The potential importance of managing knowledge for competitive advantage has been widely discussed according to Nonaka and Takeuchi (1995), with the sharing and application of knowledge being widely identified in recent years as key sources of sustained competitive advantage (Hall & Sapsed 2005, p57). While Alavi and Leidner (2001, p216) agree that much theory already exists on knowledge management, they argue that little empirical work has been undertaken and hence there are large gaps in the body of knowledge in this area. Bresnen, Edelman, Newell, Scarbrough, and Swan (2003) further suggest that only recently has attention been specifically directed towards managing knowledge in project environments. Evidence of poor IT project success continues to be provided by many researchers even though today's corporations recognize that to be successful, they need to understand modern project management techniques (Schwalbe 2002, p2). With Kotnour (2000) finding that project performance is positively associated with project knowledge, a better understanding of how to effectively manage knowledge in IT projects should have considerable practical significance for increasing the chances of project success. The focus of this research centres on the question of why individuals working within IT project teams might be motivated towards, or inhibited from, sharing their knowledge and experience in their activities, procedures, and processes. Using a combined qualitative/quantitative method of data collection in multiple case studies spanning four continents, and comprising a variety of organisational types, the research concludes with the development of a new theoretical model of knowledge sharing behaviour, &quotThe Alignment Model of Motivational Focus". This model suggests that an individual's propensity to share knowledge and experience is a function of perceived personal benefits and costs associated with the activity, balanced against the individual's alignment to a group of 'institutional' factors. These factors are identified as alignments to the project team, to the organisation, and dependent on the circumstances, to either the professional discipline or community of practice, to which the individual belongs. The model might be used within knowledge intensive projects, to help identify an individual's latent propensity to share knowledge, and to identify actions that may need to be taken in order to modify knowledge sharing behaviour.

Magister Commercii - MCom / The South African financial services sector has experienced phenomenal growth over the past two decades, and financial institutions that were previously regional are now operating nationally. To enhance operations and meet customer expectations, financial institutions have turned to technology and virtual project teams. There is mounting evidence of the use of virtual project teams throughout the financial services sector; however, the effectiveness of virtual project teams in South Africa, and the support they receive, is yet to be determined. This case study aims to investigate the effectiveness of virtual project teams by focusing on the organisational systems and group dynamics of the virtual project teams at one of South Africa's leading financial institutions. The study involves a cross -sectional survey conducted by means of a Lickert-scale questionnaire distributed among all 23 project team members (10 in Cape Town and 13 in Johannesburg). The findings are predicted to indicate the support provided by this particular financial institution to the virtual project teams’ operations, while also identifying the organisational systems in place and measuring the effectiveness of the virtual project teams. The financial institution on which this case study is based gave consent for the case study to be conducted, on condition of anonymity.

This thesis is an attempt to propose an analytical model for estimating and predicting capability in human networks (i.e. work teams). Capability in this context is the ability to utilise the collective inherent and acquired resources of individuals to complete a given task. The motivation of proposing a method for measuring collective capability of teams is to assist project managers and team builders to allocate and assign “The most capable teams” to a project to maximise the likelihood of success. The review of literature in engineering, human sciences and economics has led to a definition of capability. One of the key findings of this research work is that collective capability can be predicted by: 1. Demographic homophily of members of the team, 2. The diversity of skills that each member brings to the team, 3. The past experience or attainments of the members, and 4. The strength of relationship amongst the members of the team. The influence of the four predictors of capability is investigated through the design of empirical surveys conducted among postgraduate students over a period of 2 years. The data collected from the surveys are used to assess the correlation between the predictors and the dependent variable using standard statistical methods. The conclusions of the study confirm that there are positive and significant relationships between the independent predictors and collective capability of project teams. The demographic homophily of the individuals in team and their instrumental (task related) relationships’ strength become the two most effective predictors which have the highest effect on the collective capability of a team as a whole. The skills diversity of the members in a group and their previous level of attainments/experiences in similar projects were also proved to be effective factors (with lower level of effect) in increasing the capability of the whole team in fulfilling the requirements of a pre-defined project.

The number of culturally diverse project teams has increased significantly over the years, as internationalization within organizations become more common. Individuals are more interconnected than ever, due to increased cultural exchange. The increased globalization also has created many challenges, such as streamlining multinational organizations, management and communication in multicultural settings. Furthermore, there has been studies showing that culturally diverse project teams have both a positive and negative impact on projects. The purpose of this study is to contribute to a deeper understanding of perceived challenges in multicultural project settings. In order to get a deeper understanding of the challenges, the study will address the perceived impacts of cultural differences in regard to the project member, as well as the challenges project members encounters and how these are managed. The author found that the cultural differences were noticeable when adapting to a new culture but faded as the respondents adjusted and became more like the individuals in the new culture. The challenges most of the respondents faced not speaking the language, not being used to the language and surrounded by different accents, which originated from language barriers. There was no universal solution to these challenges, instead, respondents dealt with it their own way or with the help of guidance from organizations. The study was done by conducting semi-structured interviews with a qualitive method to ensure extensive data. There were ten interviews in total, with individuals from different backgrounds and cultures around the world.

