Faculty of Arts and Sciences, 
        Thesis No. FiF-a 89 
                          
                                 
                                 
                                 
                                 
                                 
                                 
                                 
                                 
                                 
                                 
                         Human Resource Management 
                        in Project-Based Organisations: 
                                    Challenges and Changes 
                                 
                                 
                                 
                                 
                                 
                                 
                                               Karin Bredin 
                                 
                                 
                                 
                                 
                                 
         
                                 
                               2006 
                     Department of Management and Economics
                    Linköpings universitet, SE-581 83 Linköping 
                                 
                           
                           
                           
                           
                           
                           
                           
                           
                           
                           
                           
                           
                           
                           
                           
       
       
       
                           
                           
                           
                           
                           
                           
                           
                           
                           
                           
       
       
      ©   Karin Bredin, 2006 
       
       
      ISBN: 91-85497-36-3 
      ISSN: 1401-4637 
       
       
      Printed by: LiU-Tryck, Linköping 
       
      Distributed by: 
      Linköpings universitet 
      Department of Management and Economics 
      SE-581 83 Linköping, Sweden 
      Tel: +46 13 281000, fax: +46 13 281873 
       
       
                     ABSTRACT 
       
      This thesis is about human resource management (HRM) in project-based 
      organisations. Firms have over the last decades tended to rely 
      increasingly on project-based structures. This process of projectification 
      implies a changed work situation for individuals in modern 
      organisations. Researchers from the project field of research as well as 
      from the HRM field of research have pointed to possible implications that 
      projectification might have for HRM. This thesis explores this area 
      through a combination of multiple, comparative, and single case studies 
      of project-based organisations. The studies aim at identifying and 
      analysing the changes and challenges for HRM in this particular context.  
       
      The studies are presented in four separate papers. The findings suggest a 
      number of important and empirically nested challenges related to 
      Competence, Trust, Change, and Individuals. Moreover, the changing 
      roles of HR departments and line managers in the overall HR 
      organisation are discussed and analysed. The thesis proposes alternative 
      roles for line managers, depending on the organisational context, and it 
      also proposes two ’ideal types’ of HR-departmental structures. 
       
      Keywords: HRM, project-based organisations, projectification, HR 
      department, line manager, competence, trust, change, individual