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Recruiting Project Managers: A Comparative Analysis of Competencies and Recruitment Signals From Job Advertisements

October 2013
Project Management Journal 44(5):36-54

DOI:10.1002/pmj.21366

Authors:

Kamrul Ahsan

RMIT University

Marcus Ho

Auckland University of Technology

This research addresses the competencies organizations use through project manager job advertisements. We develop a list of project manager job competencies; break down the competency components into knowledge, skills, and abilities; and conduct a comparative analysis of the use of these competencies. We examine the online contents of project manager job advertisements in the public domain. Analysis shows that industry job advertisements emphasize “soft skills” and competencies in a manner different than that in the literature. Additionally, differences are found across countries and between industries. Implications from the findings highlight the incongruent dissemination of project manager competencies, regional and industrial demands, and the recruitment of project managers.

Mapping between PMCD and KSA competency dimensions.

…

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Content may be subject to copyright.

PAPERS

October 2013 ■ Project Management Journal ■ DOI: 10.1002/pmj

ABSTRACT ■

This research addresses the competencies

organizations use through project manager job

advertisements. We develop a list of project

manager job competencies; break down the

competency components into knowledge, skills,

and abilities; and conduct a comparative analy-

sis of the use of these competencies. We exam-

ine the online contents of project manager job

advertisements in the public domain. Analysis

shows that industry job advertisements empha-

size “soft skills” and competencies in a manner

different than that in the literature. Additionally,

differences are found across countries and

between industries. Implications from the find-

ings highlight the incongruent dissemination of

project manager competencies, regional and

industrial demands, and the recruitment of proj-

ect managers.

KEYWORDS: project manager; competen-

cies; project manager job; content analysis

Project Management Journal, Vol. 44, No. 5, 36–54

Published online in Wiley Online Library

(wileyonlinelibrary.com). DOI: 10.1002/pmj.21366

INTRODUCTION ■

Recruiting the right project manager is an important challenge for

organizations. According to A Guide to the Project Management Body

of Knowledge (PMBOK® Guide) (Project Management Institute,

2008), the project manager is the person responsible for accomplish-

ing project objectives. The project manager manages the project through

identifying project requirements; establishing clear and achievable objec-

tives; balancing the competing demands for quality, scope, time and cost;

adapting plans and approaches to the different concerns and expectations of

the various stakeholders; and managing projects in response to uncertainty.

The project manager’s role is one of the most challenging jobs in any organi-

zation, because it requires a broad understanding of the various areas that

must be coordinated and requires strong interpersonal skills. It is widely

acknowledged that the ﬁ nal outcome of the project depends mainly on the

project manager; therefore, the selection of the project manager is one of

the two or three most important decisions concerning the project (Meredith &

Mantel, 2006, p. 139). How to attract the “right” project managers, therefore,

is an important organizational imperative; however, there is a lack of

research on which recruitment “signals” or messages are used to attract

potential applicants to the project manager role and whether these signals

reﬂ ect project management prescriptions from professional bodies and

standards. In this study, we examine the recruitment of project managers

from job advertisements, and address how organizations describe the com-

petencies of project managers. This study provides a systematic approach to

understanding how project manager competencies are utilized from both

the “supply” and “demand” sides. The competencies used in project manager

job advertisements are compared with the competencies from both the aca-

demic literature and project management professional body of standards.

This study addresses the following questions: What are the most fre-

quently used competencies to attract potential project managers to organi-

zations? Do the competencies sought by recruitment job advertisements

reflect the competencies prescribed by the project management literature

and from professional bodies? Finally, we examine whether there are differ-

ences regionally and between industries in the use of project manager com-

petencies to attract potential project managers. The contributions of this

research are threefold: This study provides a systematic approach to identify-

ing and comparing project manager competencies from both the supply side

Recruiting Project Managers:

A Comparative Analysis of

Competencies and Recruitment

Signals From Job Advertisements

Kamrul Ahsan, Victoria University, Melbourne, Australia

Marcus Ho, Auckland University of Technology, New Zealand

Sabik Khan, Trust Bank Limited, Bangladesh

October 2013 ■ Project Management Journal ■ DOI: 10.1002/pmj

and demand side; second, it provides a

framework for understanding the

recruitment of project managers,

including the signals that organizations

communicate to potential candidates

through job advertisements; and, last,

this study provides a look into the utili-

zation of project manager competen-

cies from theoretical, regional, and

industry perspectives.

The organization of this paper is as

follows: we provide a research rationale

for the importance of this research,

including highlighting the research gaps;

we present data on our systematic con-

tent analysis of project manager com-

petencies from the supply side

(including the academic literature and

project management professional bod-

ies); we then compare this with a content

analysis of project manager job adver-

tisements from 762 online job advertise-

ments from Australasia (demand side).

Last, we report the findings from this

study, including the implications of the

results.

Theoretical Background

The Project Management Profession

and Role of the Project Manager

The last four to five decades have seen

a rise in the use of project management

in various industries, such as education

and healthcare services, as a reaction to

increasing modes of employment flexi-

bility and accountability (Hodgson,

2000, 2005). Such growth has seen its

practitioners organize and develop the

field as a “professional” practice and

form project management as a legiti-

mate occupation (Hodgson, 2002).

Much like the development of other

professions (e.g., law), project manage-

ment has attempted to adopt the strate-

gies and practices of more established

professions in order to claim legitimacy

vis à vis the organization and promotion

of accredited training programs and

collection of a universal body of knowl-

edge and recognized credentials in job

markets (Hodgson, 2002). As a result,

the number of project management

practitioners is growing. According to

the Project Management Institute (PMI,

2011), as of November 2010, PMI had a

total of 3,331,697 members, of which

409,159 were Project Management

Professional (PMP)® credential holders.

