Chan I Y S, L A M M and Cao S, F R (2013) Competency and empowerment of project managers in China. In: Smith, S D and Ahiaga-Dagbui, D D (eds.) Proceedings of 29th Annual ARCOM Conference, 2-4 September 2013, Reading, UK.
Abstract
The Agent Construction Management (ACM) system is one of the new measures adopted in government funded projects in China. The main characteristic of the ACM system is the introduction of an independent professional project management firm into the project management process. The ACM system is still in its trial stage in China and there is no unified qualification assessment system for agent construction organizations. While the importance of the project manager’s competence is recognized, previous research also shows that project manager’s empowerment is conducive to project performance. The definition of competency is confusing as several terms such as competency/competencies, competence/competences, capability and ability are used interchangeably and inconsistently. Competence is the state or quality of being adequately qualified -- the ability to perform a specific role (e.g. PMI’s project manager’s competency development framework). While empowerment can be viewed as a relational construct and considered within a more general concept of power, it is also a motivational (or psychological) construct. These two perspectives of empowerment are not independent and motivational empowerment may be an outcome of relational empowerment. This research aims to analyze the relationships of motivational empowerment and competency on job performance of the project managers in the ACM organisations. Regression modelling is adopted to analyze the data collected from 203 project managers involved in projects adopting ACM system. Findings support the relationships of competency and empowerment and their effect on project manager’s job performance.
| Item Type: | Conference Paper (Paper) |
|---|---|
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | agent; management system; competency; empowerment; job performance; project manager |
| Index terms: | construction organization, empowerment, project manager, management system, qualification, regression modelling, project management process, competence, project performance, agent, China, project management |
| Subjects: | Geography, personnel development, project management theory and practice, management, educational resources, statistical analysis, practitioner, profession, organization |
| Topics: | Human Resources, Organizational Design, Education, Business Strategy, Geographical Context, Project Management, Research Practice, Roles and Professions |
| Descriptive scope: | 3 PCA |
N.B. Descriptive scope is a count of how many of the five facets of empirical research are indicated by the words used in title, abstract and keywords. It is not intended as a judgement on the research; merely a count of the kind of word we would expect to indicate Phenomenon, Concepts, Theoretical framing, Empirical techniques, Analytical techniques. If all five are present, then a code of “5 PCTEA” will indicate this. If you feel the coding for this record is questionable, we welcome discussion around the terms we matched or the way we categorized them. The facet you would expect may not be coded, or a facet may be coded inappropriately. This can also bear on a larger question, of which facets should be treated as defining in construction management research. Please get in touch, and we will look at it. More details here