Separation or integration? A dilemma when organizing development projects

Project organizations are often used as tools for accomplishing change in other organizations, which in most cases are their parent organizations. The relationship between these organizations is, consequently, crucial for the implementation of the development activities. This relationship, however, has not been given sufficient attention in contemporary literature on projects. This article has two main purposes: First, to develop a model which may be used for analyzing the relationship between development projects and their parent organizations, particularly the degree of detachment between the involved organizations. The second purpose is to clarify in what way the linkage between the development project and the permanent organization influences the conditions for the implementation of the project’s result. Based on an analysis of case studies conducted in human service organizations, we conclude that implementation depends on how the distinction between the project and permanent organization is originally defined. Project managers thus face a dilemma when organizing development projects; they either organize to accomplish innovation, or to achieve successful implementation.