Although the evolution and devel-

opment of project-based organizations

have received some attention in theory

and practice (Sydow, Lindkvist, &

DeFillippi, 2004; Turner & Keegan, 1999;

Turner & Keegan, 2001), less research

has been done on the project manager

role (Hölzle, 2010). The project manager

role is changing; in an early article,

Gaddis (1959) described the role of a

project manager who functioned as

a focal point for the management of

resources being applied to managing ad

hoc activities across organizational

boundaries. The project manager’s role

starts with set responsibilities; however,

he or she ends up with additional roles

that are not parts of his or her job

description (Shenhar, Levy, & Dvir,

1997). The project manager role must be

supplemented with other knowledge

and skills, in addition to the traditional

functions, to meet the changing needs

of modern projects they are hired to

manage (Edum-Fotwe & McCaffer, 2000;

Russell, Jaselski, & Lawrence, 1997).

Overall, the role of the project manager

evolves from being the administrator of

the project toward a much more mana-

gerial and leadership position, to fulfill-

ing an organizational strategic need.

Hence, the project manager needs a

completely different set of capabilities

and competencies; therefore, there is

the need to look at a broad spectrum of

requested project management compe-

tencies (Edum-Fotwe & McCaffer, 2000).

Despite project management being

common in many industries, the proj-

ect manager can be considered as an

accidental profession for many individ-

uals. According to Pinto and Kharbanda

(1997, p. 216), “few individuals grow up

with the dream of one day becoming a

project manager. It is neither a well-

defined nor a well-understood career

path in most modern organizations.

Generally, the role is thrust upon people

rather than being sought.” Few project

managers, therefore, would have

started out in the project management

role fully trained. In fact, there is con-

siderable evidence to suggest that the

transition into a project manager posi-

tion is a complex interaction of influ-

ence and experimental progression at

the individual, organizational, and

project levels (El-Sabaa, 2001; Hölzle,

2010). El-Sabaa (2001) adds that such

individualistic approaches to the proj-

ect manager role puts the project man-

ager’s development in terms of his or

her career expectations and acquisition

of specific competencies and know-

how at the forefront. In tracing the deci-

sion to follow the project manager role,

several authors have noted that the per-

sonality of the individual is a strong indi-

cator of those choosing a project

manager career (Tremblay, Wils, &

Proulx, 2002). Within individual prefer-

ences for project management work,

studies have also shown the critical place

of career orientations for project manag-

ers (Brousseau, Driver, Eneroth, &

Larsson, 1996; Hölzle, 2010).

The organization itself plays a sig-

nificant part in the needs and require-

ments of the project manager, thus

showing a need to take into account how

organizations ‘manage’ these industry

professionals (Brousseau et al., 1996;

Chen, Chang, & Yeh, 2004; Hölzle, 2010).

Organizations are implicated in project

manager development as they provide a

context for what, how, and where proj-

ects are carried out. The traditional view

of project manager development is often

described as organizational careers that

follow a hierarchical, upward-oriented

promotion of the individual within the

organization (Hölzle, 2010); however,

Hodgson (2002, 2004, 2005) traces the

development of the project manage-

ment role in organizations. From an

organizational point of view, the profes-

sionalization of project managers still

remains largely discrepant, and diver-

gences in the conceptualization of the

field as an occupation and profession in

regions such as the United States and

October 2013 ■ Project Management Journal ■ DOI: 10.1002/pmj

Recruiting Project Managers

PAPERS

A short-term specialized and low-bud-

get project calls for different competen-

cies than those of a long-term, strategic,

and large-scale project (Hölzle, 2010).

For example, for ICT recruiters in the

United States, the most valued project

manager competencies are experience

and education, whereas certification is

moderately important (Stevenson &

Starkweather, 2010). Research shows

that for managing ICT projects, recruit-

ers prefer more soft skills from project

managers. The major soft competen-

cies for ICT project managers include

personal attributes, communication,

leadership, negotiations, professional-

ism, social skills, and project manage-

ment competencies (Skulmoski &

Hartman, 2010). Although the scope

and variation of projects appear diverse,

broad commonalities and generalities

have been reported in the literature. For

example, basic project manager com-

petencies have included project-based

expertise, problem-solving compe-

tence, leadership, and social compe-

tence (Hölzle, 2010). Others have

emphasized additional competencies,

such as communication, organiza-

tional, team building, leadership, cop-

ing, and technological skills (El-Sabaa,

2001; Meredith & Mantel, 2006). There

is an assumption that project manager

skills can traverse different projects

leading to prescriptions of project man-

ager competencies.

Two prime project management

professional organizations, the

International Project Management

Association (IPMA) and Project

Management Institute (PMI) have

developed the IPMA Competence

Baseline (ICB) and the Project Manager

Competency Development (PMCD)

framework, respectively. The ICB com-

ponents (technical, contextual, and

behavioral) and the PMCD components

(knowledge, performance, and per-

sonal) appear structurally similar. In

order to understand what makes a com-

petent project manager, to frame our

research objectives we utilize the PMCD

framework (PMI, 2007), because, to our

performance and since then the com-

petency movement has become perva-

sive in management practice (Boyatzis,

2008). The term “competency,” although

diffused throughout the management

literature, can be heterogeneous in

conceptualization, depending on its

use and development (McClelland,

1998; Sylvia, 2000). The differences in

conceptualizations have proposed a

diversity of typologies of competencies,

ranging from generic approaches (e.g.,

Mei, Dainty, & Moore, 2005) to more

context-specific approaches (e.g.,

Antonacopoulou & FitzGerald, 1996;

Ling, 2003). However, while many con-

ceptualizations exist, competencies can

be understood as having components

that include knowledge, skills, and abil-

ities (KSA model) used to improve per-

formance (Ulrich, Brockbank, Johnson,

Sandholtz, & Younger, 2008). Some

scholars (e.g., C

ˇiarniené, Kumpikaité, &

Vienažindiené, 2010; Hayton & Kelley,

2006) and practitioners have even used

the terms “KSAs” and “competencies”

interchangeably. Various scholars have

added to this basic definition with

ancillary components such as behavior-

al and overarching components (Athey &

Orth, 1999; Campion et al., 2011;

McClelland, 1998). Recently, these con-

ceptualizations have parlayed into the

human capital approach specifying

the potential of these individual com-

petencies to be managed and leveraged

for performance (Boudreau & Ramstad,

2007; Hatch & Dyer, 2004).

