The Profile of the Project Manager in Academia

The Profile of the Project Manager in Academia Stanislav Percic and Irina Teodora Manolescu Abstract The universities are the organizations that use projects to a great extent as instruments of change. The literature highlights a direct link between the project manager’s competences and the success of the project. This paper aims at identifying the main characteristics of the project managers from universities, starting from an extensive documentation of all development projects implemented within a representative university of the Romanian academic environment, Alexandru Ioan Cuza University of Iasi. In this context, characteristics related to gender, occupation, and level of academic career were analyzed. This study, through a focus group, captures the particular aspects of the appointment of the project managers by project category, and highlights the difficulties encountered and the adequacy of the held competences to overcome these. The conclusions focus on the synthesis of the main features of the project managers’ competences, as well as the recommendations for improving their appointment in the university environment. Keywords Project manager · University environment · Competence 1 The Role and General Competencies of the Project Manager Within an Organization Universities are entities that can assume different determinant roles in their communities. Although tradition plays an important role in defining the organizational identity of the university, society expects a strong dynamic from the academia in terms of technological and social progress, training and adaptation to labor market requirements, building and promoting the value system in society. This consistent S. Percic (*) Alexandru Ioan Cuza University of Iaşi, Development Projects Office, Iaşi, Romania e-mail: [email protected] I. T. Manolescu Alexandru Ioan Cuza University of Iaşi, Faculty of Economics and Business Administration, Iaşi, Romania © The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2021 R. Orăștean et al. (eds.), Organizations and Performance in a Complex World, Springer Proceedings in Business and Economics, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-50676-6_18 229 230 S. Percic and I. T. Manolescu change can also be achieved through projects, and universities are often seen as traditional matrix organizations—functionally and project-oriented (Muller 2009, p. 176). Any organization implementing projects, based on the unity of the command principle, must designate the persons who will be the project manager, with the key responsibility to meet the pre-defined project requirements. Even if this responsibility is transferred to the appointed project manager, this person is appropriate to the responsibility, so that through the project sponsor system (Martin 2006, p. 45), the organization retains full responsibility for the end result (Verzuh 2008, p. 349). In non-reimbursable funding programs, key project documents are signed by both the project manager and the authorizing officer of the organization. The appointment of project managers is thus a fundamental decision to ensure the success of projects and to operationalize internal systems. The project manager is the person entrusted with the authority to manage a project. Its tasks include coordinating the planning and development of all project deliverables, either in a full-time job/position or as an additional task to the current position within the organization (Newton 2006, p. 13). The project manager must ensure that the designated responsibility is clearly defined, and the expected results are understood and accepted by all stakeholders. It is important to define in written form the responsibilities and specific authority that the project manager will have in terms of personnel, equipment, materials and funds. In the organizational framework the project managers’ performance should be measured, and the consequences of a negative project outcome should be set. The project manager has specific responsibilities towards three main project stakeholders (Munns and Bjeirmi 1996, pp. 83–84): • the responsibility towards the organization to direct the project into the specific strategic line, to respect policies and to support its values, to efficiently harness the resources involved in the project, and to provide timely and clear information; • the responsibility towards the beneficiaries in delivering the project results in time and according to the requirements, adapting the deliverables through content changes under clearly specified conditions; • responsibility towards team members for assignment of responsibilities according to their competencies and availability, mediation of emerging conflicts, reintegration into activity after the end of the project. In general terms, the functions of the project manager are specific to a typical management function: planning, organizing, coordinating, and controlling the project. They are part of the project manager’s main role as organizational integrator. When the project is funded under grant programs/non-reimbursable funding programs, the project coordinator/project manager has the obligation to ensure compliance with the provisions of the grant guidelines, the grant agreement and the framework regulations specific to the program. The project team formation is usually considered to be the main task of the project manager (Barker and Cole 2009, p. 81). In situations where the complexity of The Profile of the Project Manager in Academia 231 the project is high and the constraints of hiring external personnel to the organization are intense, as in the case of universities, senior managers, department managers and especially the project sponsor can intervene in team