The Governance of Synergies and Conflicts in Project Management: The Case of IPA Project RecoURB

In recent years, public and private organisations have carried out international cooperation projects that contributed in a relevant way to the development of local systems in transition countries, thereby increasing the interests of scientific communities, project managers, and entrepreneurs through the experiences derived from these initiatives. This paper analyses and discusses the role of synergies and conflicts in the governance of projects. It outlines the results of the research on RecoURB project, which was submitted within the Adriatic Cross- Border Cooperation Programme IPA. This case study represents an example of project planning in which governance manages the network of stakeholders. Among the project stakeholders, the interests of each unit can produce either a state of conflict or synergy. The hypothesis of this paper is that whether there is a state of conflict or synergy depends on the connections among units in previous projects. Furthermore, the tension between the two potential states of synergy or conflict in itself pushes systems towards increasing complexity within the governance model and can also produce the organisational resources needed for concluding the project. That is, the ‘conflict of interests’ among project stakeholders leads to adequate, effective, and efficient coordination, as can be seen, for example, in the network and in the use of ICTs.