Depending on the type and scope of

the project, the competencies of project

managers vary in depth and breadth.

Müller and Turner (2007) identify the

correlations between project manager

leadership competencies (emotional,

managerial, and intellectual) with proj-

ect success. Later, Müller and Turner

(2010) analyze the differences in project

manager leadership competency pro-

files with different types of projects:

relatively simple projects involve more

transactional style of leadership,

whereas more complex projects require

transformational leadership style.

United Kingdom exist. Thus, commen-

tators (Styhre, 2006) have described

project managers as “pseudo-profes-

sionals” (Hodgson, 2005, p. 57). These

tensions are embodied by the disagree-

ments on the conceptualizations and

forms of project management work

and the absence of an agreed-on form of

mandatory qualifications (Hodgson,

2002). This has led to the observation

that the nexus of control for the man-

agement of projects is subjected to orga-

nizational influence, rationalization,

and bureaucratization of project work

(Hodgson, 2005; Räsäinen & Linde, 2004;

Styhre, 2006). Such balancing of profes-

sional and organizational tensions

appears to contribute to the changing

nature of project management through

work redesign, temporal work units and

cooperation, work tasks, relations, and

responsibilities (Räsäinen & Linde,

2004). These organizational variables

have spurred conceptual and practical

impetus to examine the characteristics

of the project and how it impacts on the

performance of projects.

Research has shown that the features

of the project and its complexity require

specific competencies from the project

manager (Crawford, Hobbs, & Turner,

2006; Huemann, Keegan, & Turner, 2007;

Müller & Turner, 2007). Aspects of

the project, such as technology

(Anantatmula, 2008), direct managerial

support (Kelley & Lee, 2010), and the

structure of the project (Lechler & Dvir,

2010) influence the right project man-

ager competencies for successful project

completion. While project and organiza-

tional variables are important, individual

factors are still critical for project suc-

cess. Thus, one key question that allows

us to investigate how project manager

competencies influence project man-

agement would be to examine what

makes a competent project manager.

What Makes a Competent Project

Manager? Competency Frameworks

and Project Management Literature

McClelland (1973) first proposed com-

petencies as a critical differentiator of

October 2013 ■ Project Management Journal ■ DOI: 10.1002/pmj

knowledge, it is the most comprehen-

sive and widely used standard for proj-

ect manager competencies in the

Asia-Pacific region.

We examine the PMCD framework

and look at the empirical literature on

its use to date. The PMCD framework

utilizes three dimensions of project

manager competencies: knowledge,

performance, and personal. To be com-

petent, a project manager needs to sat-

isfy the following competency

components: knowledge competence

(i.e., what the project manager knows

about the application of processes,

tools, and techniques for project activi-

ties); performance competence (i.e.,

how the project manager applies

knowledge to meet project require-

ments); and personal competence (i.e.,

how the project manager behaves when

performing activities within a project

environment, his or her attitude, and

core personality characteristics (PMI,

2007, p. 2). Based on this, competent

project managers can consistently

apply their project management knowl-

edge and personal behaviors to increase

the likelihood of delivering projects

that meet stakeholders’ requirements

(PMI, 2007). However, in order for us to

extend our discussion of project man-

ager competencies, an examination of

the PMCD framework and the empiri-

cal literature on project manager com-

petencies is imperative. The following

sections examine these competencies

in detail, utilizing the PMCD frame-

work as an organizing structure, with a

particular focus on the implications for

competency profiles of project

managers.

Knowledge Competence

As one of the three central competen-

cies required to be a project manager,

knowledge competence is important to

the extent that it reflects the project

manager’s knowledge or body of infor-

mation (the processes, tools, and tech-

niques for project activities) required to

perform the tasks required for the proj-

ect. Under the Project Management

Professional (PMP)® credential frame-

work, knowledge competence can be

demonstrated by passing an appropri-

ately credentialed assessment, such as

the PMP® examination, or any equiva-

lent project management accreditation.

The PMCD framework for knowledge

competence is designed to be applied

generically, regardless of the nature,

type, size, or complexity of the projects

being managed (PMI, 2007). As such,

the knowledge competence for project

managers tends to be prescriptive and

nonspecific. Unfortunately, the PMCD

framework does not address whether

there are industry-specific or region-

specific competencies. The generic

PMCD framework assumes that indi-

vidual competencies are transferable

across industries and organizations

(PMI, 2007). Depending on the type and

scope of the project, competencies of

project managers vary in depth and

breadth. In some industries there may

be technical skills that are particularly

relevant to that industry or covered by

specific domain, regulatory, or legal

requirements (PMI, 2007). For example,

to run a construction project, an organi-

zation may require its project managers

to have more knowledge of safety stan-

dards. In contrast to this, an ICT project

may require that the project manager

possess a specified level of IT technical

competence, as well as competence in

project management. A short-term spe-

cialized and low-budget project calls for

different competencies than those of a

long-term, strategic, and large-scale

project (Hölzle, 2010). Because of these

complexities, PMI does suggest devel-

oping industry-specific or organization-

specific competencies.