formation. The orientation towards excellence in the technical field of the project, especially for research projects, is considered a successful condition, but it is doubled by effective communication skills with all stakeholders (Wysocki 2009, p. 39). Passing over the problems that arise because of the project team formation and their development dynamics, it is estimated that the deficiencies leading to poor implementation of projects are directly related to communication issues. The most important selection criteria for a project manager at the organizational level departs from the organization’s expectations during the project implementation: to obtain the necessary resources for the project; to have sufficient links with the top management and the departments of the company; to attract and motivate team specialists; the ability to overcome obstacles; permanent management of the main, often contradictory, objectives of the projects. 2 Usual Classifications and Diversity of the Project Managers’ Competences Approaches regarding the project manager’s competences are extremely diverse. This diversity is based, on the one hand, on the different approaches of the thematic areas (Turner and Simister 2004, pp. 3–8), which underlie the different project management systems, and, on the other hand, the major differences in terms of complexity and orientation of projects in different sectors—public, private and civil society. Analyzing 25 research papers published after 2000, Nijhuis et al. (2015, p. 184) found a total number of 353 competences that describe project managers. Only 9% of the identified competences are mentioned twice or more: 25 competences are mentioned twice, 5 competences are mentioned in three different publications, while one competence (time management) is specified in 4 research papers and one in 6 publications (leadership). The evolution of the projects has changed the competences of the project managers (Office of Government Commerce 2008, p. 93). Not long ago, the focus was put on technical competences, and project managers were hired according to their experience and technical skills (Lewis 2007, p. 24). In recent years, the nature of the projects has changed considerably, the projects are not only one-dimensional oriented, focused on a single, technical solution (Lock 2000, pp. 32–33). The development of today’s projects uses multidimensional methods that include different approaches; they may include horizontal objectives, objectives related to sponsors or oriented towards social responsibility, gender equality and partnerships. Project teams involve more and more stakeholders, and behavioral competences are at least as important as technical skills. In case of the complex projects, to be an effective project manager, a person may need a management understanding rather than a technical expertise. 232 S. Percic and I. T. Manolescu At the organizational level, the most commonly cited attributes as desirable for the project manager are: complex training; maturity; availability; in good relationship with top management; motivate and maintain team unity; has worked in several organizational contexts. Nijhuis et al. (2015, p. 181), analyzing two available taxonomies used for the classification of project management competences, hyperdimensional taxonomy (Tett et al. 2000) and open systems taxonomy (Shrivastava 2008), found that more that 90% of the competences specified within the taxonomies are linked with the 353 competences discovered before. Hyperdimensional taxonomy proposed by Tett et al. (2000) includes 53 competences that describe a project manager distributed on 9 domains: Traditional functions, Task Orientation, Person Orientation, Dependability, Open Mindedness, Emotional Control, Communication, Developing Self and Others and Occupational Acumen and Concerns (pp. 184–186). Shrivastava’s open systems taxonomy defined 3 clusters of competency: interface, growth and contingency with 14 competences and acknowledges that there is a slight overlap between those clusters (Nijhuis et al. 2015, p. 185). 3 Correlations Between the Management Style, the Type of Personality of the Project Manager and the Success of the Project In order to find the most important features of a successful manager, Montequin et al. (2015, p. 61) applied a Likert scale questionnaire among 78 respondents from 12 countries around the world and revealed that a successful project manager usually is an individual who possesses a high-level and long-term view, is a fair and firm person, makes decisions in a logical and objective way, is extroverted and sociable, prefers structured environments and keeping the control over situations. Moreover, analyzing the results of the questionnaire and putting them along with the Carl G. Jung’s personality preferences, authors concluded that the most successful project managers usually are extrovert (focus of attention), thinkers (decision making) and judgers (relationships with the world). Even researchers didn’t find the most appropriate characteristics for the information seeking dimension (are the project managers sensing or intuitive persons?), they highlighted that for certain activities, phases, industries, or types of projects, pragmatism is more important, meanwhile creativity is key under another circumstances (Montequin et al. 2015, p. 61). In another train of thoughts, using a personal interview with 28 different project managers that carried out 40 projects in 2012 and relying on the Myers–Briggs personality instrument, Bevilacqua et al. (2014, p. 857) found that extroverted managers implement projects that show lower delay and lower waste time. Contrariwise, introverted managers often make “over-processing” and “defect” types of waste. The Profile of the Project