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Project managers (PMs) face competing tensions between environmental, social, and economic considerations in their projects.These sustainability tensions encompass contradictory yet interrelated elements and can be seen as paradoxical e.g., tensions between realising a project’s economic benefits while at the same time investing in a sustainable supply chain to minimise environmental impact. PMs find it challenging to achieve both economic and environmental objectives simultaneously, a problem that becomes even more challenging in the context of complex projects. Meanwhile, recent studies have highlighted the potential of the Project Management Office (PMO) to foster sustainability in projects, yet the role of PM and PMO in navigating sustainability tensions is still unexplored. The current research project aims to uncover strategies to manage sustainability tensions in complex projects and to better understand the role of PMs and PMO in navigating these tensions. The study has three related research questions: (1) How do PMs navigate sustainability tensions in complex projects? (2) What is the role of PMO in supporting PMs to navigate sustainability tensions? (3) How do the joint efforts of PMs and PMO help navigate sustainability tensions in complex projects? This research project uniquely brings together the latest research on paradox management and sustainability in projects to explore approaches for navigating sustainability tensions in complex projects, focusing on two distinct actors – PMs and PMO. A key outcome will be a set of guidelines for PMs to develop their ability to navigate project sustainability tensions. Project Lead: Dr Anne Marie Halton | anne.halton@qut.edu.au |