Gender and improvisation managerial situations in a project context: a comparative study between two countries (France-Senegal)
Abstract
This article is interested in the managerial approach of projects. Its purpose is to study the influence of gender when actors involved in projects face managerial situations that are sources of organizational improvisation. It starts from the triple observation of a emergence of several situations problematic and contextualized generated by the project activity and requiring new skills from the actors who are responsible for it, amasculinization of project management practices and a growing number of women who come to positions of power in projects.
We conducted a quantitative questionnaire survey of 377 project actors (including 84 in Senegal) who experienced 6107 managerial situations. After having constructed the variable "organizational improvisation" with the two variables "uncertainty" and "temporal pressure", the chi-square independence tests with the X-SAT solution made it possible to identify project management situations that organizational improvisation.Variance analyzes make it possible to note statistically insignificant gender differences when actors working in a project context face improvising situations. In the context of improvisation, the level of study of the actors interviewed plays a predominant role where age has very little influence.
Downloads
References
[2] Afnor, Norme X 50-115 (2001). Management de projet - présentation générale. révision 9.
[3] Barrett, F J. (1998). Creativity and improvisation in jazz and organizations: implications for organizational learning. Organization Science, 9 (5), 605–622.
[4] Buckle, P. et Thomas, J. (2003). Deconstructing project management: a gender analysis of project management guidelines. International Journal of Project Management, 21, 433–41.
[5] Chedotel, F. (2004). De la stratégie au management de l’équipe projet, comment prendre en compte les différentes facettes du temps ?XIIIe conférence de l’AIMS, Normandie. Vallée de Seine 2, 3 et 4 juin.
[6] Chedotel, F., Stimec, A. et Vignikin, A. (2015), Management des équipes projet : l’impact de la gestion des conflits et de l’improvisation organisationnelle sur la performance. Revue de gestion des ressources humaines, N°96, pages 24 à 41.
[7] Cunha, M P., Da Cunha, J.V. et Kamoche, K. (1999). Organizational improvisation: what, when, how and why? International Journal of Management Review, 1(3): 299–341.
[8] Davis, J P., Eisenhardt, K M. et Bingham, C B. (2009). Optimal Structure, Market Dynamism, and the Strategy of Simple Rules. Administrative Science Quarterly, vol. 54: p.413–452.
[9] Eagly, A. H. et Karau S.J. (2002). Role congruity theory of prejudice toward female leaders. Psychological Review, 109, 573-598.
[10] Eisenhardt, K M. et Tabrizi, B N. (1995). Accelerating adaptive processes-product innovation in the global computer industry. Administrative Science Quarterly, 40 (1), 84–110.
[11] Eisenhardt, K M. (1997). Strategic Decision Making as Improvisation, in Strategic Decisions: Context, Process and Outcomes, V. Papadakis and P. Barwise (Eds.). Kluwer Academic Publishers.
[12] Ely, R. et Padavic, I. (2007). A feminist analysis of organizational research on sex differences. Academy of Management Review, Vol. 32, N°4, p. 1121-1143.
[13] Evrard, Y., Pras, B. et Roux, E. (2003). MarketEtudes et recherches en Marketing. 3ième édition, Paris, Dunod.
[14] FERNANDEZ A. (2018), Le chef de projet efficace : 12 bonnes pratiques pour un management humain, Eyrolles (6e édition).
[15] Fourgeyrollas-Schwebel, D., Plante, C., Riot-Sarcey, M. et Zaidman, C. (dir.) (2003.). Le genre comme catégorie d’analyse. Sociologie, histoire, littérature. Paris, L’Harmattan.
[16] Galbraith, J R. (1974). Organization design: An information processing view. In KOLB, D.A., RUBIN, I.M. et McINTYRE, J.M. Organizational psychology: A book of readings. (2nd ed.),Oxford England : Prentice-Hall.
[17] Gale, A. et Cartwright, S. (1995). Women in project management: Entry into a male domain?: A discussion on gender and organizational culture-Part 1. Leadership and Organizational Development Journal, 16(2), 3–8.
