تجربیات مسیرهای توسعه مدیران پروژه
Abstract
1- Introduction
2- Theory
3- Method
4- Results
5- Discussion
Acknowledgements
References
Abstract
The development paths of project managers are paved with formal and informal learning experiences. Knowledge of the learning experiences that project managers indicate as important for their development as professionals is limited in both the academic and the practitioner world. In the current study we explore what and how project managers learn from experiences, and what is perceived as supporting this learning. We used a multi-method approach, consisting of in-depth interviews and a short follow-up survey among 31 project managers. Results show that most learning experiences occur more or less accidentally on the job and support for learning from these experiences is limited. This suggests potential to improve the quality and pace of the development paths of project managers. Limitations of the current study, and implications of these findings for theory and practice are discussed opening up avenues for future research.
Introduction
Much professional learning occurs on the job (Day et al., 2014; Eraut, 2004). This informal learning on the job is of major importance in the development of professionals in complex jobs who have to deal with new and unexpected challenges in the environment (Day et al., 2014). For several reasons, this might especially be true for project managers, who mostly seem to ‘learn by doing’ from their experiences, rather than learn by studying. Firstly, many project managers fulfill their project responsibilities alongside another job; a more permanent position for which they have been educated. Secondly, even if being a project manager is their primary job, most project managers did not set out to work towards this role when they first entered the job market, but ‘rolled into it’ at a later stage in their career. This is in line with Palm and Lindahl (2015) in their findings among project managers in technical environments. They show that technical experts were often promoted to the project manager position, despite lacking formal management training, so they had to learn ‘on the job’.