Governance in a crisis and the decision to replace the project manager

Abstract

This article explores the concept of governance behaviors during project crises, which demand rapid responses. Grounded in the Cynefin model for decision-making and inspired by Iftikhar et al., (2021), we sought to explore in greater detail the challenge of a particular and common response to crisis: project manager replacement. We address governance as essentially a two-level function: sensemaking under crisis conditions and offering guidance within the critical early stages of project manager replacement, when the need for governance is crucial. Finally, this article offers some guidance for the employment of governance within different Cynefin complexity domains for maximizing effective replacement steps.