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Metaphor as a means to constructively influence
behavioural interactions in project teams
A thesis submitted in fulfilment of the requirements
for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy
Arthur William Shelley
Bachelor of Science
Master of Science
School of Property, Construction and Project Management
RMIT University
16th April 2012
The Dragon Boat is a metaphoric representation of the behaviours in a project (Shelley 2007)
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Declaration
I certify that except where due acknowledgement has been made, the work is that of the
author alone. The work has not been submitted previously, in whole or in part, to qualify for
any other academic award. The content of the thesis is the result of work which has been
carried out since the official commencement date of the approved research program and ethics
procedures and guidelines have been approved and followed. Any editorial work, paid or
unpaid, carried out by a third party is acknowledged.
Arthur William Shelley
Date: 16 April, 2012
Copyright statement
This work is copyright ©Arthur Shelley 2011
Apart from use permitted by the Copyright Act of 1968, no part of this work can be
reproduced or stored in a document management system (electronic or hardcopy) without the
written permission of the author.
Permission is granted to RMIT University to store in the Australian Thesis Repository and
make it available for the purpose of personal study.
Permissions for other purposes can be obtained from: arthur@organizationalzoo.com
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Acknowledgements
I would like to acknowledge the following people for their support of this work without which
it could not have been completed to a professional standard:
Professor Derek Walker for being my mentor and guide throughout the PhD program and for
his encouragement and enthusiasm for this research. He provided terrific guidance and
insights, knowing just when to challenge and when to support in the right balance. Derek has
been an inspiration to many postgraduate students over a long time and thoroughly deserves
his international reputation as a dedicated supporter of some of the more creative approaches
to developing the profession of project management. I personally would never have
embarked on this research if it had not been for his support and encouragement before, during
(and no doubt after) this work, through what has developed into both professional respect and
friendship.
Dr Tayyab Maqsood for his advice and support as second supervisor. His insights on the
structure of the thesis and feedback during editing were invaluable and he was always willing
to hear out and provide insightful challenges to an idea when I suddenly appeared in his
doorway.
Individual and organisational research subjects for support of the research and allowing the
data to be used in this publication. Although you remain anonymous, you know who you are
and appreciate the journey that has happened to us as we explored this action research
learning experience together. Quality ethical research cannot be done without willing
participants who actively participate and share their reflections and their time.
Members of the Organizational Zoo Ambassadors Network who have actively participated
in the discussions about new techniques and developments of the ideas since before this PhD
research began. Your practical insights and investment of your own time to this voluntary
mentoring group has helped significantly and created some terrific ‘Conversations That
Matter” around how to enhance team dynamics using behaviours.
Joy, Cathy and Helen (my family) who have tolerated me disappearing for long periods to
complete iterative cycles of read, reflect, plan, design, discuss, implement, analyse,
synthesise, write and then reflect again. Hopefully, my much more active reappearance in
your lives will also be tolerated and perhaps even welcomed now I can claim to “officially”
understand more deeply how to behave and interact with others through this research! Also
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worth of mention is the support of Jack and Tasha (my loyal canine friends) who were
constant companions on my study rug as I wrote and accompanied me on my many caffeine
fuelled reflection breaks in the back yard. Rascal being the typical feline, visited when it
suited him (perhaps more for the warmth of the over used computer late at night than the
personal support? After all, that is classic feline).
In addition Derek and Tayyab, several friends and colleagues generously agreed to read the
penultimate draft of my thesis and provided valuable feedback and challenges. So a big thank
you goes to each of you: Baqir Khan, Erica Hallebone, Tibor Novak, Helen Mitchell and
Andy Shaw. It is always a pleasure to interact with you all.
There is also a wider and less obvious group who deserve to be acknowledged in what is
rapidly becoming a much more connected world. Today we interact with many more people
than we realise and we influence them and they influence us, both consciously and
subconsciously. These are people we chat with at conferences, in virtual spaces and through
other exchanges such as written, podcast, vodcast and social media, both directly and
indirectly. These interactions around the research often provide a different perspective or
challenge one to look a little deeper, encouraging us to engage in richer and more meaningful
learning experiences that makes the PhD so much more valuable.
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Table of Contents
ABSTRACT ............................................................................................................................ 8
LIST OF TABLES.................................................................................................................. 9
LIST OF FIGURES.............................................................................................................. 10
LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS USED IN THIS THESIS .................................................... 11
AUTHOR PUBLICATIONS AND PRESENTATIONS .................................................... 12
CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION........................................................................................ 15
1.1 CHAPTER INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................. 15
1.2 RATIONALE, PRIOR EXPERIENCES AND CONTEXT ......................................................... 21
1.3 PROBLEM (OPPORTUNITY) STATEMENT ........................................................................ 25
1.4 RESEARCH OBJECTIVES .................................................................................................. 26
1.5 RESEARCH QUESTIONS .................................................................................................... 27
1.6 RESEARCH APPROACH AND LIMITATIONS ..................................................................... 28
1.7 LITERATURE FOUNDATIONS FOR RESEARCH APPROACH .............................................. 31
1.8 THESIS STRUCTURE ......................................................................................................... 35
1.9 CHAPTER SUMMARY ....................................................................................................... 37
CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW ............................................................................ 40
2.1 CHAPTER INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................... 40
2.2 PERFORMANCE, INFLUENCE AND BEHAVIOUR .............................................................. 41
2.3 METAPHOR AS A TOOL ................................................................................................... 44
2.4 METAPHOR TO ENABLE CONVERSATION ....................................................................... 51
2.5 BEHAVIOURAL PROFILING TO UNDERSTAND TEAM ENVIRONMENTS ........................... 52
2.6 INFLUENCING TEAM MEMBERS AND STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT ............................ 55
2.7 PROJECT SUCCESS: OUTPUTS AND OUTCOMES FOR PM PROFESSIONALS .................... 58
2.8 CHAPTER SUMMARY ....................................................................................................... 63
CHAPTER 3 METHODOLOGY AND RESEARCH DESIGN ....................................... 64
3.1 CHAPTER INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................... 64
3.2 LINK BETWEEN THE PROBLEM/OPPORTUNITY AND THE RESEARCH
QUESTIONS/APPROACH .................................................................................................. 65
3.3 CHOICE OF THE RESEARCH PARADIGM .......................................................................... 65
3.4 RESEARCH PARADIGM .................................................................................................... 70
3.5 RESEARCH METHODS ...................................................................................................... 75
3.6 RESEARCH DESIGN .......................................................................................................... 76
3.6.1 SELECTION OF ORGANISATIONS FOR RESEARCH............................................................ 77