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What Makes a Competent International Project Manager in Emerging and…
What Makes a Competent International Project Manager in Emerging and Developing Countries?
What are "Project Manager Competencies"?
Project Managers should have adequate competences so that they can ensure project success in a highly complex and uncertain environment.
Scholars have emphasized the importance of competences in the career development of project managers at the individual level.
Competencies will enable individuals to identify and realize their career opportunities.
Ortiz-Marcos et al (2013) identify 15 specific competences for managing international cooperation engineering projects
Research Method
Dataset
Reports that described the project experience of
26 international project managers
nominated by China International Contractors Association (CHINCA).
Data Collection
This study implemented
qualitative
and
quantitative
data analysis on a collection of reports of 26 international engineering project managers from China.
First Stage
CHINCA selected outstanding international project managers from their member companies.
The member companies of CHINCA were encouraged to recommend their best project managers who have undertanken international engineering projects and submitted their biological materials to CHINCA.
30 international project managers were nominated
by CHINCA.
Second Stange
CHINCA prepared the reports of 30 nominated international project managers, which had 285 pages.
Each report described a manager's project experiences in detail in a narrative style.
Four project managers were dropped in the study
since their project were implemented in two developed countries, while the study focuses on emerging and developing markets.
The
final sample
compromised
26 nominated project managers
.
Qualitative Data Analysis
This study applies a qualitative content analysis method to analyze the reports of 26 nominated international project managers.
The content analysis was to
read each of the reports, understand
and
interpret
the text in the relevant context, and finally code and classify the text units.
Steps for content analysis
1. Conducting a literature review to create a codebook.
Created a codebook from the literature
Results:
58 codes related to attribute-based competences and 30 code associated with performance-based competences were derived from the bosy of knowledge in project management.
2. Precoding and modifying the codes in the codebook.
Check the identified 88 codes summarized from the literature and determine wheter amendment were required.
Results:
48 codes were established.
3. Conducting open coding on the test to attach the codes to all related text units.
This involved two professionals who undertook the coding work and a host who coordinated inconsistencies between the coders in the case of understanding deviation.
It was used a binary code to tabulate a database.
1 = Project manager had the competence.
0 = Project manager didn't have the competence.
Recorded the occurrences of 48 competence codes in the 26 reports using the software NVivo 11.
4. Grouping the conceptually similar codes into abstract categories.
Cluster initial codes with similarities into abstract categories.
Results:
This redustion process finally led to 26 categories,
Quantitative Data Analysis
It was applied the
MDS (Multidimensional Scaling)
to analyze the binary data using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) software version 22.
MDS results serve as a guide to make a judgment that contributes to qualitative knowledge.
Steps
Step 1:
The values of these 26 categories were calculated by using "OR" logic function on the binary codes belonging to the same category.
It was stablished a matrix of proximities for 26 variables.
Step 2
Extract a number of dimensions to establish MDS models using Proxcal algorithm.
Competence vs Competency
Competence
It is defines as knowledge, skills, attitudes, and behaviours that are associated with job performance
Competency
Is a person related concept, which refers to "the dimensions of behavioral action underlying competent performance".
Perspectives
From Professional Institutes
There are several international standards for competences
The Project Management Institute (PMI)
Established the
Project Manager Competency Development (PMCD) Framework
, which defines three competence areas for a project manager.
Personal Attributes:
How a project manager behaves when performing project activities.
Knowledge:
What a project manager knows about project management processes, tools, and techniques.
Performance:
How a project manager applies knowledge to satisfy project requirements.
International Project Management Association
Develops the
Individual Competence Baseline (ICB)
.which proposes 29 competence elements in teh areas of people, practice, and perpective.
Australian Institute of Project Management (AIPM)
Develops
Professional Competency Standards for Project Management
to define performance competencies and the underpimmimg knowledge and skills based on nine knowledge areas.
Global Alliance for Project Professions (GAPPS)
Identifies the common elements by comparing the existing project management standards, and proposes an assessment framework for project managers.
