A BOUNDARY CRITIQUE OF GENDER IN THE PROJECT MANAGEMENT BODY OF KNOWLEDGE®

Abstract

The Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK®) is a document describing appropriate reasoning styles and behaviour for project managers. As a codified “body of knowledge,” it acts as a knowledge system for the profession. This codification is tacitly gendered, privileging masculine cognition and action. We examine how this tacit value system has de-legitimized certain feminine contributions to the profession, leaving them outside its boundaries of recommended practice. This boundary critique advocates on behalf of our emancipatory interests in improving the effectiveness of individual project managers, and the success of the profession itself.