model to outline the architecture of OPM systems in respect of Stafford Beer’s viable systems model (VSM). It then addresses megaprojects as a further viable system, something quite different from the normal organizational perspective. A case study from a real-life megaproject exemplifies the theoretical findings for practical use. The chapter ends with a reflection on the new insights to project governance when employing a viable systems perspective. This includes identification of specific governance issues for better project results, such as adjustment of steering groups to the variability of project outcomes, as well as less dominance of symbolism at VSM systems 4 and 5, combined with more realistic planning at systems 1 and 2, followed up by system 3 in megaprojects.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Leadership and Organizational Behaviour, BI Norwegian Business School, Oslo, Norway

    Ralf Müller

  2. University of Quebec in Montreal and KHEOPS, International Research Consortium on the Governance of Large Infrastructure Projects, Montreal, QC, Canada

    Nathalie Drouin

  3. School of the Built Environment, University of Technology Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia

    Shankar Sankaran

Authors
  1. Ralf Müller
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  2. Nathalie Drouin
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  3. Shankar Sankaran
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Ralf Müller .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. InterConnections, LLC, Ashland, KY, USA

    Gary S. Metcalf

  2. Graduate School of Decision Science and Technology, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Meguro-ku, Tokyo, Japan

    Kyoichi Kijima

  3. CABSSS, Tokyo Institute of Technology CABSSS, Yokohama, Kanagawa, Japan

    Hiroshi Deguchi

Section Editor information

  1. School of the Built Environment, University of Technology Sydney, Sydney, Australia

    Shankar Sankaran

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Müller, R., Drouin, N., Sankaran, S. (2021). Governance of Organizational Project Management and Megaprojects Using the Viable Project Governance Model. In: Metcalf, G.S., Kijima, K., Deguchi, H. (eds) Handbook of Systems Sciences. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-15-0720-5_14

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