**Project Management and Learning: The Learning Project Project**

**Project Management and Learning: The Learning** 

DOI: 10.5772/intechopen.72051

#### Alfonso J. Gil and Mara Mataveli Additional information is available at the end of the chapter

Alfonso J. Gil and Mara Mataveli

Additional information is available at the end of the chapter

http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.72051

#### **Abstract**

Learning is the key to project management, for the reason that much of the success of a project lies in adapting to the changing environment of any project. The key to change lies not in individual learning, but in the learning of the group that integrates the project, what would be called project learning. The objective of this work is to propose a learning project, a project that can adapt to the changing environments that are generated in the project management. Following the proposals of the so-called learning organizations, a "learning project" model is proposed, which is based on four key components: project leadership, project culture, project structure, and related to the learning opportunities with the project (training for the project). The work ends with a few recommendations toward the management of human resources in project management.

**Keywords:** organizational learning, management learning, project learning, culture, leadership, training

#### **1. Introduction**

Internationalization, the changing needs of customers, intense competition and technological changes, and, consequently, uncertainty and complexity are outstanding environmental characteristics that are currently faced by project managers. To remain competitive and viable, projects need to adjust to implement changes continually. For [1], there is an organizational need to manage projects correctly, as well as learning from successes and failures, capturing, disseminating, and applying lessons learned in project development, in other words, improving organizational learning in project management. References to organizational learning derive from the strategy theory and refer to the ability an organization has to renew its competencies as a dynamic capability [2]. Organizational learning has also been identified as one

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© 2016 The Author(s). Licensee InTech. This chapter is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons

of many factors of success in project management [3, 4]. Besides, organizational learning is a necessary tool for managing uncertainty in projects [5] and may allow for the accumulation and preservation of experience in project implementation [6].

However, organizational learning in projects does not occur regularly, and when it does, the expected results are not always achieved [7, 8]. The focus of learning is on individual learning but does not lead to project learning.

This work aims at proposing a project model that improves learning. It is intended to indicate some key points that serve as a reference for the development of projects and to lay a foundation from which to generate optimal projects, where people can develop their potential for the success of the project. It is an ideal project and a reference model for managers who intend to make learning an essential element in project management. In other words, it is about moving towards a "learning project". A project learns when the performance of the tasks that its members execute individually or collectively improves continuously, either because they improve the procedures or for a greater use of the resources concerning the objectives of the project, but, also, when this improvement accumulates in the "project memory" to be transferred to other projects or works. For this situation to consolidate, there must be a series of premises or foundations that ensure a sustainable learning such as there is a culture toward learning, there is an atmosphere of cooperation between people, the leadership of change and learning is valued and developed, and there is a comprehensive information system.

This paper addresses first a general reflection on orientation about learning in projects; second, group learning, which can help to recognize how learning occurs in the projects; third, a learning project model that is proposed; and four, the approached work contributions to project management.

## **2. Learning orientation in project management**

Learning orientation has been seen as a value of the organization, which affects not only the organizational development but also the creation and knowledge transfer and the innovation [9, 10]. Strategic management academics consider the orientation of learning as a distinctive type of strategic direction and management philosophy that is viewed as a process in which knowledge and information are communicated and disseminated throughout the organization, which helps employees to improve their skills and abilities [11]. More specifically, the learning orientation toward the learning of members of a team refers to the group members' propensity to focus on learning, acquire new skills, master new situations, and develop competencies [12, 13]. Individuals with a dispositional learning orientation view their competence as malleable and focus on mastery of tasks [14], the disposition learning orientation focuses on distal and general purposes, and goal setting emphasizes the objectives of a task at a particular level [15]. The general learning orientation focuses on distal and general purposes, and goal setting highlights the objectives of a task at a given level.

In the area of project management, it has been pointed out that, although the content of a project may have a temporary characteristic, the organization of the project is the source and the result of learning [16]. In fact, it has been emphasized that learning helps organizations to adapt their governance structures to maximize the performance of their projects [17], especially if it is taken into account that the transfer of learning is of great importance for any organization that aims at improving its capacity to implement interdisciplinary projects [18].

of many factors of success in project management [3, 4]. Besides, organizational learning is a necessary tool for managing uncertainty in projects [5] and may allow for the accumulation

However, organizational learning in projects does not occur regularly, and when it does, the expected results are not always achieved [7, 8]. The focus of learning is on individual learning

This work aims at proposing a project model that improves learning. It is intended to indicate some key points that serve as a reference for the development of projects and to lay a foundation from which to generate optimal projects, where people can develop their potential for the success of the project. It is an ideal project and a reference model for managers who intend to make learning an essential element in project management. In other words, it is about moving towards a "learning project". A project learns when the performance of the tasks that its members execute individually or collectively improves continuously, either because they improve the procedures or for a greater use of the resources concerning the objectives of the project, but, also, when this improvement accumulates in the "project memory" to be transferred to other projects or works. For this situation to consolidate, there must be a series of premises or foundations that ensure a sustainable learning such as there is a culture toward learning, there is an atmosphere of cooperation between people, the leadership of change and learning is valued and developed, and there is a comprehensive

This paper addresses first a general reflection on orientation about learning in projects; second, group learning, which can help to recognize how learning occurs in the projects; third, a learning project model that is proposed; and four, the approached work contributions to

Learning orientation has been seen as a value of the organization, which affects not only the organizational development but also the creation and knowledge transfer and the innovation [9, 10]. Strategic management academics consider the orientation of learning as a distinctive type of strategic direction and management philosophy that is viewed as a process in which knowledge and information are communicated and disseminated throughout the organization, which helps employees to improve their skills and abilities [11]. More specifically, the learning orientation toward the learning of members of a team refers to the group members' propensity to focus on learning, acquire new skills, master new situations, and develop competencies [12, 13]. Individuals with a dispositional learning orientation view their competence as malleable and focus on mastery of tasks [14], the disposition learning orientation focuses on distal and general purposes, and goal setting emphasizes the objectives of a task at a particular level [15]. The general learning orientation focuses on distal and general purposes, and goal setting highlights the objectives of a

and preservation of experience in project implementation [6].

**2. Learning orientation in project management**

but does not lead to project learning.

46 Human Capital and Competences in Project Management

information system.

project management.

task at a given level.

Also, two aspects related to learning orientation and management of project teams have been identified. First, time pressure has been positively associated with the orientation of learning through intrinsic motivation [19]. Ref. [20] indicated that team members could often see the need to do something quickly or make many things happen simultaneously. Under these circumstances, moderate levels of time pressure could be endogenous to the team members' project, which would lead them to feel positively challenged and to be more involved in learning within the project. Second, learning orientation has been associated with creativity through intrinsic motivation as one of the factors that precisely trigger creativity [21, 22]. In fact, learning orientation plays the role of a motivational process through which intrinsically motivated team members can engage in learning activities, resulting in creative outcomes [23]. Therefore, the effect that time pressure has on creativity is assumed to be positively mediated by learning orientation.
