RSM Seminar Series: Professor Jennifer Whyte

Speaker: Professor Jennifer Whyte
Title: Making Futures: Insights from Project-Based Organising 
Date: Tuesday, 18 August 2026
Time: 12:00pm – 2:00pm
Venue: Building 24, Copland, Room 1106, RSM Seminar Room

Ian Elsum is the host of this visit 

Abstract: 

How are futures made in organisations? This seminar explores how decisions taken in organisations make futures that matter to society. Focusing on project-based organising, the seminar examines how organisations and communities navigate the uncertainty of the not-yet, how values inform their imagined futures, and why some futures become realised while others do not. It traces the development of this research from a long-standing interest in visual representations and design in organisations, illustrates these ideas by drawing on recent empirical studies of projects in the Sydney megaproject ecology, and considers how AI and digitalisation are transforming future-making practices. Together, this work shows how projects make organisational and societal futures in an era of digital transformation and increasing uncertainty.

Bio: 

Jennifer Whyte is a Professor at the University of Sydney in the School of Project Management. Her research focuses on future-making through project-based organising, leadership and collaboration in complex projects, and how digital innovation is transforming those practices. Jennifer is also a Professor at Imperial College London. She has advised governments, industry leaders, and international organisations on future-focused strategies, serving on the main board of the UK Construction Leadership Council and co-curating the World Economic Forum transformation map for engineering and construction. Her work has been published in leading journals including Journal of Management Studies, Long Range Planning, Organization Theory, Organization Studies, Project Management Journal, Research Policy and Strategic Organization. She is a Senior Editor at Organization Studies.