EDEN Conference – SKEMA Business School

Theme: The well-rounded “post-COVID” project manager: competencies for a sustainable future

Project management has always been at the center of change in civilizations, industry and society. In keeping with these industrial, social and technological revolutions, the discipline of project management has also evolved (Dalcher, 2022; Maylor, 2006; Morris, 2009; Uchitpe et al, 2016; Whyte et al, 2022). This year’s EDEN Doctoral Seminar invites contributions on scholarly project management and related research and especially research that challenges the status quo and takes stock of the role and competencies required of upcoming project managers in the light of new global trends:

• The need to work under greater uncertainties than ever before – pandemics, geopolitical unrest, isolation, virtual-hybrid team contexts, chronic organizational change and new business models (Cappella, 2020; Finn et al, 2020).
• The need to be able to adapt at speed with agility and responsiveness (McKinsey, 2015; Sivaraman and Raczka, 2017; Thiry, 2015).
• The need to innovate new working methods, products and services with a sustainable and ethical mindset (Armenia et al, 2019; Geissdoerfer, Vladimirova, and Evans, 2018; Tharp, 2012).
• A growing need to learn effectively (Boser, 2018; Eltigani et al, 2020; KPMG, 2020; Nichol, 2011).
• A willingness to engage in transformation everywhere aided by digital and AI technologies (Brock and Von Wangenheim, 2019; Giraud et al, 2021; Quade, Wynn & Dawson, 2022).
• A growing need to be able to self-manage and stay well (wellbeing) – body, mind and spirit (Barnett et al, 2007; Ferraro, 2007; Neal and Harpham, 2017).

The seminar has two aims:

1. To provide a forum for doctoral students in project and organisational performance management from Europe and around the world, where they can share experiences of their doctoral journey and exchange information on:

• empirical research and theoretical paradigms
• research methodologies
• literature reviews and research findings on project and organisational performance management to inform their studies

2. To explore with doctoral students new directions and new approaches for research in the field of project and organisational performance management.

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