Knowledge aspects of competencies

are the factual or procedural informa-

tion necessary for successfully perform-

ing a task. When a manager is attempting

to fill a position, it is important to have

accurate information about the charac-

teristics a successful job holder must

have. With regard to the knowledge

component of project manager compe-

tencies, there is less research in terms of

effectiveness criteria. Studies have pre-

scribed the knowledge competencies

required, such as quality control

(Dainty, Mei, & Moore, 2004; Geoghegan

& Dulewicz, 2008; Gillard & Price, 2005;

Hao & Swierczek, 2010; Mei et al. 2005;

Stevenson & Starkweather, 2010); how-

ever, in a recent study by Zwikael (2009),

of 783 project managers from different

countries and industries, it was found

that the Knowledge Areas from the

PMBOK® Guide (PMI, 2007) with

the greatest impact on project success

were Project Time Management, Project

Risk Management, Project Scope Man-

age ment, and Project Human Resource

Management. These results were found

to be sensitive to industry require-

ments; thus, a general consensus in the

literature is that knowledge underlies

many of the competencies required in

successful project management and the

requirements may be different for dif-

ferent industries.

Performance Competence

In terms of performance of knowledge

competence, project manager perfor-

mance competence can be demon-

strated by assessing project-related

actions and outcomes. In other words,

project managers must apply their

knowledge to meet project outcomes.

Within project-based sectors, there is a

growing imperative to link the perfor-

mance of project managers with the

performance of the organization

(Gillard & Price, 2005; Mei et al., 2005).

The link between performance compe-

tency and project success has been

extensively studied in the literature

(Alderman & Ivory, 2011; Frank, Sadeh,

& Ashkenasi, 2011; Liu, Chen, Jiang, and

Klein, 2010; Papke-Shields, Beise, &

Quan, 2010; Starkweather & Stevenson,

2011; Yang, Huang, & Wu, 2011). These

studies have underscored the key com-

petencies required in the project man-

agement role. For example, Pinto and

Slevin (1989) stressed in their article the

importance of selecting project manag-

ers who possess the necessary technical

and administrative skills for successful

October 2013 ■ Project Management Journal ■ DOI: 10.1002/pmj

Recruiting Project Managers

PAPERS

project completion. Their study also

stressed the changing nature and effec-

tiveness of the competencies based on

the development and life cycle of the

project. Recently, Hao and Swierczek’s

(2010) study demonstrated that factors

related to manager competencies and

member competencies affect success

criteria. They suggest that more empha-

sis should be placed on developing

these competencies through more

appropriate training for managers and

professionals in skills and certifications

for the future success of projects. In

addition, they found that manager and

team competencies were more impor-

tant to the success of a project in the

implementation and completion stag-

es, where projects managers have a

major role in effective performance.

This is congruent with Zwikael and

Globerson’s (2006) finding that the qual-

ity and intensity of organizational sup-

port and the project manager’s ability to

project plan results in his or her ability

to complete projects by almost half the

cost and schedule overruns. In addition,

Liu et al. (2010) found a strong positive

relationship between management

control and project management per-

formance, which translated into project

team task completion competence and

project management performance.

The identification of project man-

agement competence with that of per-

formance of a project and organizational

outcomes demonstrates the impor-

tance of identifying effective project

manager competencies. Thus, the iden-

tification of superior project managers

is possible based on competency pro-

files (Mei et al., 2005). To that end, Mei

et al. (2005) generate a competency-

based framework for identifying excel-

lent performance of project managers

in the construction industry. Their

research shows that the behavioral

competencies of superior project man-

agers could be identified using a holis-

tic approach focused on the job role

(e.g., job task competencies associated

with the project management function)

and the characteristics of the individual

person (behavioral competencies of the

managers’ personal characteristics).

Their findings suggest that 12 core com-

petencies underpin the success of proj-

ect manager performance: achievement

orientation, initiative, information

seeking, focus on client’s needs, impact

and influence, directionality, team lead-

ership, analytical thinking, conceptual

thinking, self-control, and flexibility.

Gillard and Price (2005) similarly identi-

fied goal and action management, lead-

ership, human resource management,

directing subordinates, and focus on

others as competencies of effective

project managers. Zwikael (2009), as

described earlier, further showed

empirical support for the requirements

of project managers to understand and

develop competencies for successful

project completion. Mei et al. (2005)

suggest that, although the behavioral

competencies of superior project man-

agers can be identified, job-task com-

petencies were highly specific to the

industry in which they work, whereas

behavioral competencies of superior

project managers were generic in

nature and applicable to a wider range

of other management positions. Given

the above findings, the use of compe-

tencies in achieving performance is

imperative theoretically and in practice.

Such identification of performance

competencies highlights the critical

elements of performance in a project;

however, the links between competen-

cies and performance can be complex.

