Motivational Triggers in Projects: A Comparative Study of the Construction and Consulting Industries
Författare
Summary, in English
The existence or absence of motivation among project members can determine whether or not a project succeeds or fails. Establishing and maintaining motivation, however, are difficult tasks for project managers. Individuals have different triggers of motivation and it is a complex task to understand the underlying motivational drivers of every member of a project, especially because projects are characterized by constraints of time and resources. Each industry has a specific approach to creating a sense of motivation among its project members and the deciding factor seems to be the different social contexts that each industry provides.
Additionally, the social context of each individual project also impacts the motivation of the specific project team members, which creates even more complex managerial requirements. This study aims at distinguishing the primary sources of motivation in projects and among project team members by comparing interview results from project team members and managers in two industries: construction and consulting. The two industries are different in most aspects, but have the important similarity of project intensity and, as a result, the similarities in the two will help in identifying general motivational triggers in projects. Motivation among the project team members and managers interviewed is surprisingly similar for the two different industries in which motivation originates from three main aspects: the role of the project leader, feedback, and the project context. The aspects of understanding individuals and their motivational triggers are vital in project teams, because they play an important role in the establishment of autonomy, which in turn lays the foundation for development of competence. Competence is a factor that can be distinguished in both industries, but stems from different sources, mastery in construction opposed to learning in consulting. The three main aspects do not affect motivation in isolation; instead, they are interrelated and an increase in one area has the potential of increasing motivation in the other two parts as well.
Additionally, the social context of each individual project also impacts the motivation of the specific project team members, which creates even more complex managerial requirements. This study aims at distinguishing the primary sources of motivation in projects and among project team members by comparing interview results from project team members and managers in two industries: construction and consulting. The two industries are different in most aspects, but have the important similarity of project intensity and, as a result, the similarities in the two will help in identifying general motivational triggers in projects. Motivation among the project team members and managers interviewed is surprisingly similar for the two different industries in which motivation originates from three main aspects: the role of the project leader, feedback, and the project context. The aspects of understanding individuals and their motivational triggers are vital in project teams, because they play an important role in the establishment of autonomy, which in turn lays the foundation for development of competence. Competence is a factor that can be distinguished in both industries, but stems from different sources, mastery in construction opposed to learning in consulting. The three main aspects do not affect motivation in isolation; instead, they are interrelated and an increase in one area has the potential of increasing motivation in the other two parts as well.
Avdelning/ar
Publiceringsår
2012
Språk
Engelska
Sidor
1-38
Dokumenttyp
Konferensbidrag
Ämne
- Other Mechanical Engineering
Nyckelord
- Motivation in projects
- consultant industry
- construction industry
- the role of the project manager
- project context.
Conference name
PMI Research and Education Conference 2012
Conference date
2012-07-18
Conference place
Limerick, Ireland
Status
Published