An official website of the United States Government
Welcome to the AAPM world
Released: September 15, 2023
Researchers from the University of Oxford and MIT Sloan School of Management have published findings from a new study investigating the relationship between project managers' personality and outcome success rates.
Through an online survey of over 600 project managers across 150 large organisations, the study assessed participants' personality using the Ten Item Personality Inventory (TIPI) test. This briefly measures the big five domains of extraversion, agreeableness, conscientiousness, emotional stability, and openness to experience.
Project outcomes were evaluated based on whether they met budget, timelines, and stakeholder satisfaction objectives. Statistical analysis revealed project managers scoring highest in conscientiousness saw meaningfully higher success rates across their projects.
On average, projects led by highly conscientious managers were found to be 19% more likely to come in under budget, 16% more likely to be completed on time, and had a 13% higher rate of stakeholder satisfaction compared to other projects.
Meanwhile, emotional stability correlated with success. Project managers rating lowest in this domain, implying greater neuroticism or tendency towards negative emotions, saw their projects underperform relative to counterparts scoring higher in emotional stability. Specifically, projects led by less emotionally stable managers had a 10% higher chance of going over budget and 8% lower probability of meeting deadlines.
The personality domains of extraversion, agreeableness and openness did not demonstrate statistically significant correlations with project outcomes in the analysis.
The researchers emphasize conscientiousness reflects traits like diligence, organisation and discipline important for project work. Emotional stability may allow for calmer problem-solving under pressure. They argue personality should be considered for project manager selection and development.
As mega-projects continue to test traditional boundaries, this research enhances understanding of how human factors relate to optimising complex programme delivery outcomes. While technical skills remain pivotal, the influence of personality highlights additional dimensions crucial for project leadership success.