In Project Management Literature
Scholars intend to understand project manager competences from different dimensions.
Scholars recognized that project managers are required to have different competences in different industries or countries.
Trust
,
commitment
, and
communication
are merely three elements of interpersonal skills of project managers.
Prior studies mostly aim at sorting the competences in order of importance for internatinoal project managers.
Results and Analysis
Dimentionality
The MDS model is generally regarded to have a "good" fit when the index of stress is less that 0.05.
It was selected the MDS model with two dimensions.
The variables in the
upper quartile
(positive coordinates) include third-party management, team building and development, change and claim management, and procurement.
The
lower quartile
(negative coordinates) are quality management, cost control, schedule management, resource management, and technical skills.
Dimension 1
The
upper quartile
(positive coordinates) include localization management, social resposibility, third-party management, resource management, cost control, and quality management.
The
lower quartile
(negative coordinates) are all related to input-focused knowledge, such as design, plans, expert knowledge, and understanding contract terms and international standards.
Dimension 2
In the study, the stress value for the MSD model with two dimensions is
0.036
, which indicates a satisfactory representation of the data.
MDS Map
Plots the competence variables against the two dimensions.
The map is composed of
four sets of project manager competences
.
Fundamental knowledge and skills.
Project management goals-oriented competences.
Uncertainty and change management competences.
Internal and external stakeholder management competences.
Discussions
Competence Dimensions
Dimension 1: Efficiency Oriented Versus Effectiveness Oriented
Efficiency is related to doing things ins a right way, which indicates project managers must control resources and processes within time, cost, and quality constraints
Left side
Reflects how efficiently international project managers manage resources and processes to achieve the organization's operational goals.
Right side
The competences reflect how effectively international project managers interact with their stakeholders.
Dimension 2: Input Focused Versus Output Focused
Input-focused competences can be defined as the knowledge, skills, and abilities that project managers bring to the project to suport implementation processes.
Upside
Indicate project managers' abilities to achieve project objectives, such as cost, quality, schedule, and stakeholder satisfaction.
Competence Sets
Set 1:
Fundamental Knowledge and Skills
Project managers' technical skills and verbal skills are not so critical for international engineering projects.
The success of these projects cannot rely only on project managers'own knowledge and skills.
Excelent project managers need to consult experts to solve technical and managerial problems and make resolute and prompt decisions in highly uncertain and complex environments.
The implementation of these projects needs to follow international standards and norms.
Set 2:
Project Management Goals-Oriented Competences
The research shows that excellent international project managers always tend to improve the efficiency of resource utilization and ensure resource support for project activities.
In emerging and developing countries, project managers also take the responsibility to expand the international contracting market for their companies.
Set 3:
Uncertainty and Change Management Competences
Uncertainty is particularly evident in the earlier project stages.
It is critical for project managers to "clarify what can be done, decide what is to be done, and ensure that it gets done as noted earlier".
It is impossible to have a perfect plan given the high levels of uncertainty, which leads to a variety of risks and unexpected changes in international projects.
Excellent project managers are required to respond to changes appropiately and propose reasonable claims based on adequate preparation and planning.
Cultural differences among different stakeholders in international projects increase the dificulty of risk management.
Set 4:
Internal and External Stakeholder Mangement Competences
Excellent international project managers are required to manage the relationships with both internal and external stakeholders.
For internal stakeholder management, project managers tend to motivate team members by use of financial incentives and moral encouragement, and they establish a collaborative culture and broad consensus among team members.
International project managers should also manage external stakeholders.
It is necessary to train local employees to satisfy the local government's requirements.
Conclusion
The findings reveal several specific competences to better understand the international project manager competences required in a highly complex and uncertain environment.
Limitations
The study is based on the reports of 26 nominated international project managers from China.
The sample size is limited and impides further analysis, such as the influences of a country-specific context, project characteristics, and managers educational backgrounds.
Administración de Proyectos II
Lectura # 2 - Mapa Mental
Carmen María Mok Zheng