Title: Is open-sourcing the future for project management?: critical thinking in social networking

Authors: Emad Rahim, Amine Ayad, Robert W. Zapf

Addresses: Morrisville State College, Charlton Hall 112, P.O. Box 901, Morrisville NY, 13408, USA. ' Strayer University, 8425 Pulsar Place, Columbus, OH 43240-2079, USA. ' Colorado Technical University, Ste E, 4435 North Chestnut Street, Colorado Springs, CO 80907-3895, USA

Abstract: The purpose of this mixed, quantitative and qualitative study was to examine the future of project management (PM) in the light of the rapid expansion of online social networks. Qualitative data were extracted from numerous PM virtual platforms and analysed via the hermeneutics tradition in studying the text and its interpretation. Perspectives of 66 PM experts and PM students were gathered by a survey. Descriptive statistics was used to analyse the survey. Findings indicate the practice of PM continues to evolve where PM concepts and solutions are being shared freely. Copyright regulations as well as the PMI Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct are being violated with little or no recourse. This represents opportunities and threats to the science and to the practice of PM.

Keywords: project management; open source; social networks; ethics; knowledge management; copyright; code of ethics; code of professional conduct.

DOI: 10.1504/IJPOM.2010.033657

International Journal of Project Organisation and Management, 2010 Vol.2 No.2, pp.109 - 121

Published online: 15 Jun 2010 *

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