Uppsatspriset 2015

Uppsatspriset 2015

Inför 2015 års uppsatspris inkom 15 bidrag från nio olika lärosäten. Juryn ser med tillfredsställelse på spridningen mellan lärosäten och noterar att både samhällsvetenskapliga och tekniska fakulteter är representerade. Uppsatserna handlar om ett antal aspekter av projektarbete, allt från samverkans- och ledarskapsfrågor till projektportföljhantering.

På grund av den höga kvaliteten i de inskickade arbetena gjorde juryn urvalet i tre steg. I en första granskning valdes de uppsatser ut som hade hög ämnesrelevans för Akademiens intresseområden. Efter denna granskning återstod tio uppsatser. I en andra granskning valdes särskilt förtjänta uppsatser – med mycket hög ämnesrelevans och med särskilt intressanta resultat – ut till en finalomgång. Bland de fyra finalisterna utsågs sedan en vinnande uppsats och ytterligare en tilldelades ett hedersomnämnande.

Uppsatspriset 2015/National thesis award 2015:

The National Thesis award is given to Alfred Park and Luminita Popescu, Jönköping International Business School (JIBS).
In the master thesis “Master thesis Park & Popescu” the authors explore the leadership of project managers in a virtual setting, focusing on the challenges to virtual leadership, on trust building, and task- and relationship-oriented leadership behaviour for perceived project success. The study reveals that technology affects communication through low synchronicity and social presence; cultural differences affect how team members perceive project goal achievement, and task-related conflicts have a positive impact on effectiveness. Moreover, trust was initially achieved through creating a unifying purpose for the members, whereas along the development of a project, the influence project leaders had on trust was often limited to the temporary nature of projects.The thesis is well written, well aligned both to current research frontiers and practical needs and a showcase of impressive methodological and analytical abilities.

Hedersomnämnande/Highly commended award:

Ana Cristina de la Campa Ahedo and Cordula Schwenke, Umeå School of Business (USBE) for the thesis “Professionalization of project management: A professional identity perspective”. In this theoretically advanced thesis, the authors contribute to the understanding of professionalization of Project Management and careers by applying a professional identity perspective on Project Management graduates. To address this objective, the Project Management graduates’ perceptions of Project Management under the traditional professionalization theory perspective, the individual’s professional identity in terms of professional identification, and the role of Project Management in their professional identity construction, were explored. The thesis is based on cutting-edge research literatures and is an example of excellent methodological and analytical abilities.

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