Supporting early career project managers in construction: a multi-vocal study

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.

Citation

Borg, J. and Scott-Young, C.M. (2022), "Supporting early career project managers in construction: a multi-vocal study", Engineering, Construction and Architectural Management, Vol. 29 No. 10, pp. 3830-3846. https://doi.org/10.1108/ECAM-06-2021-0487