The success of numerous organisations nowadays, especially in the IT sector, is closely connected with project success. Project managers can influence and determine how a project is run and its overall success, as it has been well established throughout the literature. Psychological safety has also been found to affect different organisational aspects, including project success. Nevertheless, there needs to be more research regarding this topic in the leadership literature, especially in the information technology and systems domain. This study investigates how different leadership styles, and their behavioural characteristics can affect team members' psychological safety in IT project teams. Thus, the study was formulated around the following research questions: “What are the most commonly used leadership styles in IT Project Management?” and “How do the different leadership styles impact employees' psychological safety?”. In order to gain a better understanding and utilise each method’s advantages (qualitative and quantitative), a mixed-method approach has been chosen, with the use of a survey to gather empirical data. Throughout the study, we obtained 47 responses regarding the questionnaire from members of IT project teams, and 9 semi-structured interviews were conducted with the project managers/team leadersfrom those respective teams. The results indicated that IT project teams are led mainly by individuals who present characteristics of agile and democratic elements in their style. Furthermore, these leadership styles have also been found to favour team psychological safety by promoting a climate that values trust and cooperation. The study contributes to the existing literature in the fields of project management and psychological safety and provides practical implications for leaders and organisations within the IT sector. Since the study was limited to only a few IT project teams and organisations, it can serve as a starting point for future research that could further investigate the relationship between leadership and psychological safety and help practitioners better capitalise on the benefits of effective leadership.

Att vara projektledare inom ett produktutvecklingsföretag kräver effektiv kommunikation mellan projektledare och projektdeltagare. Kommunikation kan vara utmanande och olika kommunikationskanaler kan användas för att nå fram med budskap. Effektiv kommunikation är viktigt för att uppnå projektmål och ineffektiv kommunikation kan leda till bristande samarbete och risker för ett misslyckat projekt. Forskning visar att lyckad projektdeltagarhantering kan öka chansen att lyckas med ett projekt. Kommunikationsutmaningar uppstår idag på grund av organisatoriska och kulturella skillnader samt fysiskt avstånd mellan projektdeltagare och språkskillnader mellan avdelningar. Syftet med rapporten är att studera vilka former av kommunikation en projektledare använder sig av till projektdeltagarna. Syftet bryts ner i frågeställningar som berör vilka olika tillvägagångssätt en projektledare kommunicerar på och vilka faktorer som avgör vilket tillvägagångssätt som ska användas. I litteraturstudien studeras vad god kommunikation innebär, hur man uppnår god kommunikation och vad det får för konsekvenser med bra respektive dålig kommunikation samt olika kommunikationsmetoder och former. För att undersöka teorin i praktiken utfördes en empirisk studie. Den empiriska studien utgår från intervjuer med sju projektledare med diverse erfarenheter från fem olika företag inom produktutveckling. Resultatet visar att i praktiken fungerar kommunikation, i princip, som i teorin. Många av projektledarna har tydliga kommunikationsstrategier men upplever ändå svårigheter i att nå ut till alla involverade. En väsentlig del i kommunikationen handlar om att visuellt kunna presentera det som ska kommuniceras. Det är fördelaktigt att alla projektdeltagare befinner sig på samma geografiska plats för att underhålla den informella kommunikationen och för att skapa en gynnsam arbetsmiljö. Kommunikation mellan projektdeltagare innefattar många faktorer men främst personliga egenskaper hos projektledaren, möjlighet till fysiska möten och tydliga ramar för kommunikation. Det finns inte något tydligt mått på god kommunikation och inte heller en standardiserad strategi att använda sig av för att försäkra sig om allas förståelse. / Being a project manager in product development requires effective communication between the project manager and project participants. Communication can be challenging, and various communication channels can be used to convey the message. Good communication is important to achieve project goals and ineffective communication can lead to poor collaboration and risks of project failure. Research shows that successful project participant management can increase the chance of project success. Communication challenges arise today due to organizational and cultural differences as well as physical distance and language barriers between project participants. The purpose of the report is to study what forms of communication a project manager uses to communicate with project participants. The purpose is divided into questions that address the different approaches a project manager uses to communicate and what factors determine which approach to use. The literature review examines what good communication entails, how to achieve it and the consequences of good and poor communication as well as different communication methods and forms. An empirical study was conducted to investigate the theory in practice. The empirical study is based on seven project managers who were interviewed, from five different companies in product development, with various experiences. The result shows that in practice, communication basically works as in theory. Almost all project managers that were interviewed have clear communication strategies, but still experience difficulties in reaching all stakeholders. A significant part of communication is about being able to visually present what needs to be communicated. It is advantageous for all project participants to be in the same geographical location to maintain informal communication and to create a favorable working environment. One conclusion that can be drawn from the study is that communication is one of the key factors for a successful project, but not solely. Communication among project participants involves many factors but primarily the personal qualities of the project manager, the opportunity for physical meetings and clear communication frameworks, making it a subjective concept. Another conclusion is that there is no clear measure of good communication nor a standardized strategy to use to ensure everyone’s understanding.

