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Wiggle Room in Practice: Project Managers Navigating Paradoxes Through Collaboration

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: Project managers in interorganizational projects face paradoxes arising from competing demands from the parent and project organizations. Through a longitudinal research approach of eight infrastructure operation and maintenance projects across two case studies, we explore how project managers navigate these paradoxes through formal and informal collaboration. The study finds that public project managers practice contractual wiggle room to informally negotiate with private project partners, and that a formalization of collaboration risks disrupting well-functioning informal practices. These findings highlight the importance of recognizing the role of informal collaboration and ensuring procurement strategies remain adaptable to project-level conditions.

Source: Project Management Journal

DOI: 10.1177/87569728251372519

Authors: Emilia Nilsson Vestola, Susanna Hedborg

Institutions: Luleå University of Technology, Uppsala University

Language: English

Topic: Construction Project Management and Performance

Subfield: Management Science and Operations Research

Field: Decision Sciences

Domain: Social Sciences

Open Access status: hybrid

Estimated APC paid: $3,900

Funder: Trafikverket