AAA

Research approaches to competencies of project managers

Marcin Chomicz

Abstract

The subject of project managers' competencies was very popular in scientific research over the past decades. A great number of academic researchers studied the field of project manager's competencies, its impact on project success and correlation to project performance and key characteristics of a project environment. The aim of this literature study was to analyze methodological aspects of aforementioned studies in order to identify research patterns applied, research instruments used, respondents' profiles and others. It's understandable that publications related to competencies of project managers can be found in leading project management journals. These articles constituted also a basis of the analysis. Furthermore, publications considered were narrowed to those focused on at least one of three appointed aspects, namely identification of competencies, their evaluation or relative importance assessment. Over a dozen of articles were obtained as the outcome of journals review. Key characteristics of selected studies were systematically analyzed and compared, including, among others, construction of the respondents group, examined subset of competencies and the approach adopted to identification and evaluation of competencies. As a result some patterns and repeatable elements were found. Moreover, two identified contentious practices were discussed - usage of a self-assessment to evaluate performance of respondent and usage of project success criteria aimed at assessing the performance of a project manager.

Bibliography

  • APM Competence Framework, Association for Project Management, High Wycombe 2008.
  • Babbie E.R., Badania społeczne w praktyce, Wydawnictwo Naukowe PWN, Warszawa 2007.
  • Bohdziewicz P., Kompetencje profesjonalne jako wyznacznik pozycji pracowników wiedzy an rynku pracy, [w:] Witkowski S.A. (red.), Kompetencje a sukces zarządzania organizacją, Difin, Warszawa 2008.
  • Briere S., Proulx D., Flores O.N., Laporte M., Competencies of project managers in international NGOs: Perceptions of practitioners, "International Journal of Project Management" 2015, Vol. 33, No. 1, s. 116-125, http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ijproman.2014.04.010.
  • Chełpa S., Kwalifikacje kadr kierowniczych przedsiębiorstw przemysłowych. Kierunki i dynamika zmian, Wydawnictwo Akademii Ekonomicznej im. Oskara Langego we Wrocławiu, Wrocław 2003.
  • Crawford L., Senior management perceptions of project management competence, "International Journal of Project Management" 2005, Vol. 23, No. 1, s. 7-16, http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ijproman.2004.06.005.
  • Dainty A., Mei I.C., Moore D., A comparison of the behavioral competencies of client-focused and production-focused project managers in the construction sector, "Project Management Journal" 2005, Vol. 36, No. 2.
  • Dąbek M., Menedżerowie okresu transformacji: problemy, potencjał, rozwój, Wydawnictwo Uniwersytetu Wrocławskiego, Wrocław 2002.
  • Dulewicz V., Higgs M., Assessing leadership styles and organisational context, "Journal of Managerial Psychology" 2005, Vol. 20, No. 2, s. 105-123, http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/02683940510579759.
  • Fisher E., What practitioners consider to be the skills and behaviours of an effective people project manager, "International Journal of Project Management" 2011, Vol. 29, No. 8, s. 994-1002, http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ijproman.2010.09.002.
  • Gehring D.R., Applying traits theory of leadership to project management, "Project Management Journal" 2007, Vol. 38, No. 1, s. 44-54.
  • Geoghegan J., Dulewicz V., Do Project Managers' Leadership Competencies Contribute to Project Success?, "Project Management Journal" 2008, Vol. 39, No. 4, s. 58-67, http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/pmj.20084.
  • Guerrero G., La Rosa G., Scientific Domain Analysis of Professional Competences, "Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences" 2013, Vol. 92, s. 369-376, http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2013.08.687.
  • Hwang B., Ng W.J., Project management knowledge and skills for green construction: Overcoming challenges, "International Journal of Project Management" 2013, Vol. 31, No. 2, s. 272-284, http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ijproman.2012.05.004.
  • IPMA Competence Baseline version 3.0, International Project Management Association, 2006.
  • Jabłoński M., Kompetencje pracownicze w organizacji uczącej się. Metody doskonalenia i rozwoju, C.H. Beck, Warszawa 2009.
