Socio-political dynamics and complexity of organisational change projects: Approaching projects as a contested and negotiated space

In considering the contextual aspects of organizational change projects, it is notable that consideration of the sociopolitical dynamics within the pre-initiation phase is largely neglected in current theorization. In practice, a project manager is often allocated to projects post-scoping where the focus is on governance and execution; often with little understanding of the real problem statement and the socio-political dynamics of the project context. This paper provides a critical review of the current state of research relating to organizational change projects and argues that increased attention to understanding the wider socio-political context within the front-end of projects would likely influence the fundamental boundaries of the project management discipline and the role of project management practitioners. In doing so, the paper outlines a research agenda to inform future empirical work on the pre-initiation phase of organizational change projects.