Manager in Academia 233 Also, they concluded that perceiving managers (they are highly adaptable to changing environments, they find happiness in new tasks or opportunities, and they dislike routine) provide better performance, in terms of traditional performance indexes, in comparison with judging ones (they feel a sense of urgency to take a pending decision and they like to develop, schedule and implement plans) (Bevilacqua et al. 2014, p. 880). Researchers showed that “over-processing” is the most important waste made by managers. In other words, project managers perform activities that customers do not require: elaborate of the paper instructions that will never be read or create packaging that is several times as big as the product (take more time and use more resources without adding lasting value to the customer) (Bevilacqua et al. 2014, p. 879). The typical project manager had a number of positions before becoming a project manager, gaining experience in an industry before being a manager (Bevilacqua et al. 2014, pp. 881–882). 4 Different Competencies of the Project Manager Depending on the Different Nature of the Organizations and Implemented Projects Projects vary by duration, scale and complexity. Within a complex project, the project manager may choose to appoint one or more assistant managers. The project manager can delegate single or multiple responsibilities, including monitoring to a project assistant manager. 4.1 Public-Private Differences The role of a project manager in public sector projects is unique and very specific, because the projects in public sector always deal with multiple and different stakeholders, among which can be mentioned politicians, whose attitudes, opinions or interests may have an important impact on projects’ implementation (Jalocha et al. 2014, p. 247). The project manager in public sector differs significantly from one in private sector, because while a private manager is focused on increasing the demand for his products, a project manager from the public sector strives not to exceed the budget, even by suppressing the demand for the products. Thus a public project manager usually works in an “environment which is not familiar with the results-oriented project management” and in most cases cannot link performance and reward. In this context the economic efficiency cannot be used as a decision criterion by the public project managers. Moreover, in contrast to the private manager, the public sector project manager follows the public service ethics and prove a stronger desire to meet the public needs, thus highlighting a less materialistic feature (Jalocha et al. 2014, p. 249). 234 4.2 S. Percic and I. T. Manolescu Competencies for Industry Projects Analyzing the literature, Dziekoński (2017, pp. 175–176) proposed three competency areas for a typical construction project manager: knowledge, management skills and attitude. From his point of view, a good construction project manager should combine technical knowledge and expertise (competence in the area in which project is implemented) with managerial skills (ability to organize work, make decisions, communicate or negotiate) and attitude (creative, self-confidence, authority etc.). Using the results of a questionnaire survey among 751 respondents, members of the Polish Construction Industry Chamber, the author proposed a model of construction project manager’s competency, that is based on four clusters: basic management skills (a combination of mental strength with organize work skills), interpersonal abilities supporting managerial skills (focus on the goals, ability to resolve conflicts, ability to negotiate, ability to manage the scope, time and cost of the project), emotional intelligence characteristics (ability to recognize their own as well as and other people's emotions and to deal with emotions of others) and formal skills (resulted from training and certification and knowledge of tools) (Dziekoński 2017, pp. 178–180). In order to investigate the relationship between the success in career of a project manager and project manager’s age, gender, and professional experience, Sava (2016, pp. 44–46) used an online survey among 151 project managers covering 19 different industries. He found that 58.28% of the respondents were men, while 41.72% were women. With respect to the age distribution, 35.76% of the interviewed project managers had the age between 35 and 44, 29.14% were between 25 and 34, 20.53% of the respondents were between 45 and 54, while the remaining 14.57% identified with the 55–64 group. No managers were identified with the age under 24 or over 64. Regarding the experience of the interviewed project managers, 56.29% of the respondents reported less than 10 years of experience, while 43.71% had 10 or more years (Sava 2016, pp. 44–46). Also, the author concluded that project managers associate the career success with job satisfaction, compensation received, responsibility level received, work requirements, advancement factors received, project opportunities or recognition (career success indicators) (Sava 2016, p. 51). Making use of the General Linear Model and Pearson Correlation analysis for processing the obtained survey results, the author concluded that the age, gender, and professional experience of project managers do not have a significant effect on any of the seven career success indicators. Therefore, there is not a statistically significant relationship between age, gender, and professional experience of project managers and career success (Sava 2016, p. 52). The Profile of the Project Manager in Academia 4.3 235 Competencies for Projects Implemented in Public Institutions In accord with IPMA’s competency model a public sector project manager has the following key competences: • Contextual competences: Project, Program and Portfolio orientation and implementation, stakeholders’ analysis and management, ability to analyze political support and opposition, collaboration with a variety of individuals and groups from both within and outside the office, understanding of organizational mission, ethics and public good and being concerned with public trust etc. • Behavioral competences: high standards of honesty and integrity, motivation to serve public, including encouraging employees to believe in the spirit of public service and demonstrating a personal commitment to quality public service, ability to deal with bureaucracy and red-tapes, ability to think various, possible future scenarios (challenges, opportunities, etc.) and to find creative solutions etc. • Technical competences: project management success, problem resolution, ability to recommend effective strategies, ability to work under time pressure, professional competence in public administration, analyze and apply lessons learned from other organizations etc. (Jalocha et al. 2014, pp. 254–255). 4.4 Competencies for the NGO Sector Using a semi-structured interview conducted among 28 project managers from 18 international development NGOs from Canada, Brière et al. (2015, p. 118) tried, on the one hand, to describe the general profile, and, on the other hand, to identify the competencies of international development project managers in NGOs. They found that 11 of the interviewed persons were women and 17 men. Regarding the age distribution of the project managers, 50% of the respondents were over 45, while over 21.4% of respondents were between 30 and less than 35. With respect to the educational background, the most of the interviewed project managers (17) held a master’s degree, including 7 people holding an MBA, 3 respondents held PhDs, while 6 held a bachelor’s degree and two held a diploma of higher specialized studies. Moreover, respondents had an average of 10 years of experience in international development project management, but with a different distribution by gender (women had an average experience of 7 years, while men had 12 years) (Brière et al. 2015, p. 118). Bearing in mind the specific environment where international development projects are carried out (the presence of poverty and inequity-related issues, lack of resources, the excess of danger, the particular mentality of people who give their lives to these projects, the presence of numerous stakeholders and of a network of players 236 S. Percic and I. T. Manolescu with variable needs and abilities etc.), researchers identified 11 competencies of the project managers: adaptability, span of abilities, management skills, communication, personal qualities, interpersonal skills, leadership, ethics, networking and local knowledge, capacity building and change management. The authors highlighted the importance of human skills and behavioral competences, adding a particular meaning to them. They concluded that communication in an international development NGO project mostly refers to understanding others, while leadership is making things appear from others. Moreover, project managers must both focus on results and work as a team, as well as achieve the difficult balance between work, the emotional aspect of work and the intercultural dimension (Brière et al. 2015, pp. 123–124). 5 The Profile of the Project Manager at Alexandru Ioan Cuza University in Iasi in Terms of Documentary Analysis During the programming period 2007–2013 Alexandru Ioan Cuza University of Iasi implemented 80 projects financed through Structural Funds of which 29 as beneficiary and 51 as partner. The total number of project managers that implemented projects during the analyzed period was 79, because for one of the projects implemented in the partnership there was no need for a manager from the university (applied for all the partners). At first glance (see Fig. 1) it can be observed that more than 2/3 of the total number of projects financed through Structural Funds and implemented by the Alexandru Ioan Cuza University of Iasi during the programming period 2007–2013 were managed by men (54 of which 22 as beneficiary and 32 as partner), while less than 1/3 by women (25 of which 7 as beneficiary and 18 as partner). Nevertheless, the entire number of projects was managed by 54 unique managers (one manager implemented between 1 and 5 projects), of which 41 were men and 13 women. Although this would mean that more than ¾ of the total project managers were unique male Fig. 1 Distribution of the project managers by gender The Profile of the Project Manager in Academia 237 and less than ¼ were unique female, one can observe that on average, a woman managed 1.92 projects, while a man only 1.32 projects. Moreover, the maximum number of projects managed by a woman during the programming period 2007–2013 was 5, while a man assumed not more than 4 projects (see Fig. 2). The most of the male managers implemented just one project during the entire period (78%) and only one manager has dealt with 4 projects (2% of the total men managers). By comparison, not more than 62% of the female managers implemented one project and 15% managed 5 projects during the entire analyzed period. These findings can be interpreted by a larger capacity of planning of female managers compared to male managers, allowing them to handle multiple projects once. Analyzing the total contracted value of the projects financed through Structural Funds and implemented by the Alexandru Ioan Cuza University of Iasi during the programming period 2007–2013 it must be emphasized that men project managers implemented projects with a cumulative value of more than 459 million RON (about 96 million EUR), while women project managers dealt with a total value of more than 120 million RON (about 25 million EUR). A simple calculation reveals that on average, a man manager implemented a project with a value of 8.5 million RON (about 1.79 million EUR), while a woman manager handled only 4.8 million RON project (about 1 million EUR). This finding can be interpreted by a higher inclination of male managers to more complex financial projects (higher financial challenges). Regarding the age profile of the project manager, the present study revealed that the average age of a typical project manager from Alexandru Ioan Cuza University of Iasi is 48 years. 