Personal Competence

Personal competence reflects how the

project manager behaves when per-

forming activities. The project manag-

er’s personal competence includes ele-

ments of the manager’s attitude and

personality characteristics. These skills

tend to be often described as “soft skills”

or “other” attributes from an HRM per-

spective. However, research suggests

that personal aspects are important in

the project manager role (Bierhoff &

Müller, 2005; Clarke, 2010a; Gehring,

2007; Malach-Pines, Dvir, & Sadeh,

2009; Thal & Bedingfield, 2010). Hao

and Swierczek (2010) measured manag-

ers’ competencies as the ability to dele-

gate authority, to negotiate, to coordinate,

to make decisions, and to understand

their roles and responsibilities. The

development and improvement of

these skills were seen as important

parts of enhancing professional devel-

opment and adaptability (Hansson,

Backlund, & Lycke, 2003). Personality

characteristics have been examined in

the literature (Dolfi & Andrews, 2007;

Dvir, Sadeh, & Malach-Pines, 2006;

Gehring, 2007; Malach-Pines et al.,

2009; Thal & Bedingfield, 2010). Dvir

et al. (2006) tested the hypothesis that a

project with a particular profile needed

a manager with fitting personality traits

in order to achieve optimal perfor-

mance and success. They examined

project managers’ personality traits rel-

evant to the project dimensions (nov-

elty, complexity, technology, and pace)

and project success to find tentative

support for the hypothesis. This was

subsequently supported by Thal and

Bedingfield (2010), who found consci-

entiousness and openness (from the

five-factor personality model) to be

positively correlated with project man-

ager success. Recently, Clarke (2010a)

found emotional intelligence (EI) abili-

ty measures and empathy explained

project manager competencies of

teamwork, attentiveness, and manag-

ing conflict. In addition, after control-

ling for cognitive ability and personali-

ty, EI also explained transformational

leadership behaviors, such as idealized

influence and individualized consider-

ation. In a subsequent study, Clarke

(2010b) showed positive effects from a

training program in EI six months after,

showing improved emotional intelli-

gence abilities, empathy, and the proj-

ect manager competences of teamwork

and managing conflict.

One area of personal competencies

that has received the most attention is

leadership (Anantatmula, 2010; Bierhoff &

Müller, 2005; Geoghegan & Dulewicz,

2008; Hölzle, 2010; Müller & Turner,

October 2013 ■ Project Management Journal ■ DOI: 10.1002/pmj

practice. Therefore, careful consider-

ation of the core components of com-

petencies (i.e., the KSAs) that underlie

diverse competency descriptions is

imperative. In this study, we separate

competencies into the component

parts of KSAs to better facilitate an anal-

ysis of the underlying components of

competencies (Ulrich et al., 2008). The

KSA model specifies greater accuracy of

the characteristics a successful job-

holder has (Green & James, 2003), as

well as facilitates far greater precision in

analyzing competencies for compara-

tive purposes.

In an effort to further understand

how the PMCD framework of compe-

tencies map onto the supply side and

demand side, we examine the core con-

structs underlying competencies—that

is, the knowledge, skills, and abilities

(KSAs; see Ulrich et al., 2008). In analyz-

ing the PMCD framework, which

emphasizes knowledge, performance,

and personal competencies, it can be

observed that breaking down the com-

petencies into their component parts of

knowledge, skills, and abilities allows

an observation into their core compo-

nents. For example, although the PMCD

framework of ‘knowledge’ competen-

cies maps intuitively to knowledge, the

‘performance’ and ‘personal’ compe-

tencies can be broken down into core

components that consist of knowledge,

skills, and abilities. The mapping

between PMCD and KSA competencies

is shown in Figure 1. By breaking down

the components of competencies into

KSAs, a more in-depth analysis of com-

petencies (and how they relate to one

another) can be performed, including

allowing comparative analysis.

Therefore, although we use the term

“competencies” to reflect these various

approaches, we conduct an analysis of

‘KSAs’ as the underlying components

of these competencies.

Project Manager Recruitment and Job

more readily available project manag-

ers with technical skills. In Australia and

New Zealand, ICT projects require more

stakeholder management skills;

whereas in the United States, stake-

holder management is not among the

top 15 skill competencies. For other

important KSAs, both studies identify

certification as among the most valued

competency, although the ranking is

different: project management certifi-

cation is ranked 15 in the United States

by Stevenson and Starkweather, (2010),

whereas our research ranks it fourth.

Comparing the top ten KSAs across

industries and countries, with

Stevenson and Starkweather (2010), it

can be seen that technical skills, stake-

holder management, and time and cost

management are special requirements

in the Australian and New Zealand proj-

ect manager job markets. This could be

a result of the unique project manager

managers across several industries in the

Australasian region. We used 762 online

project management job advertise-

ments; 55.6% of the jobs advertised were

from Australia and 44.4% were from New

Zealand. The analyzed project jobs were

mostly from construction (25.7%) and

the information and communications

industry (52%). This study compares

cited project manager’s KSAs from the

project management literature, and con-

trasts these with the requirements of

project managers from industry through

job advertisements. We analyzed the

competencies in relation to the KSA

framework in order to aid in the compar-

ison and categorize the function system-

atically. Analysis showed that, in general,

the top five sought after KSAs are all skills

based; these competencies are: commu-

nications, technical, stakeholder man-

agement, and time and cost

management. In the knowledge category,

the top two competencies are educa-

tional background and project manage-

ment certification. The ability category

items are not frequently emphasized; a

highly demanded KSA within this cate-

gory is “results oriented project

manager.”

This research is the only one of its

kind in project management literature

to analyze KSA-based project manager

competencies from job advertisements

for multiple sectors and across coun-

tries. Cross-country analysis shows the

Australian job market demands more

KSAs than that of New Zealand. In

Australia, the most popular KSAs are

cost management and communication,

whereas the New Zealand market

emphasizes communication and tech-

nical skills. Project industry-wise data

show communication to be one of the

top four requirements in all five major

industries (construction, IT, engineer-

ing, government, healthcare), and cost

management and technical skills are

requirements among all major indus-

tries, with the exception of healthcare.

In contrast, previous studies focus on a

particular industry, such as ICT

(Skulmoski & Hartman, 2010; Stevenson

October 2013 ■ Project Management Journal ■ DOI: 10.1002/pmj

Recruiting Project Managers

PAPERS

data. In the future, this research can be

extended to consider other Organization

for Economic Co-operation and

Development (OECD) country data.

