This important and timely book provides a systematic treatment of temporary organizations - an increasingly prevalent organizational form in which organizations work together on a joint task - for example, a movie production, a rescue operation, development of a new product - for an ex ante limited period of time. Demonstrating that temporary organizations are increasingly common, the book provides insights on how they differ from the classical organization and contributes to our understanding of what makes temporary organizations effective. Contributions by reputed organization scholars focus on the impact that this limited duration has on the way that temporary organizations structure their activities, organize work, use resources and achieve outcomes. Moreover, the tenability of various organizational concepts and theories for temporary contexts is examined and some unique phenomena inherent to temporariness are explored. Researchers interested in organizational design and project management scholars will warmly welcome this book, as will graduate students in organization studies, management studies, public policy studies, leisure studies, public administration and students of project management.

Some 20 years after the emergence of configurational theory as a key perspective in organization studies in the 1990s, this approach has yet to deliver on its promise. While we know that configurations the relative arrangement of parts and elements - matters, empirical research on configurations is just beginning to deliver on its promise.