Activity Theory Perspective for Project Management Research in the Built Environment

Abstract

This paper presents a conceptual perspective that will assist project management professionals in the development of its theoretical underpinning framework. There is a need for a unified theory of project management with links embedded in all aspects of the profession, be it in the humanities or sciences. Management science tradition and the social science tradition are considered to be incompatible on important issues, although project management skills are founded from these two disciplines. This conceptual unified perspective is based on activity theory (AT). The implications of using activity theory within project management (PM) for the built environment, its conceptual formulation and benefits for use in PM is presented in this paper.