Turning narratives into collective action through projects

• Narratives need to be turned into commitments and collective actions. • Projects are the means of turning narratives into collective actions. • Commitments and sub-commitments result in collective actions. • A collective action helps to focus on shared identity. • Narrating and collective action constitute projecting. Narratives are to be turned into commitment and collective action to create a tangible impact and achieve set goals. In this essay a framework is developed that helps us to comprehend how narratives can result in collective action. The framework is applied in a project organising context that demonstrates the related processes of narrating, projecting, action through time, engaging stakeholders, and creating shared identity. A collective action perspective offers a theoretical lens to understand these processes. From this essay, the research agenda is provided, and broader practical implications are discussed.