Improvisation and the coexistence of conflicting megaproject notions: an analysis of Denmark's Signalling programme

Purpose This article examines how two competing notions of a project are operationalised in practice within a megaproject. The study investigates how these notions are operationalised through actors' responses to uncertainty. The aim is to provide an empirical account of how actors manage competing theoretical notions of project – also known as the Fifth hand – in practice. Design/methodology/approach A qualitative single-case study of Denmark's Signalling programme, a national megaproject implementing the European Rail Traffic Management System, was conducted. The study adopts Taleb's concept of stress test and organisational improvisation as analytical lenses. Unexpected events are treated as stressors, and improvisational responses are analysed as expressions of underlying project notions. Findings Flyvbjerg's and Hirschman's notions of project, which are theoretically presented as mutually exclusive, coexist in practice and operate simultaneously through different types of improvisational responses to uncertainty within a megaproject. These two notions emerge within the same stakeholder group and project phase, depending on how uncertainty is interpreted. Based on our findings, we reframe the Fifth hand as a framework in which all notions can coexist, interact and complement each other. Research limitations/implications The research is limited to a single case within the railway modernisation projects. Further comparative studies across different megaproject contexts are welcomed. The study contributes to the Fifth hand by reawakening a basic understanding of the world, the lived experience of delivering megaprojects in practice. Practical implications The findings suggest that megaproject governance should distinguish between uncertainties that require recovery and those that reveal capability gaps. Performance assessment of megaprojects should extend beyond time, cost and scope to include capability development and the institutionalisation of useful improvisations. Social implications The study challenges conventional assessment of megaprojects by showing that the value of megaprojects may emerge not only from planned outputs but also from the capabilities and organisational changes generated in response to uncertainty. Thus, there is a need to reconsider how megaprojects are assessed in public and policy contexts. Originality/value The article contributes to the Fifth hand literature by showing how the two theoretically competing project notions are operationalised in practice through improvised action, providing empirical grounding for further theorisation of the Fifth hand.