Overall, we believe our research opens up

a new research direction in the project

human resource management area. ■

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Kamrul Ahsan, PhD, is a senior lecturer in the

Supply Chain and Logistics Discipline, College of

Business, Victoria University, Australia. He has a

sound track record of academic research and

teaching in the supply chain management and

project management areas and was a visiting

research fellow at the University of Missouri,

St. Louis, USA, and a visiting research scholar at

the School of Management, Asian Institute of

Technology, Thailand. His current research inter-

ests include supply chain integration, product

returns, recalls, logistics management in disas-

ter situations, project human resource manage-

ment, international development projects, and

project supply chain management issues. His

publications have appeared in peer-reviewed

journals, such as the International Journal of

Project Management, International Transactions

in Operational Research, Asia Pacific Journal of

Operational Research, Journal of Health

Management, International Journal of

Operations and Quantitative Management , and

others. He also received the Project Management

Institution New Zealand (PMINZ) research

achievement award in 2011. His coauthored arti-

cle on remanufacturing was selected for the

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zational development, employee performance

enhancement, engagement, and communica-

tion. He has been awarded several grants and

scholarships, including the prestigious Human

Resource Institute of New Zealand (HRINZ)

Postgraduate Scholarship for his master thesis,

and research assistantships for research proj-

ects from AUT Business School.

Developing Employability Attributes of Higher Education Project Management Graduates: A Scoping Review

Article

Full-text available

Sep 2021

Projects play a pivotal role in modern enterprises. Functional structures of organisations are being replaced by project-based organisations. Along with the growth in project management, the need for skilled project professionals is mounting for the successful execution of the projects. This reflects the importance of preparing project management graduates for complex project environments. Higher education institutions (HEIs) are responsible for preparing work-ready project management graduates so are responding by continually reviewing and developing effective project management courses. This scoping review focuses on how HEIs are addressing the employers' demand by preparing project management graduates for the industry. Recent research on the work-readiness of project management graduates adds valuable contribution to the literature, however, there is a lack of a rounded overview which focuses on HEIs contribute to the development of employability attributes of project management graduates. Accordingly, this scoping review paper aims to explore the status quo of research on the employability of graduates within the context of project management education. More specifically, the study will capture and investigate the different approaches adopted by HEIs in developing work-ready project management graduates. The paper contributes to the literature by providing insights into project management graduates' job readiness in order to inform higher education institutions, policymakers and future research.

Personality Traits and Sustainable Development Projects: A Literature Review of the Conceptual Framework for Project Managers

Article

Full-text available

Jan 2023

Afaf Hassan

Project Management Office Manager's Competencies in Telecommunication Industries: A Case Study in Indonesia

Article

May 2023

In the telecommunications and Information Technology (IT) sectors, Project Management Office (PMO) practices in Indonesia are seldom applied even though PMO has an essential role for companies as a productivity tool and to overcome existing changes in the business world. This study aimed to validate five PMO framework competencies and whether telecommunication sectors have applied these competencies. This study uses in-depth interviews and structured questionnaires to obtain robust validation data from expert PMO Managers. The data was obtained by interviewing five PMO expert respondents from PMOPI (Project Management Professional Indonesia). The raw data were analyzed using NVivo 12 by four certified expert coders. This study found that almost all PMO competencies were applied in the telecommunications industry, with significant results. This result was validated with an inter-rater percentage of 95.31%, indicating that the analyzed data had high accuracy. The business mainframe was the most utilized competency among the PMOs in the telecommunications industry, with 29.13% of findings. The occurrence percentages of each dimension with technical and professional specialists are as follows: 14.17%, effective intersocial competence is 12.60%, organizational stewardship is 9.45%, the business mainframe is 29.13%, and effective personal competence is 3.15%. This study provides the knowledge and skills required for successful performance to be demonstrated as a competent PMO manager.

Valoración de Parámetros Físicos, Químicos en la Maduración Artificial de Papaya (Carica papaya L.) Variedad Hawaiana Usando Acetiluro de Calcio Cac2 Como Agente de Maduración

Chapter

Full-text available

May 2023

La presente investigación tuvo como objetivo valorar los parámetros físicos, químicos en la maduración artificial de papaya (Carica papaya L.) variedad hawaiana, usando el acetiluro de calcio CaC2 como agente de maduración. Se aplicó un diseño completamente al azar con arreglo bifactorial AxB. Para la determinación de diferencias se utilizó la prueba de rangos múltiples de Tukey al 5 % de probabilidad. Se analizaron variables fisicoquímicas (textura, pH, brix, acidez) y variables bromatológicas (humedad, cenizas, proteína, fibra, energía). Los resultados del análisis fisicoquímico demostraron que existieron diferencias significativas: en la variable textura la mejor respuesta fue el tratamiento T6 con (1.80 kg/f); el pH, con los tratamientos T1 (5.76), T4 (5.42) y T6 (5.54); brix, con los tratamientos T4 y T6 con 10.07 y 12.40 %; acidez, con el tratamiento T6 con el valor más bajo con 0.8 %; a nivel de humedad, el mejor tratamiento fue el T6 con 92.22 %; ceniza, el T1 con el valor más bajo 3.20 %; proteína, los tratamientos T5 y T6 con 4.34 y 5.34 %; fibra presenta una leve disminución, siendo su mejor tratamiento el T6 con 1.42 %, y energía, con el T6, 0.87 kcal. Los valores registrados en este estudio son comparables a otras investigaciones similares, ajustándose a los parámetros establecidos. Pagina : 416-429

