Specifics of Project Team Managing and Development in IS/ICT

Project management is now the basis for the activities of most companies, whether local or multinational, regardless of the sector in which they operate. Construction industry can be considered as a birthplace of project management, due to the need to monitor the continuity of work. With the adoption of project management by other sectors--primarily engaged in information systems and telecommunications technologies--project management is given a new direction. If we add to this trend the current focus on the development and care of human resources (the impact of soft skills on the work of managers), we get two conflicting tendencies: on the one hand there is a significant development of project methodologies and techniques oriented mainly to the administration of the entire process of project management (planning, managing and reporting); on the other hand there are training methods that focus on the development of soft skills (teamwork, creativity, communication skills or leadership skills). But what is lacking is the integration of both approaches. The main objective of this doctoral thesis, Specifics of Project Team Managing and Development in IS/ICT, is to determine whether project teams behave as real teams, as defined by current theories, or whether they behave as specific working groups. The sub-objectives are 1) to identify the key skills that project managers need for leading teams, 2) identify the key soft skills of project team members which need to work effectively in a team, and 3) find out how project teams work with knowledge. The research included in this work is aimed at mapping the position of the project manager as a leader of the project team with an emphasis on the issue of soft skills in the project management of IS/ICT companies. Three independent data sources enable us to understand the situation in several existing project teams from different perspectives (project manager, team member and head of the project management office), with an emphasis on project manager as a leader of the team. The research was performed in companies engaged in mobile communications in the Czech Republic (GSM service providers) and their suppliers. The total research involved 224 respondents. This data was then generalized and applied to companies operating in the field of IS/ICT in the Czech Republic. The conclusion summarizes the benefits for the development of science (in the specific field of project management as well as in management in general) for business and for education