Thinking is for doing: Project cognition as the foundation of project behaviour

IF 7.5 1区管理学 Q1 MANAGEMENT

International Journal of Project Management Pub Date : 2025-01-01 DOI:10.1016/j.ijproman.2025.102678

Verena Stingl , Alicia Gilchrist , Ama Lawani , Rhona Flin , Ofer Zwikael

{"title":"Thinking is for doing: Project cognition as the foundation of project behaviour","authors":"Verena Stingl , Alicia Gilchrist , Ama Lawani , Rhona Flin , Ofer Zwikael","doi":"10.1016/j.ijproman.2025.102678","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Cognition, understood as the way the mind acquires, processes, and enacts information, is at the root of all behaviour. Yet, while the interest in behaviour in projects is increasing, these cognitive foundations are often disregarded or only haphazardly investigated in project research. This essay calls for a stronger engagement with cognition in projects, leveraging the insights from general and applied cognition sciences to explore, explain, and predict project behaviour. We emphasise that it is not differences in the thinking itself, but differences in the context in which the thinking is applied, that makes projects a relevant and distinct area in which to study cognition. To sketch a way forward, we establish key terms, illustrate phenomena from project behaviour which might benefit from a study through a cognitive lens, and introduce appropriate theories from cognitive science. The insights generated from such research with attention to ‘project cognition’ are particularly valuable for practice as they help to design project environments that align with how people in projects make sense of their world and interact with it.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48429,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Project Management","volume":"43 1","pages":"Article 102678"},"PeriodicalIF":7.5000,"publicationDate":"2025-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"International Journal of Project Management","FirstCategoryId":"91","ListUrlMain":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0263786325000055","RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"管理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q1","JCRName":"MANAGEMENT","Score":null,"Total":0}

引用次数: 0

Abstract

Cognition, understood as the way the mind acquires, processes, and enacts information, is at the root of all behaviour. Yet, while the interest in behaviour in projects is increasing, these cognitive foundations are often disregarded or only haphazardly investigated in project research. This essay calls for a stronger engagement with cognition in projects, leveraging the insights from general and applied cognition sciences to explore, explain, and predict project behaviour. We emphasise that it is not differences in the thinking itself, but differences in the context in which the thinking is applied, that makes projects a relevant and distinct area in which to study cognition. To sketch a way forward, we establish key terms, illustrate phenomena from project behaviour which might benefit from a study through a cognitive lens, and introduce appropriate theories from cognitive science. The insights generated from such research with attention to ‘project cognition’ are particularly valuable for practice as they help to design project environments that align with how people in projects make sense of their world and interact with it.

查看原文本刊更多论文

思考是为了行动：项目认知是项目行为的基础

认知被理解为大脑获取、处理和执行信息的方式，是所有行为的根源。然而，尽管对项目行为的兴趣正在增加，但这些认知基础往往被忽视，或者只是在项目研究中随意调查。这篇文章呼吁在项目中更强地参与认知，利用来自一般和应用认知科学的见解来探索、解释和预测项目行为。我们强调，不是思维本身的差异，而是思维应用环境的差异，使项目成为研究认知的相关和独特领域。为了勾勒出前进的道路，我们建立了关键术语，说明了从项目行为中可能受益于认知视角研究的现象，并从认知科学中引入了适当的理论。从这些关注“项目认知”的研究中产生的见解对实践特别有价值，因为它们有助于设计与项目中人们如何理解他们的世界并与之互动相一致的项目环境。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

求助全文

约1分钟内获得全文求助全文

来源期刊

International Journal of Project Management MANAGEMENT-

CiteScore

12.30

自引率

26.20%

发文量

审稿时长

59 days

期刊介绍： The International Journal of Project Management is recognized as a premier publication in the field of project management and organization studies. Our main objective is to contribute to the advancement of project management and project organizing through the publication of groundbreaking research. We are dedicated to presenting fresh insights and new knowledge in various domains, including project management, program management, portfolio management, project-oriented organizations, project networks, and project-oriented societies. We actively encourage submissions that explore project management and organizing from the perspectives of organizational behavior, strategy, supply chain management, technology, change management, innovation, and sustainability. By publishing high-quality research articles and reviews, we strive to revolutionize the academic landscape and propel the field of project management forward. We invite researchers, scholars, and practitioners to contribute to our journal and be a part of the progressive development in this exciting field.