A Study of the Soft Skills Possessed and Required in the Construction Sector

Article

Full-text available

Feb 2023

Soft skills are essential to employability and retention; therefore, if obtained and observed, they can significantly reduce sector-wide turnover. This study aims to investigate and compare soft skills that industry professionals currently possess and soft skills the industry requires and needs to attain. A questionnaire was administered using the RICS database, and 741 respondents participated in this study. Initially, the soft skills possessed and the soft skills required were analysed and compared via descriptive statistics. Furthermore, principal component factor analysis was used to identify the underlying factors and classify the identified soft skills. It was found that there are alignments and evident discrepancies between the actual skills currently possessed and the skills required by these professionals. The soft skills currently possessed by the industry were classified into three groups: (a) Ethics and Professionalism Cluster; (b) Self-Effort Management Cluster; and (c) Management—Leadership and Power Cluster. This was different to the two clusters identified for the soft skills requirements, which were: (a) trait-based cluster—less controllable; (b) training-based cluster—more controllable. The study concludes that there are controllable and less-controllable skills, which need to be possessed and managed in building professionals. Controllable soft skills are easier to train, whereas trait-based soft skills are more difficult to train and possess. The findings of this research are significant as their understanding can be used to help mitigate turnover and guide construction sector professionals to plan for the appropriate skills they require.

Investigating Effective Infrastructure Delivery in South Africa: An Assessment of Infrastructure Delivery Reforms

Chapter

Full-text available

Apr 2023

South Africa, like many other developing nations, faces significant challenges in delivering effective and fair public services. Africa in particular suffers from a catastrophic shortage of public infrastructure, and a variety of factors contribute to the infrastructure deficit. Public entities around the world are battling with effective service delivery and have adopted different models to enhance and improve infrastructure delivery. However, the models currently deployed have shortcomings, thus frustrating the efforts to deliver infrastructure effectively to the general populace. South Africa has similarly had its fair share of false starts. The 2010 introduction of Infrastructure Delivery Management System (IDMS) was specifically to facilitate effective, timely and sustained infrastructure development, and tackle the challenges in public sector infrastructure delivery. The study employs a multi-case study, qualitative approach through content analysed data to look at four nations that implements infrastructure projects in Europe and Sub-Saharan Africa and analyze the advancement of infrastructure delivery. A systematic review of infrastructure delivery models/reforms in the context of public sector was carried out through literature and descriptive analysis was applied. The findings reveal a knowledge vacuum about the diverse techniques taken by various countries in the execution of public sector infrastructure projects, and provide little precise evidence on the performance of delivery systems and lessons learned. It is here recommended that interventions such as IDMS should be contextualized cognizant of the country’s developmental imperatives.KeywordsReformsInfrastructureDeliveryConstruction industryPublic sector

Sustainability and the Law: A Legal Framework for Digital Technologies in an Inclusive Construction Industry

Chapter

Apr 2023

This paper considers the need for a clear legal and policy framework to guide a more sustainable construction industry and the use of digital technologies. It commences with an analysis of the meaning of sustainable development and briefly reflects on the three components of sustainable construction industry. The paper argues that while much has been written on the environmental aspect there has been more limited engagement with the social component of sustainable development. It critically analyses decent work deficits in the construction industry and the role of law and technology in addressing these deficits. In so doing it follows a doctrinal and legal research methodology. The paper argues that while the benefits of certain digital technologies for safer construction industry are undeniable, there is not much certainty on the extent to which the construction industry is legally obligated to adopt such technologies. Ultimately, it considers that codes on corporate social responsibility could play a valuable role where they operate alongside clear legal frameworks to guide the construction industry in the adoption of such technological tools. These technological tools are then to be used as part of a broader commitment to promoting a sustainable construction industry in which there is decent work for all. It concludes with recommendations for legal reform to guide a more sustainable construction industry.KeywordsSustainable developmentDecent workOccupational health and safetySocial insuranceSocial protection

Agile Risk Management Practices in the South African Construction Industry Project Delivery

Chapter

Apr 2023

Risks in construction projects can be dynamic and complex in nature. Construction projects continue to succumb to the impacts of these varied risks thus requiring innovation in risk management practice (RMP). Like most developing countries, the South African Construction Industry (SACI) is not an exception in terms of consistent record of project failures. To date, there are different practices in risk management that are being utilised across the SACI. However, there are knowledge gaps in the RMP that require an agile approach for improving project delivery within the SACI. Furthermore, it is vital to note that agile approaches ensure inter alia constant improvement and innovation, as opposed to traditional methods. As such, introducing an Agile RMP (ARMP) tool is essential to transform the SACI in terms of project delivery success as findings have shown. This exploratory literature review-based study is aimed to analyse the effectiveness of traditional Risk Management (RM) methods and assess the need for an ARMP approach relative to improving project delivery within the SACI using eleven (11) snowball sampled articles. Through content analysis, the study revealed the need for further research on agile methods and training among others. However, this requires an in-depth investigation and inputs from stakeholders in the future. In so doing, this will reduce the effects of prevalent risk management’s knowledge gaps among project stakeholders. Furthermore, it is vital to introduce digitalisation-enable innovative agile methods for identifying and assessing risks that affect the construction projects whilst stipulating pragmatic training tools essential for improving the project delivery. Ultimately, the formulation of an ARMP framework appropriate for the SACI will contribute to sustainable construction projects.KeywordsAgile risk management practiceProject deliveryRisk managementRisk management practiceSouth African construction industry

Project Management Competencies for Embedding Sustainability in Construction Projects: A Delphi Study