[18] Garel, G., Giard, V. et Midler, C. (2001). Management de projet et gestion des ressources humaines.Papiers de Recherche GREGOR, 5.
[19] Garrido, D. (2001). Successful project management for women. PMI Seminars and Symposium Proceedings, Nov. 1- 2001 Nov. 10; AIPM (CDRom), USA: PMI.
[20] Gill, R. (2002). Cool, Creative and Egalitarian? Exploring Gender in Project-Based New Media Work in Europe. Information, Communication & Society, 5:1 70–89.
[21] Girin, J. (1990). L’analyse empirique des situations de gestion : éléments de théorie et de méthode. In Martinet A.-C. (éd.). Epistémologies et Sciences de Gestion, Paris, Economica.
[22] Henderson, L. et Stackman, R W. (2010). An Exploratory Study of Gender in Project Management: Interrelationships With Role, Location, Technology, and Project Cost. Project Management Journal, 1-19.
[23] Hmieleski, K M. et Corbett, A C. (2008). The contrasting interaction effects of improvisational behavior with entrepreneurial self-efficacy on new venture performance and entrepreneur work satisfaction. Journal of Business Venturing, 23: 482–496.
[24] Joffre, P., Auregan P., Chedotel, F. et Tellier, A. (2006). Le management stratégique par le projet.Economica.
[25] Journe, B. et Raulet-Croset, N. (2008), Le concept de situation : contribution à l'analyse de l'activité managériale en contextes d'ambiguïté et d'incertitude, M@n@gement/1 Vol. 11, p. 27-55.
[26] Leroy, D. (2006), Le recours à des structures temporaires de type projet est-il un vecteur de maturité managériale ? Une approche par les situations managériales, XVIIe Congrès de l’AGRH – Le travail au cœur de la GRH/ IAE de Lille et Reims Management School, 16 et 17 novembre, Reims.
[27] Leybourne, S. et Sadler-Smith, E. (2006). The role of intuition and improvisation in project management. International Journal of Project Management, 24, 483–492.
[28] Lindgren, M. et Packendorff, J. (2006). What’s new in new forms of organizing? On the construction of gender in project-based work. Journal of Management Studies, 43, 841–866.
[29] Neuhauser, C. (2007). Project manager leadership behaviors and frequency of use by female project managers. Project Management Journal, March. 21-31.
[30] Riveline, C. (1991). De l’urgence en gestion. Gérer et comprendre, mars, repris dans Problème économique, n°2235, juillet, p. 1-6
[31] Styhre, A. (2011). The overworked site manager: gendered ideologies in the construction industry. Construction Management and Economics, (September) 29, 943–955.
[32] Suchman, L. (1993). Situated Action : A Symbolic Interpretation. Cognitive Science, 17, p. 1-48.
[33] Vignikin, A. (2013). Les modalités de mobilisation d’une compétence improvisationnelle au sein d’une équipe projet.Thèse de doctorat en sciences de gestion, décembre, I.A.E de Tours.
[34] Vignikin A., Leroy D. etChedotel F. (2016), L’improvisation en tant que situation managériale ? comment évolue-t-elle durant la vie d’un projet ?, @GRH, n° 18, pp- 65-98.
[35] Weick, K E. (1995). Sensemaking in Organizations. Thousand Oaks, CA : Sage Publications.
[36] Weick, K E. (1998). Improvisation as a mindset for organizational analysis. Organization Science, 9 (5), 543–555.
[37] Yoder, J D. (2001). Making leadership work more effectively for women.Journal of Social Issues, 57 (4), 815-828.
TRANSFER OF COPYRIGHT
JRBEM is pleased to undertake the publication of your contribution to Journal of Research in Business Economics and Management.
The copyright to this article is transferred to JRBEM(including without limitation, the right to publish the work in whole or in part in any and all forms of media, now or hereafter known) effective if and when the article is accepted for publication thus granting JRBEM all rights for the work so that both parties may be protected from the consequences of unauthorized use.
