Stages in project managers’ careers: Learning and growth opportunities

Despite the extensive literature on career development and project management, there is no standalone systematic review examining the career paths of project managers based on academic studies. To fill this gap, we summarize a sample of papers selected from a systematic literature review (SLR), involving research papers published from 1985 to 2019. Based on a review of this literature, we: (1) Characterize three stages within the careers of project managers, namely start-career, interaction-career, and end-career; (2) Use Selye's general adaptation syndrome (GAS) model to link stages and intra-stage periods with learning and growth opportunities for project managers. We enhance our study through a focus group of 18 senior project managers in order to obtain a richer picture of the career path landscape. Our study adds a new theoretical dimension to career path planning for project managers. It can also benefit organizations in designing their talent management structures for project managers and serve the academic community by providing valuable insights into research on the careers of project managers over time.     

Designing and implementing a career path for project managers

Many project managers do not feel adequately respected and compensated for their work. They often see their role as a temporary one and focus more on their advancement in traditional leadership career paths. Although a lot has been done with respect to qualification and certification programs for project managers, the special role of motivation and retention of project managers has not extensively been researched in the past. Moreover, human resource management has neglected career possibilities and career design for project managers so far. Consequently, our research builds on different streams of research from human resource management, project management, and motivational theory to identify the key ingredients for a project managers' career path. A qualitative study with 20 companies that have already implemented a project managers' career path has been conducted. The findings of this research are used to derive key success factors for the design and implementation of a project managers' career path.     

From outpost to outback: project career paths in Australia

With the growth in project management as a form of work organisation in many sectors of the economy has come the significant rise in the number of project managers and project team members. This change in work organisation brings issues in forging career paths and determining career support in work situations that are often dynamic, short lived and intense. In the relatively small but substantially robust Australian economy, a unique labour market and the tyranny of distance bring their own difficulties. Innovative and collaborative project structures and increasing prevalence of contract work provide both challenges and opportunities for new career pathways in many industries. A growing percentage of Australia's workforce is employed in project-based or project-oriented organisations, leading to the claim that Australia is a project-based economy. This provided a context for our research into the career paths and the issues of career management for project managers working in a project based economy. Using in-depth interviews with project managers from three industry areas we found generational and gender differences in experiences of work, workplace support and mentoring for career development. For a continued strong performance in this economy, organisations that employ project personnel will need to consider how they will ensure the supply of high quality project professionals into the future.     

Expatriate management in Australian multinational enterprises

Globalization, uncertain domestic markets and increasing competition are encouraging construction firms to internationalize. Although expatriates are commonly used by many construction companies to establish and manage overseas operations, there has been little research into the challenges of managing these people. Through case studies of five Australian construction firms and semi-structured interviews with 10 human resource managers and 36 expatriates, the question of how construction firms select, deploy, develop and support expatriate managers on overseas projects is explored. The results show that firms tend to adopt a highly pragmatic approach to expatriate recruitment and see the process as a logistical rather than a developmental challenge. Selection processes are often reactive, ad hoc and intuitive and based more on technical knowledge than softer behavioural skills and knowledge. Preparation for expatriate assignments is often outsourced, many expatriates feel unsupported while overseas, repatriation is poorly managed and overseas assignments are often seen as a barrier to career progression rather than an investment. These findings are at odds with contemporary research in international human resource management and are important because a major determinant of international project performance is effective human resource management. The findings also contribute to the design of better expatriate human resource management systems.     

Great expectations and hard times: The paradoxical experience of the engineer as project manager

While tensions between technical and management functions in organisations have long been recognised, very little research examines this relationship empirically in light of the emergence of project management as an (apparently) attractive career route for engineers and other technical specialists. This paper empirically explores these tensions, identifying various contradictions between the discursive legitimation of project management and the lived experience of project managers. Drawing on a series of structured group discussions with project managers from a range of industrial sectors with an engineering background, the paper illustrates the tensions implicit in the transition from technical specialist to project manager, and provides empirical evidence of the conflict between discourses which extol the importance and value of project management as an organisational imperative and the far more mundane experiences of project management as practiced in the real world, posing fundamental questions about the status and influence of project management in contemporary organisations.     

Book review

In response to impending skills shortages and changing employment patterns, the UK construction industry recently has made considerable efforts to attract more women to its professions. However, despite their increasing representation, there are indications that women experience difficulties in developing their careers within the industry. This research investigated the careers of men and women working for large construction companies, in order to establish the gender determined influences on women's career progression. A primarily qualitative methodology was employed for the research, in which career profiles were developed through ethnographic interviews with 41 matched pairs of male and female employees. This allowed the gender specific determinants of careers to be established across a range of different organizations, and from informants at different vocational and life-cycle stages. The analysis resulted in the formulation of a set of eight interrelated theoretical models, from which a theory of women's career development was constructed. The theory reflects the belief that the construction workplace is a competitive and conflictual environment, where women are overtly and covertly discriminated against by men, who use structural systems to undermine their participation. The women interviewed were found to have dealt with these barriers in a way which perpetuated existing work cultures. If reflected throughout the industry, this would suggest the existence of a self-fulfilling cycle of women's continued under-achievement. The paper puts forward the radical proposition that women should not be attracted to the industry unless steps are taken to moderate its exclusionary and discriminatory culture.     

