Branding and governmentality for infrastructure megaprojects: The role of social media

Ninan, J; Clegg, S; Mahalingam, A

Branding and governmentality for infrastructure megaprojects: The role of social media

Ninan, J

Clegg, S

Mahalingam, A

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Publication Type:: Journal Article
Citation:: International Journal of Project Management, 2019, 37 (1), pp. 59 - 72
Issue Date:: 2019-01-01

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Field	Value	Language
dc.contributor.author	Ninan, J https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0255-0511	en_US
dc.contributor.author	Clegg, S https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6083-4283	en_US
dc.contributor.author	Mahalingam, A	en_US
dc.date.available	2018-10-28	en_US
dc.date.issued	2019-01-01	en_US
dc.identifier.citation	International Journal of Project Management, 2019, 37 (1), pp. 59 - 72	en_US
dc.identifier.issn	0263-7863	en_US
dc.identifier.uri	http://hdl.handle.net/10453/134707
dc.description.abstract	© 2018 Elsevier Ltd, APM and IPMA This paper explores subtle strategies that megaproject teams develop in practice to manage stakeholders external to the project team. A governmentality approach is used to account for these strategies. A metro rail megaproject in India provides the case for the study. The strategies were identified through a content analysis of 640 project and non-project based Tweets posted by the metro rail organization. We augmented this dataset with the community's response through social media, as well as through semi-structured interviews that captured the project teams' responses. The findings indicate that the megaproject used various strategies: promoting the organization, giving progress updates, appealing to the community, as well as targeting of specific sections of the population. The effect of these attempts at governmentality through branding were observed in community discourses on social media platforms that echoed the strategic discourses projected by the megaproject while interviews enabled us to access the project team's responses. For the project community, the effects included a positive brand image, creating community brand advocates and building support for the project during contentious episodes. For the project team, the effects included job attraction, enhanced job perception as well as the creation of project team brand advocates. The relation between the governmentality instruments and their corresponding effects are theorized in six propositions.	en_US
dc.relation.ispartof	International Journal of Project Management	en_US
dc.relation.isbasedon	10.1016/j.ijproman.2018.10.005	en_US
dc.rights	info:eu-repo/semantics/embargoedAccess
dc.subject.classification	Building & Construction	en_US
dc.title	Branding and governmentality for infrastructure megaprojects: The role of social media	en_US
dc.type	Journal Article
utslib.citation.volume	1	en_US
utslib.citation.volume	37	en_US
utslib.for	1202 Building	en_US
utslib.for	1505 Marketing	en_US
utslib.for	12 Built Environment and Design	en_US
utslib.for	15 Commerce, Management, Tourism and Services	en_US
pubs.embargo.period	Not known	en_US
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney/Faculty of Business
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney/Faculty of Business/Management Discipline
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney/Faculty of Engineering and Information Technology
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney/Faculty of Engineering and Information Technology/School of Information, Systems and Modelling
utslib.copyright.status	open_access	*
utslib.copyright.embargo	2022-01-02T00:00:00+1100
pubs.issue	1	en_US
pubs.publication-status	Published	en_US
pubs.volume	37	en_US

Abstract:

© 2018 Elsevier Ltd, APM and IPMA This paper explores subtle strategies that megaproject teams develop in practice to manage stakeholders external to the project team. A governmentality approach is used to account for these strategies. A metro rail megaproject in India provides the case for the study. The strategies were identified through a content analysis of 640 project and non-project based Tweets posted by the metro rail organization. We augmented this dataset with the community's response through social media, as well as through semi-structured interviews that captured the project teams' responses. The findings indicate that the megaproject used various strategies: promoting the organization, giving progress updates, appealing to the community, as well as targeting of specific sections of the population. The effect of these attempts at governmentality through branding were observed in community discourses on social media platforms that echoed the strategic discourses projected by the megaproject while interviews enabled us to access the project team's responses. For the project community, the effects included a positive brand image, creating community brand advocates and building support for the project during contentious episodes. For the project team, the effects included job attraction, enhanced job perception as well as the creation of project team brand advocates. The relation between the governmentality instruments and their corresponding effects are theorized in six propositions.

Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item:

http://hdl.handle.net/10453/134707