Beverley Lloyd-Walker

Emotional intelligence (EI) capabilities training: can it develop EI in project teams?

Purpose – The importance of emotional intelligence (EI) for management success has been established. This paper aims to examine the influence of increased EI capabilities on project success.Design/methodology/approach – This paper first examines the literature in relation to EI then reports on a case study conducted in the defence contracting sector in the USA. The qualitative, case study approach is supported by pre‐ and post‐training surveys. Regression analysis was conducted to test the effect of the training on EI competencies and the impact of the increase in competencies on employee satisfaction and project success.Findings – Results of the case study and survey indicate that developing EI capabilities will contribute to increased project management success.Research limitations/implications – The research reported upon in this paper is limited to one organisation within the defence contracting industry in the USA.Practical implications – The aim of every project leader is to develop their intended p...

Enabling construction innovation: the role of a no-blame culture as a collaboration behavioural driver in project alliances

A no-blame culture is widely accepted as a collaboration driver yet we see surprisingly scant literature on the theoretical underpinnings for the construction and project management context. A no-blame culture in project alliances, as conducted in Australasia, promotes innovative thinking in action. Innovation is dependent upon collaboration and true collaboration is inextricably linked with behavioural drivers. Foremost of these is a culture of openness and willingness to share the pain and gain from experimentation, one that requires that collaborators be protected from the threat of being blamed and held accountable for experimental failure. The Australasian project alliance procurement form has a unique ‘no-blame’ behavioural contract clause that can result in the type of breakthrough thinking crucial in developing a collaborative culture where innovation can evolve through a process of trial and error.

The ambience of a project alliance in Australia

The challenge of delivering construction projects that serve their intended purpose while meeting value-for-money criteria has confronted the construction industry in many countries. The call for a change in culture in project delivery organizations and their clients has also been well documented. The response to these challenges has been a shift from traditional project delivery towards a relational approach that has been gaining momentum for highly complex and/or highly time-constrained infrastructure construction projects. An especially instructive development in this trend has been the growth in project alliancing in Australasia. Literature on project alliancing and related comparable forms of project delivery indicates that this way of performing project business requires an entirely new set of project management (PM) behaviours and a new working atmosphere, environment and ambience within which to work. Traditional PM is carried out in a highly competitive environment, with little or no risk sharing...

Rethinking project management: Its influence on papers published in the international journal of managing projects in business

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore the extent of the continuing influence on project management (PM) research directions of rethinking project management over the last ten years. Design/methodology/approach The authors chose a qualitative research approach that involved reading all papers published in the International Journal of Managing Project in Business since its commencement in 2008. Content analysis was performed on these papers to allow axial coding of key article content influence themes. Findings The research identified the strength, over time, of the three research interest clusters on the PM research agenda and resultant changes in the PM paradigm. The five directions put forward by the rethinking PM agenda and other researchers ten years ago have continued to influence the PM research agenda. Originality/value Findings provide a better understanding the changes in PM research directions since rethinking PM, the increased breadth and sophistication of PM research in general, and future research directions.

Client-side project management capabilities: dealing with ethical dilemmas

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to present results and analysis from a case study on ethical dilemmas faced by client-side project management employees of a large Australian University. Design/methodology/approach – A single case study approach was adopted using the property services divisions experience of potential ethical dilemmas that staff were exposed to as a focus for the unit of analysis. Data were triangulated by interviewing the Deputy Director of the division, a programme manager, a project manager and a client (stakeholder) with experience of dealing with the division. Each person was interviewed and the interview transcribed and analysed using grounded theory to make sense of the data. Findings – Four potential ethical dilemmas were identified: fraud/bribery/corruption; favouritism and special treatment; occupational health and safety and duty of care; and professionalism and respect for others. Leadership, governance structure and (organisational and national) culture supported initi...

Developing customer-focused public sector reward schemes Evidence from the Botswana government's performance-based reward system (PBRS)

Purpose – Governmental agencies are interested in improving the quality of their service delivery. One tool that has been used to manage their performance is performance based reward schemes (PBRS). The aim of this paper is to examine the degree to which a sample of these plans, used within the Botswana public sector, is customer-focused. Being more customer-focused should deliver improved public sector service quality. Design/methodology/approach – This study carried out an evaluation of a sample of Botswana PBRS plans, using multidimensional content analysis undertaken by four expert “evaluators”, to identify the degree to which the PBRS were customer-focused. Findings – Classifying PBRS plans as being customer-focused was difficult, as the plans had few objectives related to customer experiences or outcomes. Those that did had poorly defined performance objectives, their targets were not specific, or there was limited explicit role responsibility. Thus, PBRS plans seemed not to focus on improving custo...

Project teams and change in the Australian banking industry

The Australian banking industry has undergone fast and dramatic change in response to deregulation and globalisation of financial markets. The release of the Wallis Report on the Australian financial industry in March 1997 signalled that this rate of change can be expected to continue into the twenty‐first century. This study was carried out on one proje ct, part of an organisation‐wide reengineering programme in a major Australian bank and examined the link between corporate strategy and implementation of an IT‐supported change project. Results highlight the need for careful co‐ordination of organisational, technology and departmental strategies when carrying out major change programmes, and the importance of user training for effective use of the system.

Developing customer-focused public sector rewards schemes : evidence from the Botswana government's performance based reward system (PBRS)

Purpose – Governmental agencies are interested in improving the quality of their service delivery. One tool that has been used to manage their performance is performance based reward schemes (PBRS). The aim of this paper is to examine the degree to which a sample of these plans, used within the Botswana public sector, is customer-focused. Being more customer-focused should deliver improved public sector service quality. Design/methodology/approach – This study carried out an evaluation of a sample of Botswana PBRS plans, using multidimensional content analysis undertaken by four expert “evaluators”, to identify the degree to which the PBRS were customer-focused. Findings – Classifying PBRS plans as being customer-focused was difficult, as the plans had few objectives related to customer experiences or outcomes. Those that did had poorly defined performance objectives, their targets were not specific, or there was limited explicit role responsibility. Thus, PBRS plans seemed not to focus on improving custo...