PROJECT MANAGEMENT JOURNAL 39

DEVELOPING PROJECT MANAGEMENT SKILLS

Hans J. Thamhain
Bentley College
Waltham, Massachusetts

INTRODUCTION tiveness in managing people. Still an- varied from annual operating bud-
Well developed management skills other concern of these managers is gets of $2.5 million to $15 billion, av-
are obviously vital to effective role the selection of the “right” training eraging $375 million. These eighteen
performance of project managers, es- method for particular skill develop- businesses run approximately 1,000
pecially in today’s complex, technol- ment [4] [6] [7]. While 85 percent of projects within one year, varying in
ogy-oriented, highly competitive the managers interviewed in a field size from a few thousand dollars to
environment. Many studies have de- study believed that all project man- several millions.
fined the type and extent of project agement skills needed for effective The data evaluation and summa-
management skills and training role performance are learnable, only ries rely largely on content analysis
needed to function effectively [4] [8] 15 percent defined specific methods [12] of the interviews and records
[13] [15] [18]. Most managers agree which they felt confident would actu- plus some statistical correlation anal-
with the findings. Yet, their prime ally develop these skills [20]. ysis, using non-parametric tech-
concern is how to develop these skills Responding to this strong interest niques such as Kendall’s Tau [16].
in our contemporary organizations, by the project management commu-
where there is little time for “formal” nity for assessing the effectiveness of WHAT SKILLS DO
training, but skills must be developed skill development methods, several PROJECT MANAGERS NEED?
as part of an ongoing function within studies have investigated training Modem projects have become in-
the organization without disrupting techniques on a case-by-case basis [6] creasingly complex and multifaceted.
the current business. [17] [23]. Little has been written, how- The managers that evolve with these
In addition, funds for training and ever, on evaluating training methods project organizations have to confront
development are limited [2]. Yet, an- as an integrated system which em- many challenges. They must be able to
other concern is for developing effec- ploys many forms of training with cross functional lines and deal effec-
tive people skills and organizational various intensity over the life cycle of tively with a variety of interfaces and
skills [9] [14] [17]. Traditionally, proj- the career of professional managers. support personnel over whom they
ect managers were recruited and ad- To close this gap, this article investi- may have little or no formal authority.
vanced primarily on the basis of the gates the effectiveness of various ap- The project manager also has to cope
quantitative skills in such areas as proaches to project management with constant and rapid change of
planning, scheduling, cost estimat- training and development as per- technology, markets, regulations and
ing, financial controls, and critical ceived by managers in the field. socioeconomic factors.
path analysis. Equally important What researchers find consistently
today, however are the abilities to OBJECTIVE AND METHOD and measurably [3] [8] [20] [23] [25]
manage quality1, time-to-market, in- The study is a continuation of pre- [26] is that project management re-
novation, subcontractors, customers, viously published work on skill re- quires skills in three primary areas:
and change. In addition to good tech- quirements for project managers [18]
1. leadership/interpersonal
nical knowledge and administrative [19] [20] which is briefly summarized 2. technical, and
skills, this requires leadership and in this article. In addition, the find-
3. administrative,
people skills; that is, the ability to ings from a field investigation of 220
motivate, communicate, resolve con- project managers is reported. It sum- as summarized in Table 1 and dis-
flict, build teams, and facilitate group marizes and evaluates the training cussed below. To be effective, man-
decision making. This concern is am- methods used to develop the skills agers must consider all facets of the
plified in technology-oriented project needed to function effectively as proj- job. They must understand the peo-
environments which involve addi- ect manager in today’s demanding ple, the task, the tools, and the orga-
tional risks, uncertainties, and multi- environment. Data were collected nization. The days of the project
functional complexities. According during in-house consulting assign- manager who gets by with technical
to a study by the American Society ments, based on interviews and the expertise alone or pure administra-
for Training and Development, tech- examination of actual training and tive skills are gone [28].
nical professionals are not being de- development records. The sample in-
veloped fast enough for America’s cludes project managers from vari-
needs [15]. This is in spite of $125 ous businesses such as computers,
million spent by American firms on aerospace, tool machinery, govern-
technical/project seminars each year. ment laboratory, and pharmaceuti-
Nearly half the professionals sur- cal. The size of the eighteen companies
veyed tried to improve their effec- and business divisions in the sample

