TY - JOUR
T1 - Practitioner development
T2 - From trained technicians to reflective practitioners
AU - Crawford, Lynn
AU - Morris, Peter
AU - Thomas, Janice
AU - Winter, Mark
PY - 2006/11
Y1 - 2006/11
N2 - The EPSRC funded Rethinking Project Management Network produced several insights into new directions for project management theory and practise, highlighting gaps between current theory and practise in several areas. This paper reviews the discussions around project management practitioner development that arose out of this rethinking process where project management is seen as growing from a predominantly technical skill-set to a broader practise of reflectively managing the things needed to provide a successful project outcome. In particular, the paper identifies and addresses the challenges of developing competent project managers in a world exhibiting increasingly complex project challenges, and when skilled resources at all levels are often increasingly scarce. We provide examples of practical and academic initiatives that are designed to address these challenges: internal assessment and development programs, reflective practice thesis, and distance-based critical management MBA. We conclude by speculating on some of the further challenges in developing reflective practitioners that have yet to be resolved.
AB - The EPSRC funded Rethinking Project Management Network produced several insights into new directions for project management theory and practise, highlighting gaps between current theory and practise in several areas. This paper reviews the discussions around project management practitioner development that arose out of this rethinking process where project management is seen as growing from a predominantly technical skill-set to a broader practise of reflectively managing the things needed to provide a successful project outcome. In particular, the paper identifies and addresses the challenges of developing competent project managers in a world exhibiting increasingly complex project challenges, and when skilled resources at all levels are often increasingly scarce. We provide examples of practical and academic initiatives that are designed to address these challenges: internal assessment and development programs, reflective practice thesis, and distance-based critical management MBA. We conclude by speculating on some of the further challenges in developing reflective practitioners that have yet to be resolved.
KW - Critical pedagogy
KW - Project management careers
KW - Project manager education
KW - Reflective practise
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=33750945472&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.ijproman.2006.09.010
DO - 10.1016/j.ijproman.2006.09.010
M3 - Journal Article
AN - SCOPUS:33750945472
SN - 0263-7863
VL - 24
SP - 722
EP - 733
JO - International Journal of Project Management
JF - International Journal of Project Management
IS - 8
ER -