The impact of projectification on managers: main challenges

PURPOSE: The goal of this research is to understand how project managers are adapting to current projectification environment and what are the main challenges they have to deal with in a day to day project work. METHODOLOGY: This research was conducted by means of semi-structured interviews and questionnaires. The participants in the study were 15 project managers and 57 project team’s members. A content analysis of the data was conducted regarding strengths and weaknesses from the project manager’s self-perceptions and project team members’ perceptions, using an inductive approach. FINDINGS: The research reveals interesting insights, such as the identification of emerging challenges for the project managers of today, such as dealing with communications issues, the motivation of project team members, leadership, and increasing emotional management and confidence. RESEARCH LIMITATIONS: The main limitation is related to the size and location of the sample, which represents the point of view of 15 Spanish Project managers and the members of their work teams and sets the cultural aspect aside. ORIGINALITY: This new era is changing how organizations and managers have to deal with people management, evolving towards more flexible and engaging leadership styles. This paper helps providing new insights into emerging challenges and needs of project managers, integrating team member’s perceptions