Number 3 September 1991 Volume XXII

40 PROJECT MANAGEMENT JOURNAL

Interpersonal Skills tasks to support groups or to hire an

Table 1. Skill Inventory of the and Leadership administrator.
Project Manager Effective project leadership involves The project manager’s effectiveness
a whole spectrum of skills and abilities: depends heavily on personal experi-
LEADERSHIP clear direction and guidance; ability to ence, credibility, and understanding of
SKILL COMPONENTS plan and elicit commitments; commu- the interaction of organizational and
● Ability to manage in unstructured nication skills; assistance in problem behavioral elements. The project
work environment solving; dealing effectively with man- manager must be a social architect;
● Clarity of management direction agers and support personnel across that is, understanding how the orga-
● Defining clear objectives functional lines often with little or no nization works and how to work with
● Understanding of the organization formal authority; information-pro- the organization. Table 1 shows a
● Motivating people cessing skills, the ability to collect and skill inventory, of specific skills for
● Managing conflict
filter relevant data valid for decision each of the three primary categories.
● Understanding of professional needs
● Creating personnel, involvement at all making in a dynamic environment; This listing was compiled from inter-
levels and ability to integrate individual de- views with 220 project managers and
● Communicating, written and oral mands, requirements, and limitations is rank-ordered by the frequency at
● Assisting in problem solving into decisions that benefit the overall which these skills were mentioned
● Aiding Group Decision-Making project. It further involves the project and the perceived significance asso-
● Building multidisciplinary teams manager’s ability to resolve intergroup ciated with effective role perfor-
● Credibility conflicts and to build multifunctional mance.
● Visibility teams. The significance of Table 1 is in sev-
Gaining upper management support
●
eral areas. First, it is shows that the
and commitment
● Action-orientation, self-starter Technical Skills perception of skills needed by project
● Eliciting commitment Most projects are technically com- managers in the field is very consis-
● Building priority image plex. Project managers rarely have all tent with the findings of broader
the technical expertise to direct the based research on this subject [18]
TECHNICAL multidisciplinary activities at hand. [20] [21] [22]. That is, today’s project
SKILL COMPONENTS Nor is it necessary or desirable that managers seem to be in agreement
● Ability to manage the technology they do so. It is essential, however, with management researchers on the
● Understanding of technology and that project managers understand the skill requirements, in spite of the
trends technologies and their trends, the enormous and rapid changes which
● Understanding of market and markets, and the business environ- the field of management is undergo-
product applications ment, so they can participate effec- ing. Secondly, Table 1 could be used
Communicating with technical
●
tively in the search for integrated as a tool for assessing actual skill re-
personnel
● Fostering innovative environment solutions and technological innova- quirements and proficiencies. For ex-
● Unifying the technical team tions. Without this understanding ample, a list could be developed, for
● Aiding problem solving the consequences of local decisions individuals or teams, to assess for
● Facilitating trade-offs on the total program, the potential each skill component:
● System perspective growth ramifications, and relation-
Technical credibility ● Criticality of this skill to effective
●
ships to other business opportunities
Integrating technical, business, and project performance
●
cannot be foreseen by the manager.
human objectives ● Existing level of proficiency
Furthermore, technical expertise is
Understanding engineering tools ● Potential for improvement
●
necessary to communicate effectively
and support methods ● Needed support systems and help
with the project team, and to assess
● Suggested training and development
ADMINISTRATIVE risks and make trade-offs between
activities
SKILL COMPONENTS cost, schedule, and technical issues.
● Periodic reevaluation of proficiency
● Planning and organizing
multifunctional programs Administrative Skills Thirdly, Table 1 can be useful in the
● Attracting and holding quality people Administrative skills are essential. development of training programs,
● Estimating and negotiating resources The project leader must be experi- by helping to focus on specific skill
● Working with other organizations enced in planning, staffing, budget- requirements and the development
● Measuring work status, progress, ing, scheduling, performance of appropriate training methods.
and performance evaluations and control techniques.
● Scheduling multidisciplinary activities While it is important that managers HOW LEARNABLE
Understanding of policies and oper-
●
understand the company’s operating ARE THESE SKILLS?
ating procedures
● Delegating effectively procedures and the available tools, it Formal studies regarding the
● Communicating effectively, orally is often necessary for project manag- learnability of project management
and written ers to free themselves from the ad- skills reveal some good news. On av-
● Minimizing changes ministrative details. Particularly for erage, managers feel that 94 percent of
larger projects, managers have to del- the skills needed to perform effectively
egate considerable administrative in project leadership positions are
 PROJECT MANAGEMENT JOURNAL 41

