Psychological Project Management

This book offers an essential manual for project managers, project management offices (PMO’s), trainers and consultants, addressing the psychological side of project management. Written by leading scholars in organizational psychology and by top experts in project management, it covers all major psychological topics that are key to project success. The book features dedicated chapters on leadership and teamwork, including virtual and intercultural cooperation, commitment and motivation of project teams. It adds a psychological perspective to personnel management, decision-making, information and knowledge management and communication in project work. Power, influencing tactics and other aspects of stakeholder management are covered, as well as project coaching, innovation and creativity, self-management and the management of conflicts, risks and crises.

Even though project-management researchers have become increasingly interested in factors that may have an impact on project-management effectiveness, their efforts fall short of addressing the "human factor." And, unfortunately, many project-management scholars are largely unaware of the I/O psychology literature--relying, for example, on outdated models of motivation and team development. On the other side, I/O psychologists who research groups and teams often ignore the contextual influences--such as business sector, project type, placement in the organizational hierarchy, and project phase and maturity--that have a crucial impact on how a project will unfold. In this volume, a cross-disciplinary set of editors will bring together perspectives from leading I/O psychology and project-management scholars.

When it comes to what project managers do, the clue is in their job title - but the role also requires a significant understanding of people. After all, projects are devised and driven forward by employees and teams. It is therefore crucial for project managers and executives to have a firm grasp of the thought and behavioural patterns of project team members and the wider workforce, so that they can steer both people and project to a successful outcome. This book discusses various psychological theories in detail, with reference to specific project teams and project work. It addresses a wide range of topics, including team development, corporate culture, leadership, resilience, identities, motivational forces, conflict resolution, impression management and learning theory. The result is a highly useful collection of explanatory psychological models that can be applied, in practice, to the management of any project. This book is therefore suitable not only for project managers but also for managers in general, who wish to increase their understanding of people's behaviour, reactions and perceptions in a work context, in order to achieve the best results for the organisation as a whole. Includes a chapter on Virtual Project Teams.

When it comes to what project managers do, the clue is in their job title - but the role also requires a significant understanding of people. After all, projects are devised and driven forward by employees and teams. It is therefore crucial for project managers and executives to have a firm grasp of the thought and behavioural patterns of project team members and the wider workforce, so that they can steer both people and project to a successful outcome. This book discusses various psychological theories in detail, with reference to specific project teams and project work. It addresses a wide range of topics, including team development, corporate culture, leadership, resilience, identities, motivational forces, conflict resolution, impression management and learning theory. The result is a highly useful collection of explanatory psychological models that can be applied, in practice, to the management of any project. This book is therefore suitable not only for project managers but also for managers in general, who wish to increase their understanding of people's behaviour, reactions and perceptions in a work context, in order to achieve the best results for the organisation as a whole.

When it comes to what project managers do, the clue is in their job title - but the role also requires a significant understanding of people. After all, projects are devised and driven forward by employees and teams. It is therefore crucial for project managers and executives to have a firm grasp of the thought and behavioural patterns of project team members and the wider workforce, so that they can steer both people and project to a successful outcome. This book discusses various psychological theories in detail, with reference to specific project teams and project work. It addresses a wide range of topics, including team development, corporate culture, leadership, resilience, identities, motivational forces, conflict resolution, impression management and learning theory. The result is a highly useful collection of explanatory psychological models that can be applied, in practice, to the management of any project. This book is therefore suitable not only for project managers but also for managers in general, who wish to increase their understanding of people's behaviour, reactions and perceptions in a work context, in order to achieve the best results for the organisation as a whole. Includes a chapter on Virtual Project Teams.

Sharon De Mascia's text uses human behaviour, established and emerging psychological models to provide perspectives on and tools for managing people in projects, including project team selection, people and team management, team cohesion, and much more.

Why do carefully planned projects fail? Projects are affected, for good or ill, by the humans who undertake them. If the plan fails to take account of the psychology of managing people and the psychology of managing change there may be trouble ahead. Sharon De Mascia's Project Psychology uses human behaviour and emerging psychological models to provide an insight into the successful management of people in projects. By selecting the right team, facilitating a common vision and by gaining a psychological understanding of how the team and the project stakeholders interact together, a project manager improves the chance of a successful outcome. Whether you are looking to set up and manage a new project or working to develop the competence and maturity of your organization's project management capability, Project Psychology will provide you with insights and tools for making sense of the people involved and for managing them to best effect.

Organizations today are increasingly using projects in their daily activities. Projects and project-management principles frame goal attainment in academia and many business sectors, and they even serve as theoretical footing for organizational-change endeavors. However, the ubiquity of project management does not mean that project work, project teams, and the ways organizations use projects are well understood. Moreover, while project-management theory and practice aim at providing structure and control to enable successful project completion, an alarmingly high percentage of projects struggle or fail. As the authors of The Psychology and Management of Project Teams explain, this is in part because projects are still mostly managed as technical systems rather than behavioral systems. Even though project-management researchers have become increasingly interested in factors that may have an impact on project-management effectiveness, their efforts fall short of addressing the "human factor." And, unfortunately, many project-management scholars are largely unaware of the I/O psychology literature--relying, for example, on outdated models of motivation and team development. On the other side, I/O psychologists who research groups and teams often ignore the contextual influences--such as business sector, project type, placement in the organizational hierarchy, and project phase and maturity--that have a crucial impact on how a project will unfold. In this volume, a cross-disciplinary set of editors will bring together perspectives from leading I/O psychology and project-management scholars. The volume will include comprehensive coverage of team selection, development, learning, motivation, and communication; conflict management and well-being; leadership; diversity; performance from a multi-level perspective; and career development. In the concluding chapter, a research agenda will provide a roadmap for an integrated approach to the study of project teams.