Most international corporations have to adopt to the requirements of globalisation by working in international joint ventures or international projects outside their well known home markets. The successful management of projects is an essential element aiming to cope with the complex challenges caused by cultural factors and other influences on the management of projects. Especially the Middle East as a cultural region has experienced a dynamic growth during the last decades, as many of the countries rich in oil and gas have heavily invested into their local infrastructure. Besides other factors, the impact of national culture on project management may lead to negative influences like project delays and project failure, or positive influences such as an increased communication. Based on the Hofstede dimensional framework this thesis is designed to investigate which cultural factors and other factors influence the PMBoK (PMI Body of Knowledge) knowledge areas while delivering projects in the Middle East. This empirical study is using a qualitative research approach in a multiple-case study design analysing six projects. The results clearly show that some characteristics of the Middle Eastern cultural context strongly determine the applicability of the PMBoK knowledge areas. Especially the interrelation of individualism (IDV) and power distance (PDI) reveals some new perspectives for project work in this region. The two case studies illustrate a strong increase in power distance if the project manager and the team member do not originate from the same cultural background. Additionally differences in time perception and the characteristics of the dimension long term orientation (LTO) result in fundamental differences for the application of the PMBoK processes. The findings help to develop a theoretical framework highlighting specific influences for PMBoK knowledge areas. The results of this thesis may form a basis for future researchers aiming to develop improved models for project management in the Middle East or other cultural regions. Finally, the theoretical franework developed herein is designed to help project practitioners to gain a better understanding of the specific challenges while working on the Arabian peninsula.

Purpose: In the contemporary society in which companies operate there is increasing interest in understanding the effects and changes of culture on projects in connection to decision making. This is evident of the fact that most companies are using groups or teams composed of mixed culture to perform their tasks and develop their activities into different geographical regions by adopting project management as a “way of working” other than a tool or technique. The objective of this study is to explore the cultural influence decision making in project teams through a multi case study of applying Hofstede’s dimensions of culture model to selected Swedish firms. / Research Questions: (a) How does culture influence decision making in project teams?

The problem of cross-cultural complexities is a hindrance to effective multicultural team leadership across many industries. Cultural differences among project team members cause conflict, misunderstanding, and poor project performance. The absence of competent leaders is a problem because business in the future will rely increasingly on the use of multicultural project teams. The purpose of this qualitative exploratory case study was to explore the challenges faced and the cultural competencies needed by project managers leading multicultural software development project teams to successfully manage and resolve cross-cultural interpersonal conflict amongst project team members. The researcher collected data using semi-structured interviews with the population of 12 project managers recruited from the Project Management Institute’s credentialed project management professionals LinkedIn group. Through a cross-case synthesis, the researcher identified common themes and aligned them with the two study constructs: cross-cultural interpersonal conflict resolution and multicultural skills. The findings of the research revealed that the project managers perceived challenges including language barriers, cycles of mistrust, and competitive attitudes when managing multicultural teams. In order to mitigate these difficulties, the participants reported that project managers require excellent communication, negotiation, and emotional intelligence skills. The contributions of this study to the field of conflict analysis and resolution include highlighting common cross-cultural complexities encountered in multicultural teams, as well as effective methods of minimizing, eliminating, or mitigating these issues and the resulting interpersonal conflict.

Project teams advance a common goal by working together on projects that require a diverse set of skills and are difficult for 1 person to complete. In this study, there was an exploration of the antecedents to groupthink in project teams from the perspectives of project managers. Many companies use project managers to complete critical objectives; avoiding groupthink is crucial to their success. The purpose of this research was to understand why project teams are susceptible to groupthink and what precautions managers can take to avoid it. The conceptual framework utilized in this study was Janis' concept of groupthink, which is reaching consensus without adequate examination of ideas. The study was a qualitative, phenomenological design involving semistructured phone and face-to-face interviews with 16 project managers from a variety of industries with at least 10 years of experience and who hold a project management professional designation. The main research question was: how does groupthink occur and how can project managers mitigate the adverse consequences of groupthink? Data analysis consisted of open sentence analysis and axial coding of patterns in the data using NVivo 11. The key research finding was that project managers with more experience are better at mitigating groupthink. Project managers expressed that groupthink can lead project teams to advance flawed decisions that may cost people their jobs or result in loss of life. This study may affect positive social change by preventing flawed decisions that could adversely impact society. Future researchers should explore possible ways that project managers can develop strategies that can identify and prevent groupthink from occurring.