Observations of management
practice. This method has a great deal
of overlap with experiential learning.
However, discussions with project
managers suggest a separate identity
because it entails specific observations
of other professionals, their actions,
style and application of management
techniques.
Rather than learning from their own
work experiences, managers learn from
the experiences and examples set by
others. This method also seems to be
practiced by all project leaders. Yet, the
time-equivalent spent by managers ob-
serving others is only ten days per year,
or 4 percent of their working time. Both
the cost and perceived effectiveness of
this type of training is low. Further,
Figure 1. How Do Project Managers Develop Their Skills managers point out that the effective-
(Percentile indicates the perceived contribution of a method ness of a particular management prac-
toward overall project management skills.) tice is highly situational and depends on
the style of the manager. What works for
learnable. 2 As summarized in Figure perform effectively in today’s de- one manager may not produce the de-
1, on-the-job experience is the larg- manding project environment. sired results for another. In addition,
est source for developing these skills. these opportunities for observing other
In fact, 85 percent of all skill develop- HOW DO ORGANIZATIONS project leaders must often be facilitated
ments are derived from experience.3 TRAIN AND DEVELOP and coordinated by upper manage-
Three-quarters are developed strictly PROJECT MANAGERS? ment. Yet, the benefits maybe consider-
by experiential learning while one- Project managers are made. This is able. Fifty percent of the project leaders
quarter comes from more specific the strong conclusion reached by proj- in our sample strongly believe that the
work-related methods such as obser- ect managers and their superiors in our observation of others is an important
vations, formal on-the-job training, study. These managers support almost part of their overall managerial training
upper management coaching and unanimously the proposition that and development.
job rotation. Second to experiential . . . project management skills don’t just Formal on-the-job training. This
learning, skills can be developed by includes specific training programs,
happen by chance, but are systemati-
reading the professional literature, often part of a new job assignment,
cally developed through formal and in-
such as books, magazines, journals, transfer, or new hire. The training usu-
formal methods.
research papers, as well as audio and ally consists of a combination of closely
video tapes on related subjects. A Table 2 lists the twelve most popular supervised work assignments, briefing
third source for project management methods of project management skill sessions and some courses, seminars,
skill development exists via profes- development used by industry and and workshops. The classroom train-
sional activities such as seminars, government organizations. The twelve ing was estimated to be 7 percent of the
professional meetings, and special methods are rank-ordered by the in- total on-the-job training and is in-
workshops. The fourth distinct cate- tensity of use,4 and briefly discussed eluded here if it is part of a formal job
gory for managerial skill develop- together with their effectiveness. training program. Only 8 percent of
ment consists of formal schooling. In project management personnel is tak-
addition, managers identify special Experiential learning. This is by ing part in this type of training which
sources, such as mentoring, job far the most prevalent mode of skill is costly, but also highly effective, espe-
changes and special organizational development. All project managers cially for those who are new to the
development activities, for building seem to engage in it. On average, man- profession.
project management skills. agers spent an equivalent of 64 days Literature reading. Project manag-
The above observations are interest- per year, or 25 percent of their work ers estimate that approximately 50
ing, and important as a basis for com- time, involved in on-the-job learning. It percent of their colleagues read pro-
paring the effectiveness of various facilitates skill developments in all cat- fessional books, journals, and re-
training methods for various skills. The egories, requires little upper manage- ports. It is interesting to observe that
real significance to management is that ment supervision, and is perceived as all the managers interviewed stated
skills can be developed. In fact, project low in cost but high in efficiency. Over- that they would read the literature,
managers point at the enormous all it is a very popular and effective totaling an average of sixteen work-
wealth of sources available for build- method of project management skill ing days per year (or 6.4 percent).
ing and developing the skills needed to development and upgrading. However, for their colleagues, they
42 PROJECT MANAGEMENT JOURNAL

