Individual perceptions of complex projects: A window into project team and stakeholder mental models

Abstract

Understanding the current state of a complex project is challenging but essential for project teams to make effective management decisions. This research explores whether the indirect elicitation and comparison of mental models measured through individual level perceptions can encourage project team double loop learning about a complex project to inform management decisions. The best-worst scaling object case method was applied at the individual level to measure system-wide perceptions of two case study projects, demonstrating its efficacy in capturing team and stakeholder perceptions, and measuring how these change over time. Analysis of the case studies showed that highlighting the differences in mental models uncovered using the best-worst scaling object case method at the individual level can facilitate double loop learning and prompt management decisions about complex projects.