IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/bla/jomstd/v43y2006i4p841-866.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

What's New in New Forms of Organizing? On the Construction of Gender in Project‐Based Work

Author

Listed:
  • Monica Lindgren
  • Johann Packendorff

Abstract

abstract In several industries, projects are now the normal form of work for individuals. The consequences of project work have not so far been subject to critical inquiry, however. This implies inquiry not only on how people handle project work at work, it also means inquiring into how they live their lives when working by projects. In this paper, we study this from a constructionist gender perspective, in which project work is seen as an ongoing construction of patterns of femininity and masculinity in society. The aim of the paper is to contribute to an understanding of how project work is related to the ongoing construction of femininity and masculinity in the work and lives of human beings. From a narrative study of individuals in the same project team in an IT‐consultancy company, we discuss masculinization and femininization in project‐based work. It appears that current project work practices imply reproduction of masculinities such as rationality, efficiency, control, devotion to work etc, while femininization is instead found in the rhetoric of the organizational context and the expectations on newly recruited women. The organization was in the process of femininization through rhetoric on ‘family friendliness’, but everyday life for consultants was not spent at the organization but in project teams in the customers' offices. Projects are special in the sense that they are clearly delimited episodes of work in which it is possible to apply entirely different norms than ‘outside’ the project – which makes the tendency to reproduce traditional masculinities even stronger.

