Barriers and Enablers for Sustainability in Project Management - An exploratory study applying a paradox perspective

Abstract: The aim of this study is to expand the knowledge on how strategies, used by organisations to manage tensions related to sustainability, impact the role of project managers in bridging the gap between espoused sustainability values, and practical implementation in projects. Therefore, the relationship between barriers and enablers and different sustainability strategies are explored from a paradox perspective. An online survey and semi-structured interviews with project managers have been conducted and analysed through qualitative and quantitative measures. The results show that sustainability considerations are evidently neglected in the project scope, and a considerable gap between theoretical expectations and practice of the project manager’s role and intrinsic motivation for sustainable endeavours in projects persists. Further, the degree to which strategic sustainability objectives are effectively operationalised into project practice appears to be more significant than the overall organisational strategic approach to sustainability. The findings are presented in a proposed framework towards realising the full potential of projects and project managers as catalysts for sustainable development. “The test of a first-rate intelligence is the ability to hold two opposed ideas in mind at the same time and still retain the ability to function.” F. Scott Fitzgerald