50% of the total number of project managers has between 40 and 49 years old (the most dominant age range), 31% has between 50 and 59, while those who have under 40 years or more than 59 years represent only 19% (see Fig. 3). However, there are significant differences between male and female managers: while the average age of a female manager is 45, the male manager starts a project Fig. 2 Distribution of unique project managers by number of the projects and gender 238 S. Percic and I. T. Manolescu Fig. 3 Distribution of the project managers by age range Fig. 4 Distribution of the project managers by age range (years) and gender when he turns 50. Only 13% of the female managers and 9% of the male managers have less than 40 years (see Fig. 4). The most dominant age range for both, male and female, is between 40 and 49 (44% for men managers and 61% for women managers). An important number of managers have between 50 and 59 years, 33% of the male managers and 26% of the female managers. The only managers that have more than 59 years old are male, they are representing 13% of the total male managers. Moreover, the age difference between the youngest manager and the oldest is 35 years for men and 23 for women. The youngest female manager, as well as the youngest male manager has 34 years, while the oldest female manager has 57 and the oldest male manager has 69. Analyzing the level of education, one can observe that the vast majority of the project managers has PhD degrees (more than 96%), while less than 4% have bachelor or master degrees (see Fig. 5). The explanation is quite simple, most of the The Profile of the Project Manager in Academia 239 Fig. 5 Educational profile of the project managers projects were managed by academics, who had doctoral or even post-doctoral degrees. Regarding the field of education, project managers from Alexandru Ioan Cuza University of Iasi have completed their studies in 13 fields of education, 2/3 of them graduating from the soft sciences (e.g. Economics, Philology, Philosophy or History), while 1/3 of them graduating from the hard sciences (e.g. Physics, 240 S. Percic and I. T. Manolescu Mathematics or Chemistry). Most of them have a background in Economics (20 of 54 unique managers) and this is not a surprise, as the project management represents an important area of interest of the Economics. Focusing attention on work experience (see Fig. 6), it can be observed that project managers with experience that does not exceed 10 years, as well as those with a vast experience (more than 40 years) represent each less than 3% of the total number of analyzed managers. At the same time, the study points out that most of the project managers have between 10 and 29 years of experience, representing more than 70% of the sample. Regarding the main occupation of the project managers, as it was already mentioned, more than 92% are academics, less than 6% comes from administrative staff, while about 2% are researchers. Fig. 6 Professional profile of the project managers The Profile of the Project Manager in Academia 6 241 Qualitative Analysis: Focus Group In order to identify the key-elements regarding the project manager’s career in the university environment and the difficulties met during the implementation of the projects, we opted for a two-stage focus group with six project managers from the university, both genres, people on different stages of the university career, from assistant to university professor, and with experience of project manager. The first step of the focus group consisted in questioning the participants on the following important issues: their own experiences in the appointment as project manager, the adequacy of the personal competences to the role of project manager, the capitalization of the gained experience (through the position of project manager) in the academic career. The second step included the presentation of the difficulties encountered during the project implementation, the competences needed to overcome these difficulties and their reflection on the success of the project. First of all, two categories of projects—research and organizational development—have been delimited. The approach of these two categories of projects in the university environment is quite different: while the management of a research project is a condition of the promotion for the higher stages of the university career, the involvement in an organizational development project is considered an activity for the benefit of the institution without a direct stake in the career. At the level of Alexandru Ioan Cuza University in Iaşi, the differentiation between these two types of projects is carried out also by the supporting functional units: there is a department for the research projects and an office for the development projects. All the participants in the focus group had the role of project manager both in research projects and in development projects. Several situations have been highlighted during the appointment of the university project managers. As a general appreciation, the appointment of the project manager takes place from the stage of establishing the project