Luis Ballesteros-Sánchez, Isabel Ortiz-Marcos and Rocío Rodríguez-Rivero
The purpose of this paper is to identify and investigate the main challenges that project managers (PMs) face in the current projectification environment.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to identify and investigate the main challenges that project managers (PMs) face in the current projectification environment.
Design/methodology/approach
This research was conducted by means of semi-structured interviews and questionnaires. The participants in the study were 15 PMs and 57 project team members. A content analysis of the data was conducted by an inductive approach to determine the strengths and weaknesses that the PMs and project team members perceived.
Findings
The research reveals interesting insights, such as the identification of emerging challenges for the PMs of today, which include dealing with communications issues, motivating project team members, providing leadership and increasing team members’ emotional management and confidence.
Research limitations/implications
The main limitation is the size and location of the sample, which represents the points of view of 15 Spanish PMs and the members of their work teams and sets aside the cultural aspects.
Originality/value
This new era is changing how organizations and managers must deal with people management, evolving toward more flexible and engaging leadership styles. This paper helps to provide new insights concerning the emerging challenges and needs of PMs, while integrating team member’s perceptions.
Details
Keywords
Ramiro García-Galán, Isabel Ortiz-Marcos and Rafael Molina-Sánchez
Teamwork is necessary for engineering to address today’s complex challenges. Therefore, team members must improve their teamwork competencies for more significant team development…
Abstract
Purpose
Teamwork is necessary for engineering to address today’s complex challenges. Therefore, team members must improve their teamwork competencies for more significant team development and effectiveness. This study aimed to analyze how a non-directive coaching intervention model for an entire team influences the individual team members’ teamwork competencies.
Design/methodology/approach
Action research was used in this study with a quasi-experimental design featuring control and experimental groups comprising final-year engineering students from Universidad Politécnica de Madrid. The sample included 168 students, with 132 in the control group and 36 in the experimental group. The experimental group underwent a non-directive team coaching intervention involving three sessions. Competencies were evaluated using the teamwork competency test (TWCT), administered at the course’s beginning and end to measure progress.
Findings
The results show that the individuals who participated in the team coaching significantly increased their competencies, particularly “conflict resolution” and “feedback.”
Originality/value
This study’s value contributes to identifying the positive impacts of non-directive team coaching interventions on individual teamwork competencies, fostering collaborative skills and supporting collective goals.
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Keywords
Rocío Rodríguez-Rivero, Isabel Ortiz-Marcos, Luis Ballesteros-Sánchez and María Jesús Sánchez
The purpose of this paper is to analyze the quintessential methodology of the international development (ID) projects, the logical framework approach (LFA), to find out which…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to analyze the quintessential methodology of the international development (ID) projects, the logical framework approach (LFA), to find out which changes are required to increase the level of effectiveness of these projects.
Design/methodology/approach
This research presents a thorough review of literature relating to the evolution of the LFA. This theoretical analysis formed the basis for a closed-ended questionnaire on the methodology and how it could be improved, from which the responses of 56 project managers experienced in the LFA were collected. Data were statistically analyzed through correlation matrix and ANOVA analysis by SPSS software. The questionnaire included a last open-ended question where professionals suggested how they would develop the methodology, opening a new path to effectiveness through participative approaches.
Findings
The research reveals that the LFA needs to be improved, and points to the next steps in the evolution of this mature methodology. An interesting insight is that although some suggestions are broadly accepted, such as the integration of risk management, other proposals could be open to further discussion depending on the organization.
Research limitations/implications
The main weakness is related to the sample, which is reduced to 56 project managers from the same country (Spain).
Originality/value
Since interventions for development are made by practitioners, considering their suggestions to improve the LFA is a major step to enhance the management of ID projects.
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Keywords
Maria Mercedes Martinez Sanz and Isabel Ortiz-Marcos
Knowledge is recognized to be a key asset to achieve the strategic objectives of an organization. To that end, it is necessary to count on governance mechanisms that ensure the…
Abstract
Purpose
Knowledge is recognized to be a key asset to achieve the strategic objectives of an organization. To that end, it is necessary to count on governance mechanisms that ensure the alignment between the knowledge resources and processes and the business strategy. Given that knowledge management is often performed by project management offices (PMOs), the purpose of this paper is to explore if the dimensions for PMOs governance suggested in the literature are also valid for knowledge governance and what problems do exist.
Design/methodology/approach
This research has been done using case study methodology. A large complex project in the IT industry was deeply analyzed. This project brings together most of the elements that can be found in current organizational contexts (e.g. geographical dispersed project teams, multicultural environment, technical complexity, etc.), thus reinforcing the applicability of the results obtained.
Findings
The study findings indicate that knowledge flows between PMOs take place along the dimensions defined for PMO governance, thus confirming the suitability of those dimensions also for the governance of knowledge. This research also validates the connection between the barriers to knowledge sharing and the knowledge governance mechanisms, and provides empirical evidence of the importance of informal knowledge governance to foster knowledge sharing behaviors. This is of key importance to overcome daily operational issues. The observations made are, in fact, valuable lessons learnt for future projects and a valuable input for further research.
Originality/value
This study explores the similarities between PMOs governance and knowledge governance in multi-PMO settings on the basis of a case study, thus contributing additional empirical data to the literature. Previous work with this approach has not been found.