Dancing in the white spaces: Exploring gendered assumptions in successful project managers' discourse about their work

Janice Lynne Thomas, Pamela Buckle-Henning

Research output: Contribution to journalJournal Articlepeer-review

30 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

By design, bodies of knowledge capture and influence best working practices. Gendered assumptions based on masculine cognitive styles are predominant in the Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK) [PMI. Project Management Body of Knowledge. Project Management Institute 1996]. This study investigates the assumptions and cognitive styles embedded in successful project managers' discussions of their working practices. Both male and female project managers exhibit sophisticated skill in balancing masculine and feminine cognitive styles and attribute their success to "dancing in the white spaces" between the lines laid out by the PMBOK. This raises important questions about the role of the PMBOK in training and certifying project managers.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)552-559
Number of pages8
JournalInternational Journal of Project Management
Volume25
Issue number6
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Oct. 2007

Keywords

  • Cognitive styles
  • Discourse
  • Gender
  • Project management
  • Project manager skills

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