How do project management competencies change within the project management career model in large Chinese construction companies?

Due to the increasing complexity and flexibility of business activities, project-based organizations have become common. In such organizations, project management competencies, which refer to a collection of knowledge, personal attitudes, skills, and relevant experience, are core assets that must be taken seriously. Formalized project management career paths have been widely implemented in the construction industry. However, most recent studies treat project management competencies as static constructs and fail to consider their dynamic changes as a career path advances. To fill this gap in the literature, this study conducted an empirical examination of project management competencies integrated with a career model for the construction industry. First, key project management competencies are identified through a literature review. Then, a project management career model for large Chinese construction companies is developed based on an empirical investigation of six large Chinese construction companies from various sectors. Moreover, a quantitative analysis is performed to explore how these competencies dynamically change as position levels rise in the career model. The research findings indicate that significant differences in project management competencies exist at different levels of the career model. However, the distribution remains steady at different project management position levels for conceptual and organizational competencies, human competencies, and technical competencies.     

Housing Careers: Immigrants in Local Swedish Housing Markets

Immigration to Sweden has changed character between the 1960s and today. Early immigration occurred as a response to labour market need whereas immigrants arriving during the last decade have had difficulties entering the labour market. The aim of this study is to analyse the housing careers of different immigrant groups within different local housing markets. The housing careers of immigrant groups are then compared and related to the housing career of the total population. Earlier studies have shown that the year of immigration is of importance for the type of housing career made as well as the cultural distance between the immigrant group and the Swedish population. The immigrants included in this study have arrived from Finland, ex-Yugoslavia, Chile, Africa, Iran and Turkey, representing the three different phases of immigration to Sweden. The analyses here show that both the structure of the local housing market and time spent in Sweden are important to the housing careers of immigrants.     

Job crafting in project management: Implications for project success and career satisfaction

There is growing evidence that project managers are a heterogeneous group of people. Practitioners hold competing perspectives of project managing and have increasingly greater agency in the choice of tools and method used in their roles. Using job crafting theory, we contribute to the literature on project management careers by measuring how, and to what extent, project managers customise their jobs to better fit their motives, strengths and passions. Job crafting involves self-initiated behaviours that shape, mould, and change job design to better suit the individual. Using structural equation modelling and a sample of IT project managers (N = 245) the objectives of the paper seek to i) establish whether one's perspective of project management predicts job crafting behaviour, ii) explore how job crafting is used in project management and, iii) ascertain whether the benefit of job crafting is individual, project-based or both. The findings show that a value creation perspective of project management predicts job crafting behaviour. A performative link between task crafting and project success is established which in turn impacts long term career satisfaction. In contrast, relational crafting by project managers positively contributes to job satisfaction, but does not support project success.     

A proposal for construction project risk assessment using fuzzy logic

The construction industry is plagued by risk and often has suffered poor performance as a result. There are a number of risk management techniques available to help alleviate this, but usually these are based on operational research techniques developed in the 1960s, and for the most part have failed to meet the needs of project managers. In this paper, a hierarchical risk breakdown structure representation is used to develop a formal model for qualitative risk assessment. A common language for describing risks is presented which includes terms for quantifying likelihoods and impacts so as to achieve consistent quantification. The relationships between risk factors, risks and their consequences are represented on cause and effect diagrams. These diagrams and the concepts of fuzzy association and fuzzy composition are applied to identify relationships between risk sources and the consequences for project performance measures. A methodology for evaluating the risk exposure, considering the consequences in terms of time, cost, quality, and safety performance measures of a project based on fuzzy estimates of the risk components is presented.     

Housing Careers of Minority Ethnic Groups: Experiences,Explanations and Prospects

The housing careers of minority ethnic groups is an under-researched topic. Filling this knowledge gap is important for several reasons. Increased knowledge within this field may help explain the disadvantaged position of minority ethnic groups in housing markets in cities on different continents. Policy strategies can be formulated when it is known whether minority ethnic groups have specific preferences or suffer from specific barriers in the housing market. In this introduction to this special issue on the housing careers of minority ethnic groups, attention is paid to the concept of housing career and the definition of minority ethnic groups in different countries. The focus of the main part of the paper is the identification of factors affecting the course of housing careers in general and those of minority ethnic groups in particular.     

