Skip to main content

Research Repository

Advanced Search

Thinking is for doing: project cognition as the foundation of project behaviour.

Stingl, Verena; Gilchrist, Alicia; Lawani, Ama; Flin, Rhona; Zwikael, Ofer

Authors

Verena Stingl

Alicia Gilchrist

Ama Lawani

Ofer Zwikael



Abstract

Cognition, understood as the way the mind acquires, processes, and enacts information, is at the root of all behaviour. Yet, while the interest in behaviour in projects is increasing, these cognitive foundations are often disregarded or only haphazardly investigated in project research. This essay calls for a stronger engagement with cognition in projects, leveraging the insights from general and applied cognition sciences to explore, explain, and predict project behaviour. We emphasise that it is not differences in the thinking itself, but differences in the context in which the thinking is applied, that makes projects a relevant and distinct area in which to study cognition. To sketch a way forward, we establish key terms, illustrate phenomena from project behaviour which might benefit from a study through a cognitive lens, and introduce appropriate theories from cognitive science. The insights generated from such research with attention to 'project cognition' are particularly valuable for practice as they help to design project environments that align with how people in projects make sense of their world and interact with it.

Citation

STINGL, V., GILCHRIST, A., LAWANI, A., FLIN, R. and ZWIKAEL, O. 2025. Thinking is for doing: project cognition as the foundation of project behaviour. International journal of project management [online], 43(1), article number 102678. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijproman.2025.102678

Journal Article Type Article
Acceptance Date Jan 30, 2025
Online Publication Date Jan 31, 2025
Publication Date Jan 31, 2025
Deposit Date Feb 3, 2025
Publicly Available Date Feb 3, 2025
Journal International journal of project management
Print ISSN 0263-7863
Electronic ISSN 1873-4634
Publisher Elsevier
Peer Reviewed Peer Reviewed
Volume 43
Issue 1
Article Number 102678
DOI https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijproman.2025.102678
Keywords Project behaviour; Cognition; Information processing; Project management
Public URL https://rgu-repository.worktribe.com/output/2695369

Files




You might also like



Downloadable Citations