  • Le Deist F.D., Winterton J., What Is Competence?, "Human Resource Development International" 2005, Vol. 8, No. 1, s. 27-46, http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/1367886042000338227.
  • Müller R., Turner R., Leadership competency profiles of successful project managers, "International Journal of Project Management" 2010, Vol. 28, No. 5, s. 437-448, http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ijproman.2009.09.003.
  • Müller R., Turner R., Matching the project manager's leadership style to project type, "International Journal of Project Management" 2007, Vol. 25, No. 1, s. 21-32, http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ijproman.2006.04.003.
  • Müller R., Turner R., The Influence of Project Managers on Project Success Criteria and Project Success by Type of Project, "European Management Journal" 2007, Vol. 25, No. 4, s. 298-309, http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.emj.2007.06.003.
  • Musioł-Urbańczyk A., Kompetencje kierownika projektu i możliwości ich kształtowania, Wydawnictwo Politechniki Śląskiej, Gliwice 2010.
  • Muzio M., Fisher D.J., Thomas E.R., Peters V., Soft skills quantification (SSQ) for project manager competencies, "Project Management Journal" 2007, Vol. 38, No. 2, s. 30-38.
  • Nowak S., Metodologia badań społecznych, Wydawnictwo Naukowe PWN, Warszawa 2008.
  • Oppenheim A.N., Kwestionariusze, wywiady, pomiary postaw, Zysk i S-ka, Poznań 2004.
  • Posner B.Z., What it takes to be a good project manager, "Project Management Journal" 1987, Vol. 18, No. 1.
  • Project Manager Competency Development (PMCD) Framework Second Edition, Project Management Institute, Newton Square, 2007.
  • Rakowska A., Kompetencje menedżerskie kadry kierowniczej we współczesnych organizacjach, Wydawnictwo Uniwersytetu Marii Curie-Skłodowskiej, Lublin 2007.
  • Rakowska A., Sitko-Lutek A., Doskonalenie kompetencji menedżerskich, Wydawnictwo Naukowe PWN, Warszawa 2000.
  • Rószkiewicz M., Perek-Białas J., Więziak-Białowolska D., Zięba-Pietrzak A., Projektowanie badań społeczno-ekonomicznych. Rekomendacje i praktyka badawcza, Wydawnictwo Naukowe PWN, Warszawa 2013.
  • Sienkiewicz Ł., Jawor-Joniewicz A., Sajkiewicz B., Trawińska-Konador K., Podwójcic K., Zarządzanie zasobami ludzkimi w oparciu o kompetencje. Perspektywa uczenia się przez całe życie, Instytut Badań Edukacyjnych, Warszawa 2013.
  • Skulmoski G.J., Hartman F.T., Information systems project manager soft competencies: A project-phase investigation, "Project Management Journal" 2010, Vol. 41, No. 1, s. 61-80, http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/pmj.20146.
  • Spencer L.M., Spencer S.M., Competence at work: models for superior performance, Wiley, New York 1993.
  • Starkweather J.A., Stevenson D.H., PMP R certification as a core competency: Necessary but not sufficient, "Project Management Journal" 2011, Vol. 42, No. 1, s. 31-41, http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/pmj.20174.
  • Stevenson D.H., Starkweather J.A., PM critical competency index: IT execs prefer soft skills, "International Journal of Project Management" 2010, Vol. 28, No. 7, s. 663-671, http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ijproman.2009.11.008.
  • Trivellas P., Drimoussis C., Investigating Leadership Styles, Behavioural and Managerial Competency Profiles of Successful Project Managers in Greece, "Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences" 2013, Vol. 73, s. 692-700, http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2013.02.107.
  • Turner J.R., Müller R., Dulewicz V., Comparing the leadership styles of functional and project managers, "International Journal of Managing Projects in Business" 2009, Vol. 2, No. 2, s. 198-216, http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/17538370910949266.
  • Walkowiak R., Model kompetencji menedżerów organizacji samorządowych, Wydawnictwo Uniwersytetu Warmińsko-Mazurskiego, Olsztyn 2004.
  • Wyrozębski P., Modele kompetencji w zarządzaniu projektami, "e-mentor" 2009, nr 2(29), s. 55-64, http://www.e-mentor.edu.pl/artykul/index/numer/29/id/637.
  • Zhang F., Zuo J., Zillante G., Identification and evaluation of the key social competencies for Chinese construction project managers, "International Journal of Project Management" 2013, Vol. 31, No. 5, s. 748-759, http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ijproman.2012.10.011.
AUTHOR

Marcin Chomicz

Warsaw School of Economics

About the article

DOI: https://doi.org/10.15219/em59.1170

The article is in the printed version on pages 42-55.

pdf download PDF

pdf read the article (Polish)

How to cite

M. Chomicz, Ujęcia badawcze kompetencji kierowników projektów, "e-mentor" 2015, nr 2(59), s. 42-55, http://dx.doi.org/10.15219/em59.1170.