Is there a “project myopia”? Revisiting the project stakeholder perspective

Abstract

Scholars in the field of project management are suggesting that it is now time to move away from a project-centric approach towards a more stakeholder-centric approach. In this article we suggest that the field of project management, perhaps, is dealing with a ‘myopia’ and needs to move away from ‘project’ and make ‘stakeholders’ the main unit of analysis as projects need to deliver to continuously growing stakeholder expectations. In this conceptual paper, we examine the existing literature to identify techniques for effective stakeholder analysis in project management. Our proposal for future research is guided by the idea of engaged scholarship which fosters engagement of researchers and practitioners to address any knowledge gaps in the field of project management.