idea, the project manager’s resume being considered a key element in the research projects. A particular situation that may arise in this category of projects is the appointment of a “ghost” manager with an impressive resume in the project field, in order to ensure a consistent score on the feasibility of the project. This manager is minimally involved in writing the project documentation as well as in coordinating activities, the one who fulfils this role being the researcher who had the idea of a project and who wants to develop himself in the respective field. In this case, there may be difficulties in implementing the project when there is a real confusion about the roles of the team members. For the development projects, two different approaches were highlighted in the project manager appointment phase: • in the case of the projects considered to be less important, as well as for the projects where there is a formal request for partnership from another organization, given the limited time available, the appointment of the project manager does not have a consistent foundation, one strictly correlated with the needed competences, but is often based on the availability of a person or the confidence the decision-maker has in that person; 242 S. Percic and I. T. Manolescu • in the case of the projects considered important, the appointment of the project manager takes place from the moment the project idea is established and the function of the project manager is decisive; the advantage of the authority and the assurance with the available resources, especially during the critical moments of the project, is considered essential; even in these situations, priority is given to the person who has been involved in generating the project idea and writing the documentation of the project, even if for the implementation of the project other competences could be considered (for example, managerial skills). The process of appointing the project manager within the university was appreciated by all the participants as less formal than would be required by a traditional institutional system. On the one hand, this simplified process brings benefits in terms of timely organization of the project and quick start of the specific activities; on the other hand, the same simplified character may bring additional difficulties during the implementation of the project due to the inadequacy of the project manager’s competences to the project specificity, as well as a negative perception among the university staff regarding the equal opportunities in getting to the position of project manager at the organizational level. A certification in the field of project management is not required for the appointment of a project manager at the university level, only 3 persons participating in the focus group have this certification. In another way, especially in the case of the specialized research projects, the “surgical” type of organization (Turner and Simister 2004, p. 269) is recommended, the technical competences of the project manager prevailing over the transversal ones. A minimum training of the experts in the field of project management would help to increase the success of the project. The participants of the focus group invoked various difficulties related to the following, in order of importance: external bureaucracy (of the sponsor), partnership relationships (from the time of association to the end of the project), internal bureaucracy and lack of the support from internal support structures, improper material conditions for project implementation. The most frequently cited issues to overcome these difficulties are the managerial experience or previous experience of participating in projects, communication skills, and compliance with deadlines. Even though the most of the projects implemented in the university are considered to be successful, the participants of the focus group pointed out that about half of the projects they participated in as both team members and project managers could have had more consistent sustainability. 7 Conclusions The profile of a successful manager may vary depending on the field in which the projects are implemented and their typology. The particular systems of the project management, adopted at the level of the various project management institutions, The Profile of the Project Manager in Academia 243 lead to significant differences within the coverage area of the competences of the project manager. The university environment presents important unique characteristics, so the selection process of the project managers is, in turn, unique. The cultural characteristics of the organizational environment lead to gender imbalances, to the prevalence of the function in the appointment decision. Although it is not recommended to appoint a member of the top management of the organization in the position of project manager, in practice these situations are encountered (frequently). Although a formal process of appointing the project managers would involve a delay in starting the projects, ad hoc and informal processes of appointing induce negative perceptions of the chances of joining the project manager role. The project management system has the advantage of a better motivation and involvement of the staff, a faster problem solving, and the university environment can consistently benefit from an increased use of this system. Appointing appropriate project managers would increase the chances of success and would lead to a real sustainability of the implemented projects. References Barker, S., & Cole, R. (2009). Brilliant project management. What the best project managers know, do and say. Harlow: Pearson Education Ltd.. Bevilacqua, M., Ciarapica, F. 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