Factors influencing the choice of solution-specific business models

Services are receiving an increasing amount of attention in project-based firms. This has led project suppliers to employ new business models; the project supplier can offer services as an additional component of the project or take full responsibility for the operation and maintenance of the facility throughout its life-cycle. In this paper, we build on the idea that within the context of project-based firms, assessing business models requires a solution level of analysis which implies services as integral parts of project offering. We analyze business models in five solutions that were delivered by a power plant supplier firm. The evidence clearly demonstrates that there are variations in business models at the solution level. The paper further contributes to existing research by empirically identifying factors that influence the choice of business model for a particular solution. Finally, we formulate propositions on how these identified factors influence the choice of a business model for an individual solution.     

Educating project managers for the construction industry in Australia

The results of research in Australia and overseas into the education of project managers for the construction industry are presented. An analysis is made of the results of this research. This analysis is compounded with other source data and conclusions drawn on the formal and informal education of project managers for the construction industry.     

Human resource management and project based organizing: Fertile ground,missed opportunities and prospects for closer connections

We explore publishing trends regarding HRM and PBO in the main journals in the field of project management to highlight key empirical and theoretical contributions during the period 1996–2016. We offer three contributions to the field of project management. The first is theoretical where we analyze twenty years of research in key project management journals by adapting and extending the framework of Wright and Boswell (2002), and identifying categories of HRM research at three levels of analysis. This analysis provides an overview integrating exemplary research to date on the HRM-PBO link at different levels, showing areas where research is well-developed and also areas that, while promising, have not been examined in a systematic manner to date.Our second contribution is that we highlight a variety of theoretical as well as methodological resources from the HRM field that can be applied in project studies and in so doing promote cross-fertilization of ideas and approaches between these two fields.Finally, a key managerial contribution is that we introduce the project as a temporary organization level of analysis, explicitly making visible HRM practices on the project. This can guide both HRM practitioners, and project managers, in terms of the importance of projects as sites for human resource management and employment activities including careers, employee participation and employment relations all of which are critical issues and deserve more attention.     

Three domains of project organising

It has become axiomatic in research on project organising that projects are temporary organisations. Yet there are a number of challenges to this axiom: research on matrix organisation, the embeddedness of projects in project ecologies, and projectification all emphasise the relationship of the project to permanent organisations. Similarly, research on project-based firms and owner organisations which are relatively permanent challenges this axiom. This paper develops a conceptual framework which defines three domains of project organising: project-based firms; projects and programmes; and owners and operators as its principal theoretical contribution. This conceptual framework draws our attention to two important new areas for future research in project organising. The first is at the interfaces between the three domains of project organising: commercial, resourcing, and governance. The second is on project organising as temporary configurations of permanent organisations in coalitions to deliver particular outputs.     

Islamic perspectives on conflict management within project managed environments

The purpose of this paper is to examine Islamic perspectives on conflict management within project managed environments. Existing research does not reveal any study that examines empirically the Islamic viewpoint on conflict management in contemporary organisational contexts but does indicate that conflict in Islam is considered to be inevitable and a part of human nature, and, if managed properly, is positive and constructive. This paper aims to address this gap, by presenting an empirical analysis of Islamic models of conflict management. It is argued that the three Islamic models discussed, are partially and covertly in existence in environments not traditional to their own. Consequently, the paper finds that there is scope for investigating explicit applied aspects to these Islamic models. The paper concludes that existence of Islamic models for conflict management is visible and has potential for application by project managers without limitation.     

Estimate at Completion for construction projects using Evolutionary Support Vector Machine Inference Model

Construction projects are influenced by a range of factors that impact upon final project cost. Estimate at Completion (EAC) is an important approach used to estimate final project cost, which takes into consideration probable project performance and risks. EAC helps project managers identify potential but still unknown problems and adopt response strategies. This study constructed an evolutionary EAC model to generate project cost estimates that proved significantly more reliable than estimates achievable using currently prevailing formulae. The developed learning model fused two artificial intelligence approaches, namely the fast messy genetic algorithm (fmGA) and Support Vector Machine (SVM), to create an Evolutionary Support Vector Machine Inference Model (ESIM). The ESIM was then applied to estimate final project costs for historical cases. Finally, using the EAC estimate, project cost influence indices, and project cost diagrams, the discrepancy between estimate and practical values was examined to determine potential problems in order to help project managers better control project costs. The learning results were validated in real applications that showed good performance for training models. Providing project managers reliable EAC trend estimates is helpful for their effective control of project costs and taking appropriate peremptory measures to handle potential problems.     

A performance-based approach to project assignment and performance evaluation

Project assignment and performance evaluation have been addressed as two important and separate research issues in project management. This paper develops a new performance-based approach for integrating the project assignment and the performance evaluation processes in a project-based organization. An objective-oriented preference-based assignment process is developed to assign a project to a project manager. An optimal project assignment model is developed to maximize the total weighted contribution value of all new projects to the organizational objectives. An efficiency-based evaluation process is developed using data envelopment analysis to measure the relative performance efficiency of the completed projects and of the project managers. The approach provides a proactive mechanism for facilitating objective-focused management of projects. The outcomes of an empirical study conducted provide managerial insights in assigning projects to project managers and in evaluating the performance efficiency of both projects and project managers.