Chapter

Apr 2023

Societal demand for a more sustainable construction industry remains prevalent. In response to such demands, a plethora of project management tools, techniques and competences have evolved to engender successful sustainability transitions within the construction industry. Although the salient contributions of these tools and techniques have been reported in extant literature, details of the contributions of the competence facet appears to be limited in extant literature. This study has been prompted by this observation. As such, this study, which forms an integral part of a wider study, seeks to identify, and determine the critical competences required by construction project managers to facilitate improved sustainability performance of projects, particularly during the construction phase of the construction lifecycle. This study adopts a Delphi technique wherein data was elicited from a purposively selected Delphi panel comprising of individuals with project management experience (n = 20), using questionnaires over two iterations. The data obtained was subsequently analyzed using descriptive statistics (median). Findings from the study elucidate the criticality of project management competences like planning, organizing, leadership, and technical knowledge in fostering the attainment of the desired levels of sustainability performance of construction projects. It is expected that the findings of this study will contribute to the corpus of emerging literature on this topic.KeywordsCompetenciesConstructionLifecycleProject managementSustainability

Enhancing project management graduates’ employability through group assessment innovations: An empirical study

Article

Mar 2023

HR Competencies: Mastery at the Intersection of People and Business

Article

Full-text available

Oct 2010

Applicant attraction practices and outcomes among small businesses

Article

Full-text available

Jan 1999

Applicant attraction practices and their linkages to four attraction outcomes (applicants/vacancy, days-to-fill, acceptance rate, and retention rate) were investigated among 117 small businesses. Usage of previously found practices as well as many others (special hiring inducements, for example) were found, and these varied according to company size, industry, and presence of an HR department. Practices had selective, significant linkages to the outcomes. For example, using both past applications and newspaper ads as recruitment sources resulted in fewer days-to-fill vacancies, providing promotion possibilities and new employee training resulted in higher acceptance rates. Providing cost-of-living increases, promotion possibilities, and having the HR manager evaluate job applicants lead to higher retention rates. Numerous implications for research and for improving small business applicant attraction practices are suggested.

Strategic Job Modeling: Working at the Core of Integrated Human Resources

Book

Sep 2013

Jeffery S. Schippmann

Discourse, Discipline and the Subject: A Foucauldian Analysis of the UK Financial Services Industry

Book

Nov 2000

Damian Edward Hodgson

Applying Traits Theory of Leadership to Project Management

Article

Mar 2007

Dean R. Gehring

This research investigates the validity of the traits theory of leadership applied to project management and determines how it correlates to core project management competencies. Previous published work on traits theory of leadership primarily deals with organizational leadership, and not specifically with project leadership. Consequentially, although the previous work is useful in providing a good basis for this paper, additional research is required for application in the field of project management. The necessary data was gathered via researching modern literature on project leadership and through questionnaires sent to project managers with varying levels of project management experience. The questionnaire was designed to evaluate the individual's assessment of what core competencies a project manager should possess. In addition to the questionnaire, an online personality assessment was used to determine the participants' Meyers-Briggs (MBTI) personality type. The results of the literature research and the returned questionnaires clearly indicate that certain MBTI types have preferences that support project leadership, specifically, ISTJ, INFJ, INTJ, ENTP, ESTJ, ENFJ, and ENTJ, with INTJ, ESTJ, and ENTJ being the types containing the most traits that supported project leadership competencies.

Content analysis: An introduction to its methodology. Sage, Thousand Oaks Krippendorff K (2011) Principles of design and a trajectory of artific iality

Article

Jan 2004

K. Krippendorff

Job and Work ANALYSIS: Methods, Research, and Applications for Human Resource Management

Book

Jan 2007

“This is a very important book. It is an essential text for any graduate program in applied industrial and organizational psychology. The First Edition is the best text on the market today, and the Second Edition is a huge improvement. Nice work!” – Bill Attenweiler, Northern Kentucky University Thoroughly updated and revised, this Second Edition is the only book currently on the market to present the most important and commonly used methods in human resource management in such detail. The authors clearly outline how organizations can create programs to improve hiring and training, make jobs safer, provide a satisfying work environment, and help employees to work smarter. Throughout, they provide practical tips on how to conduct a job analysis, often offering anecdotes from their own experiences. New to the Second Edition: New co-author Frederick P. Morgeson's background in business management brings a valuable new perspective and balance to the presentation of material.; Expanded coverage is offered on O*NET, strategic job analysis, competencies and competency modeling, and inaccuracy in job analysis ratings.; New text boxes provide bio sketches of famous names in job analysis to put a personal face on research.; Additional examples and cases illustrate the “how-to” of job analysis in real-life settings. Companion Website! A companion website, offers instructors and students supplemental materials such as course syllabi, examples of data collected as part of a job analysis, task inventory data, the opportunity to practice data analysis, and much more!

Incremental effectiveness of two key IT recruitment methods

Article

Jun 2008

This study explored the incremental influence two of the top three recruitment practices have on organizational performance measures. The study used three different perspectives to discuss these practices' potential impact. Hierarchical regression controlling for several organizational characteristics indicates that recruitment efforts using interpersonal relationships and monetary inducements are significantly and positively associated with the percentage of open information technology (IT) positions filled by an organization. Both the time required to staff an open IT position and annual IT turnover levels were significantly and negatively associated with recruitment tactics built on interpersonal relations and monetary practices. The study details implications for managers and researchers.

What Do Recruiters Want in a Public Sector Manager?

Article

Jun 1997
PUBLIC PERS MANAGE

Managers in the public sector have often been criticized for being bureaucratic, impersonal, reactive, cautious conformists when compared to their apparently charismatic, innovative, proactive and dynamic private sector counterparts; with all this implies for organizational performance. Using the recruitment advertisement as a lens, we analyze what recruiters say they are looking for in a manager in the two sectors. The results suggest that while material differences do exist, external perception owes more to stereotyping than clearly observable differences.

The competencies of effective project managers: A conceptual analysis

Article

Jan 2005

Recruiting Project Managers: A Comparative Analysis of Competencies and Recruitment Signals From Job Advertisements

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