Project Manager Personality as a Factor for Success

摘要

Much has been written regarding project success, and one of the factors contributing to project success is the role of the project manager. Furthermore, project success can be enhanced by selecting the best project manager, and by assigning project managers whose attributes best align with project type. We investigated the role of the project manager's personality on project success using the 'Big Five' personality model. We surveyed United States Department of Defense project managers to determine specific 'Big Five' personality traits which were more likely to positively predict project manager success. The findings indicate conscientiousness and openness to experience were both good predictors of successful project managers. The results may be useful as one consideration when hiring project managers, and when selecting project managers to best match certain project types.