Anna Jerbrant

Research Focus: Managing Emergent Project and Programs for Grand Challenges

Anna Jerbrant’s recent research investigates the management and governance of complex, multi-stakeholder projects and programs aimed at tackling societal "grand challenges," such as climate change and sustainable transportation. Since 2015 she has been engaged in follow-up research in Sweden's High-Capacity Transport (HCT) program. Through that in-depth, longitudinal case study her research has explored the dynamics of value creation, organization design, and collaboration across public and private sectors.

Anna Jerbrant’s research focuses on the intersection of project management, organization design, and sustainability transitions. Her foundational research addresses the "resource allocation syndrome" in multi-project organizations. She investigates the dynamic interplay between simultaneous projects, highlighting how competition for resources, personnel, and attention requires sophisticated management strategies beyond simple scheduling. Her work underscores that successful multi-project management relies on adaptive coordination and the ability to manage the interdependencies between temporary projects and the permanent organization.

Her research investigates how multi-stakeholder programs and project-based organizations (PBOs) navigate the complexities of "grand challenges" such as climate change, sustainable transportation, and infrastructure planning.

Key themes and contributions from som of her recent publications include:

Knowledge Ecosystems Emergence

Her research with Hetemi and Ritala published in research Policy explains how knowledge ecosystems bridge initial governance voids. The research propose a process model where ecosystems evolve into meta-organizations through three sequential elements—participation, identity, and actorhood—enabled by discursive and performative practices to facilitate collective knowledge search.

Value Pathways in Emergent Programs

Her research with Hetemi, Söderlund, and Pemsel published in the California Management Review introduces a process model for understanding how "emergent programs" evolve to create societal value. Unlike traditional linear projects, these programs develop organically through three interconnected value pathways.

Project-Oriented Agency in Sustainability Transitions

Her research with Hetemi, Pemsel, and Söderlund published in the International Journal of Project Management explores how projects serve as vehicles for bridging experimental "niches" with mainstream "regimes" to drive system-wide change. The research contrasts two distinct types of project-oriented agency; emergent agency and induced agency.

Alignment of Organization Design and Value Processes

Her research with Miterev and Feldmann published in the International Journal of Project Management examines how the organizational design of a program must adapt throughout its lifecycle to support distinct value processes. The research demonstrates that misalignments between a program’s structure (e.g., control modes, funding, and boundaries) and its current value phase (Definition, Creation, or Capture) can hinder success.