Exploring the Complexity of Projects: Implications of Complexity Theory for Project Management Practice

CHAPTER 2

MAPPING—The Key Concepts from Complexity Thinking, Theory, and Science

As discussed in chapter 1, during the past few years, there has been an increasing tendency to draw attention to the particular challenges posed by complex projects. As a result, this chapter seeks to make a significant contribution to the discussion about complexity by reviewing the major ideas that have emerged in the past few decades from the school of academic studies that can be characterized as complexity science, and assessing their possible relevance to the disciplines of project management (Cooke-Davies, Cicmil, Crawford, & Richardson, 2007). Particular attention is paid to those ideas that are directly relevant to the social complexity created by and ...