Wu, S; Li, M and Zhang, B (2025) How compound psychological empowerment shapes project managers' citizenship behavior: A common agency framework. Construction Management and Economics, 43(12), pp. 1080-1100. ISSN 0144-6193
Abstract
As the leader of a project management team, the project citizenship behavior (PCB) of the project manager plays a crucial role in enhancing project performance. PCB is deeply influenced by psychological empowerment. Unlike the single-agent psychological empowerment scenario prevalent in typical organizations, project managers operate within a common agency framework and adhere to a dual-authority model, creating a unique compound psychological empowerment context. To investigate the influence mechanism of project managers' PCB under this compound psychological empowerment, this paper employs structural equation modeling (SEM) and multi-group analysis. Trust is introduced as a mediating variable, while project complexity and project managers' emotional intelligence are integrated as moderating variables. Findings indicate a more intricate PCB formation path and reveal inherent mechanisms of asymmetric empowerment between owners and contractors in compound empowerment contexts, characterized by: differentiated mediating roles of trust, contextualized contingency of moderating effects of emotional intelligence, and asymmetrical regulation by project complexity. This study theoretically constructs a cross-organizational compound psychological empowerment influence model, enriching the motivation mechanism of project managers within the common agency framework. Practically, the findings offer sharper guidance for owners and contractors on motivating project managers and forecasting project managers' PCB, thereby effectively improving project performance.
| Item Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | common agency; emotional intelligence; project citizenship behavior; project complexity; psychological empowerment; trust |
| Index terms: | emotional intelligence, project performance, project manager, forecasting, owner, regulation, agent, agency, project complexity, empowerment, structural equation modelling, project management team, motivation |
| Subjects: | organizational theory, psychology, practitioner, statistical analysis, political science, sociology, project management theory and practice, management, prediction and forecasting, profession |
| Topics: | Research Practice, Roles and Professions, Stakeholder Management, Governance, Human Resources, Project Management |
| Descriptive scope: | 4 PCTA |
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