“Towards Stronger Theorising of Temporary Organising”

Call for Papers – Special Collection: “Towards Stronger Theorising of Temporary Organising”

Journal: International Journal of Project Management
Publisher: Elsevier
Submission deadline: 31 May 2026

Overview

This special collection—published by Elsevier—aims to strengthen the theoretical foundations of temporary organizing. Recognizing that project-based work and temporary arrangements are becoming increasingly central to the modern economy, this collection invites researchers to move beyond fragmented views and develop robust, interdisciplinary theories. The goal is to facilitate a "two-way scholarly exchange" that integrates project studies with broader management and organization theories, ultimately driving greater scholarly and practical impact.

Key Research Themes

• Delineating Boundaries: Exploring the distinctions and relationships between projects, temporary organizations, and permanent organizational structures in modern business.

• 4T-Framework Advancements: Assessing the impact of Lundin and Söderholm’s (1995) 4T-framework and identifying opportunities for more fine-grained, processual conceptualizations.

• Process & Relational Ontologies: Developing research approaches that utilize strong processual or relational ontologies to capture the fluid, adaptive nature of temporary organizing.

• Reframing & Cross-disciplinary Integration: Strategies for engaging in meaningful cross-disciplinary collaborations that result in fundamental theoretical departures and knowledge integration.

Submission Details

• Submission window: Open now through 31 May 2026.

• Submission portal: https://www.editorialmanager.com/jpma/Default.aspx

• Special Instructions: You must select the article type “SI: Theorizing temporary Organizations” during the submission process to ensure your manuscript is correctly routed.

• Submission Note: Authors are strongly encouraged to adhere to contemporary practices for qualitative (e.g., Martinsuo & Huemann, 2021) and quantitative (e.g., Pesämaa et al., 2021) research to ensure rigorous theoretical contributions.

Guest Editor Team

• Mohsin Malik, Swinburne University of Technology (mmalik@swin.edu.au)

• Maude Brunet, HEC Montréal

• Catriona M. Burke, University of Limerick

• Jörg Sydow, Free University of Berlin

Why This Issue Matters

Despite the prevalence of projects, the theoretical underpinnings of temporary organizing remain underdeveloped and fragmented. This special collection—published by Elsevier—acts as a platform for collaborative theoretical advancement, inviting scholars to reconsider our common lines of inquiry and engage in "meaningful cross-disciplinary collaborations" that elucidate new pathways for knowledge integration and societal impact.

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