Suggested Citation

  • Monica Lindgren & Johann Packendorff, 2006. "What's New in New Forms of Organizing? On the Construction of Gender in Project‐Based Work," Journal of Management Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 43(4), pages 841-866, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:bla:jomstd:v:43:y:2006:i:4:p:841-866
    DOI: 10.1111/j.1467-6486.2006.00613.x
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-6486.2006.00613.x
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1111/j.1467-6486.2006.00613.x?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Gabriel, Yiannis, 2000. "Storytelling in Organizations: Facts, Fictions, and Fantasies," OUP Catalogue, Oxford University Press, number 9780198297062, Decembrie.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Helen Clare Lingard & Valerie Francis & Michelle Turner, 2010. "The rhythms of project life: a longitudinal analysis of work hours and work-life experiences in construction," Construction Management and Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 28(10), pages 1085-1098.
    2. Sage, Daniel & Dainty, Andrew & Brookes, Naomi, 2013. "Thinking the ontological politics of managerial and critical performativities: An examination of project failure," Scandinavian Journal of Management, Elsevier, vol. 29(3), pages 282-291.
    3. Ferratti, Gustavo M. & Sacomano Neto, Mario & Candido, Silvio E.A., 2021. "Controversies in an information technology startup: A critical actor-network analysis of the entrepreneurial process," Technology in Society, Elsevier, vol. 66(C).
    4. Juras, Ana, 2019. "Competency Profile of Project Team Members – Interplay with Team Dynamics and Project Success," 7th International OFEL Conference on Governance, Management and Entrepreneurship: Embracing Diversity in Organisations (Dubrovnik, 2019), in: 7th International OFEL Conference on Governance, Management and Entrepreneurship: Embracing Diversity in Organisations. April 5th - 6th, 2019, Dubrovn, pages 272-286, Governance Research and Development Centre (CIRU), Zagreb.
    5. Evelyn Micelotta & Marvin Washington & Iva Docekalova, 2018. "Industry Gender Imprinting and New Venture Creation: The Liabilities of Women’s Leagues in the Sports Industry," Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, , vol. 42(1), pages 94-128, January.
    6. Sieben, Barbara & Braun, Timo & Ferreira, Aristides I., 2016. "Reproduction of ‘Typical’ gender roles in temporary organizations—No surprise for whom? The case of cooperative behaviors and their acknowledgement," Scandinavian Journal of Management, Elsevier, vol. 32(1), pages 52-62.
    7. Saleem Gul & Muhammad Nouman, 2009. "Time Flux: An Examination Of Non-Temporal Considerations In Projects," Business & Economic Review, Institute of Management Sciences, Peshawar, Pakistan, vol. 1(1), pages 40-46, April.
    8. Yavuz Korkmazyurek, 2022. "Does Project Citizenship Behavior Leads Network Expansion? Gender-Based Comparison," SAGE Open, , vol. 12(2), pages 21582440221, April.
    9. Augustsson Gunnar & Rasmusson Maria, 2018. "Regular and Temporary Employees in Project Organized Business Pay Different Attention to Preconditions for Learning," Organizacija, Sciendo, vol. 51(2), pages 97-110, May.
    10. Stefano Armenia & Rosa Maria Dangelico & Fabio Nonino & Alessandro Pompei, 2019. "Sustainable Project Management: A Conceptualization-Oriented Review and a Framework Proposal for Future Studies," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(9), pages 1-16, May.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Per Engelseth & Richard Glavee-Geo & Artur Janusz & Enoch Niboi, 2020. "The Emergent Nature of Networked Sustainable Procurement," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(1), pages 1-18, December.
    2. Arfan Khalid, 2011. "Effect of Organizational Change on Employee Job Involvement: Mediating Role of Communication, Emotions and Psychological Contract," Information Management and Business Review, AMH International, vol. 3(3), pages 178-184.
    3. Cliff Oswick, 2014. "A Study of Case Studies: Some Reflections and Projections on the Narrative Structuring of Management Cases," South Asian Journal of Business and Management Cases, , vol. 3(1), pages 7-14, June.
    4. Kevin Morrell, 2008. "The Narrative of ‘Evidence Based’ Management: A Polemic," Journal of Management Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 45(3), pages 613-635, May.
    5. Beattie, Vivien, 2014. "Accounting narratives and the narrative turn in accounting research: Issues, theory, methodology, methods and a research framework," The British Accounting Review, Elsevier, vol. 46(2), pages 111-134.
    6. Sörgärde, Nadja, 2020. "Story-dismantling, story-meandering, and story-confirming: Organizational identity work in times of public disgrace," Scandinavian Journal of Management, Elsevier, vol. 36(3).
    7. Jerzy Kociatkiewicz & Monika Kostera, 2015. "Into the labyrinth : tales of organizational nomadism," Post-Print hal-02423775, HAL.
    8. Jerzy Kociatkiewicz & Monika Kostera, 2023. "Longing as learning, learning as longing: insights and improvisations in a year of disrupted studies," Post-Print hal-03735974, HAL.
    9. Jean-Philippe Bouilloud & Ghislain Deslandes & Guillaume Mercier, 2019. "The Leader as Chief Truth Officer: The Ethical Responsibility of “Managing the Truth” in Organizations," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 157(1), pages 1-13, June.
    10. Marcus T. Wolfe & Dean A. Shepherd, 2015. "What do you have to Say about That? Performance Events and Narratives’ Positive and Negative Emotional Content," Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, , vol. 39(4), pages 895-925, July.
    11. W. E. Douglas Creed, 2003. "Voice Lessons: Tempered Radicalism and the Use of Voice and Silence," Journal of Management Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 40(6), pages 1503-1536, September.
    12. Czarniawska, Barbara, 2008. "Humiliation: A standard organizational product?," CRITICAL PERSPECTIVES ON ACCOUNTING, Elsevier, vol. 19(7), pages 1034-1053.
    13. Ian Fillis & Ruth Rentschler, 2010. "The Role Of Creativity In Entrepreneurship," Journal of Enterprising Culture (JEC), World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd., vol. 18(01), pages 49-81.
    14. Dirk Holtbrügge, 2013. "Indigenous Management Research," Management International Review, Springer, vol. 53(1), pages 1-11, February.
    15. Andrea Kampmann & Burkhard Pedell, 2022. "Using Storytelling to Promote Organizational Resilience: An Experimental Study of Different Forms of Risk Communication," Schmalenbach Journal of Business Research, Springer, vol. 74(4), pages 695-725, December.
    16. Michela Arnaboldi & Irvine Lapsley, 2010. "Asset management in cities: polyphony in action?," Accounting, Auditing & Accountability Journal, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 23(3), pages 392-419, March.
    17. Valérie-Inès de La Ville & Eléonore Mounoud, 2015. "A Narrative to Approach to Strategy as Practice: strategy making from texts and narratives," Post-Print halshs-01390100, HAL.
    18. Dan Wang & Zhongyuan Zhang, 2022. "Disassembling the influences of perceived family relational conflict on business family offspring’s intrapreneurial intentions," International Entrepreneurship and Management Journal, Springer, vol. 18(1), pages 153-189, March.
    19. Guo, Ken H., 2018. "The odyssey of becoming: Professional identity and insecurity in the Canadian accounting field," CRITICAL PERSPECTIVES ON ACCOUNTING, Elsevier, vol. 56(C), pages 20-45.
    20. John Luhman & Andy Nazario, 2015. "Alienation, Police Stories, and Percival," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 130(3), pages 665-681, September.

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:bla:jomstd:v:43:y:2006:i:4:p:841-866. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Wiley Content Delivery (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.blackwellpublishing.com/journal.asp?ref=0022-2380 .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.