The Impact of Executive Coaching on Project Managers’ Personal Competencies

Abstract

Personal competencies have been shown to be increasingly reliable predictors of successful project managers. This research studies whether executive coaching is effective in strengthening personal competencies in the project management field. An experiment with 30 project managers and 30 observers has been conducted to determine, by means of a quantitative and qualitative approach, the impact of coaching on different competencies based on the Project Manager Competency Development Framework – Third Edition (Project Management Institute, 2017a). The conclusions reveal interesting insights, such as the finding that executive coaching has the greatest impact on behaviors related to leading, managing, and finding strategies for coping with challenging situations.

The project managers’ challenges in a projectification environment

“…This high commitment includes professionalism, ethics, involvement, generosity, persistence and honesty, which is in line with previous research (Ballesteros-Sánchez et al, 2019). It is demonstrated in affirmations like "total dedication to the work" (PM-11's TM) or "incredible ability to work" (PM-10's TM; PM-15's TM).…”

“…According to the results, commitment and responsibility, together with the capacity of work, are the main strengths of PMs that are emphasized, thereby proving their professionalism. The difficulties of PMs to disconnect from work and facing stressful situations, which is in line with previous studies (Anantatmula, 2015;Baca, 2007;Ballesteros-Sánchez et al, 2019;Berg and Karlsen, 2007;Lindgren and Packendorff, 2009;Thornberry and Weirtraub, 1983), claim for better supporting them to find useful strategies for coping stress and manage their time.…”

“…The importance that is attributed to the strategic role of PMs in organizations has led in rent decades to the growing development of frameworks of international competences and professional standards for project management (AIPM, 2008;IPMA, 2015;PMI, 2017a). This has been accompanied by wide recognition in research of the need for a greater understanding of PMs' personal competences (Ballesteros-Sánchez et al, 2017, 2019Clarke, 2010;Turner, 2010, Skulmoski andHartman, 2010). Personal competencies within the project management field have been defined as those behaviors, attitudes and core personality characteristics that contribute to a person's ability to manage projects (PMI, 2017a).…”

Project Managers’ Competencies in International Development Projects: A Delphi Study

“…The PM’s role is one of the most challenging jobs in any IDP because it requires a complex set of interpersonal and technical competencies to manage and coordinate various aspects of IDPs. Accordingly, it is widely acknowledged that the project’s outcome depends on the PM (Alvarenga et al, 2019; Ballesteros-Sánchez et al, 2019; Blaskovics, 2016; Müller & Turner, 2007; Rodney Turner et al, 2009). Therefore, selecting a competent PM is one of the most important decisions for the project success (Meredith & Mantel, 2009).…”

Soft competencies and employability of vocational school graduates – the perspective of employers from the Świętokrzyskie Voivodeship

“…They indicate that soft competencies belong to the most desirable competencies in the modern labour market (cf. [Alsabbah, Ibrahim 2013;Fattahi et al 2014;Holtkamp, Jokinen, Pawlowski 2015;Lantelme, Formoso, Powell 2017;Torres, Gregory 2018;Ballesteros-Sánchez, Ortiz-Marcos, Rodríguez--Rivero 2019;Pang et al 2019]).…”