Borg, J. and Scott-Young, C. M. (2022) Supporting early career project managers in construction: A multi-vocal study. Engineering, Construction and Architectural Management, 29(10), pp. 3830-3846. ISSN 0969-9988
Abstract
Purpose: The aim of this paper is to explore the support that project managers receive from construction project-based organisations (PBOs) in their early careers. Design/methodology/approach: Fifty-seven semi-structured in-depth interviews were conducted with four key stakeholder groups including early career project managers (ECPMs) and employers from Australian construction PBOs, project management professional bodies, and university educators to ascertain (1) what organizations are currently doing and (2) what organizations can do better to support project managers in their early careers. Findings: Thematic analysis revealed that construction PBOs' responsibilities to ECPMs entailed: (1) providing mentoring, (2) offering training, (3) collaborating with universities, (4) giving time and feedback and (5) assigning manageable workloads. However, the findings revealed inconsistencies in companies enacting these responsibilities. Research limitations/implications: This research is limited to the context of the Australian construction industry, yet the findings shed valuable insights into the current practices of construction PBOs in supporting ECPMs. From a strategic resource-based view perspective, ECPMs have the potential to serve as long-term valuable organizational resources. Failure to invest in new professional entrants constitutes an area of untapped competitive advantage. Practical implications: Construction PBOs looking to better support their ECPMs may use the results of this research as a guide to tailor their early career professional development initiatives. Originality/value: The study adopts a holistic, multi-vocal approach by interviewing four key stakeholder groups. The findings contribute new insights into the role of construction PBOs in supporting ECPMs and the implications this has on the sustainability of their project management talent pool.
| Item Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | early career; employer responsibilities; project management; project-based construction organizations; workplace transitions |
| Index terms: | career, workload, competitive advantage, interview, mentoring, methodology, project manager, project management, construction industry, thematic analysis, construction project, strategic resource, professional development, construction organization |
| Subjects: | training, production management, organization, professional development, economics, project management theory and practice, profession, methods and analysis, market analysis, data collection methods, research methods, management, industry analysis |
| Topics: | Organizational Design, Business Strategy, Human Resources, Project Management, Research Practice, Roles and Professions, Information Management |
| Descriptive scope: | 5 PCTEA |
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