ministration, commu-
Table 2. Skill Development Methods and Their Effectiveness nication, organization,
planning, tracking, and
TRAINING & DEVELOPMENT EFFECTIVENESS PROFESSIONAL PARTICIPATION measuring of project ac-
METHOD OF % No. of Average tivities.
Consulting. A rela-
SKILL DEVELOPMENT PMgrs
Days Days/Mgr/Yr tively small number of
project managers (8
percent) use consulting
services for skill devel-
opment. Managers who
engage company-inter-
(1) (2) (3) (4) (5)
nal or external experts,
1. Experiential Learning H H H 100% 64 64 use their services for an
average of twelve days
2. Observing Mgmt. Practice S L S 100% 10 10 per year. These are pri-
3. Formal On-The-Job Train'g S H H 8% 117 9 marily hands-on prob-
4. Literature Reading L S L 50% 16 8 lem solving sessions or
specific assignments
5. Coaching By Upper Mgmt. S L L 15% 16 1.6 such as a project start-
6. Seminars and Workshops S S S 33% 4.6 1.5 up or recovery plan.
7. Formal Courses (Degree) S S S 11% 9 1 Managers see these
consulting services as
8. Consulting (Int & Ext’l) S H H 8% 12 1
effective but also costly.
9. Professional Conferences L S S 27% 2.5 0.7 Those who use these
10. Special Work Groups S H H 21% 2 0.5 services find them help-
ful, not only for quick
11. Formal Courses (Cent Ed) L S S 6% 5 0.3
problem solving, but
12. Job Rotation S S S 7% ? ? also effective for experi-
ential learning and skill
Legend: building through obser-
1. Training and Development Method: As defined by project managers. vation of specific tech-
2. Skill Development: Primary skill areas developed as perceived by project managers. niques and practices.
Effectiveness Level Code:
H —Highly effective method S —Somewhat effective method L —Low-effectiveness method Professional confer-
3. Percent Participation: Percentage of project leaders participating in method (1) out of all project managers ences. Twenty-seven per-
in company.
4. Number of Days: The number of work days per year spent by those project managers who participate (3) cent of project managers
in method (1) spent an average of 2.5
days each year at confer-
ences, trade shows and
estimated that only one-half would erage of 4.6 days of seminars per year, professional society
read. Both the cost-and effectiveness These could be in-plant or public of- meetings. These conferences are seen
of reading as a method for skill devel- ferings. At a medium cost, the overall as vehicles for quick updates on new
opment are perceived low. Yet many effectiveness of these training meth- management concepts, techniques,
project managers look at the litera- ods is perceived at a medium level. support systems, such as software, and
ture as an important source of infor- However, in combination with expe- services. Equally important, project
mation and knowledge which, riential learning, classroom training managers value the personal contacts
through proper on-the-job applica- can provide an important knowledge and sharing of experiences with col-
tion, can be transformed into skills. and insight and the foundation for leagues from other companies.
Coaching by upper management. accelerated skill developments, an Special work groups. Twenty-one
This seems to be a particularly effec- important point which has been ver- percent of project managers get in-
tive method for skill development in ified also in other studies [1] [33] [34]. volved in Quality Circles, colloquia, or
the areas of team building, communi- Formal courses (Degree pro- other special interest work groups or-
cations, interpersonal skills, and grams). Eleven percent of project ganized to share project management
leadership. The relatively high cost managers appear to take formal experiences and to develop the skills
associated with senior management courses. Although less than one-half needed to function effectively in their
involvement might limit this tech- of those who take college-level organizations. Managers perceive
nique, and explains its highly selec- courses are actually enrolled in a de- these activities as highly effective for
tive usage, an average 1.6 days of gree program, managers find these developing skills, especially in the
coaching for each project manager. courses an effective way to gain more intricate areas of team building,
Seminars and workshops. One- knowledge and the basis for further communications, leadership, and
third of project managers attend an av- skill developments, especially in ad- project controls.
 PROJECT MANAGEMENT JOURNAL 43

Formal courses (Continuing Edu- combination and intensity of training ● Form a managerial interest group
cation). Six percent of project man- that produces optimal results for the which meets regularly, similar to a
agers spend an average of six days specific situation at hand. Above all, Quality Circle, discussing specific
each year taking formal courses. the effective manager is a social archi- problems and challenges, as well as
These courses are addressing the spe- tect who understands the organiza- techniques to deal with them.
cific training needs of those enrolled; tion, its culture and value systems, its ● Attend professional meetings, con-

they are geared toward particular business environment, and technol- ferences, and symposia; they can be
project management applications, ogy. This is the manager who knows an effective forum for sharing expe-
and focus on immediate applications. which type of skills are needed for riences and gaining new knowledge
These courses vary in length and successful project management and and insight.
structure, but typically they consist of can stimulate and facilitate such pro- ● Consider job rotation, either as part

five to ten sessions at two hours each. fessional developments and growth. of a formal training program or in-
Also included in this category are An important factor in developing ternship, or on an ad hoc basis. It
professional certification programs. these needed skills is management’s can be helpful in building and fine-
Job rotation. Often conducted as ability to foster a work environment tuning managerial skills.
part of formal on-the-job training, job conducive to their people’s profes- ● Solicit counseling and coaching by

rotation consists of a deliberate sional needs. upper management and/or an out-

change of job category or area assign- Job satisfaction and career growth side expert.
ment. At a medium cost, it can be is a great catalyst for professional de- ● Perform a formal analysis of the man-

effective in developing a broad range velopment. Managers should deter- agerial skills required in your work
of skills, especially those skills that mine the professional ambitions of environment. It can provide valuable
require an understanding of the cul- their personnel and help them to at- insight and suggestions for develop
ture and value systems of particular tain their goals through specific work ment.
organizations and job assignments. assignments, on-the-job training, ca- ● Maintain technical fitness as it is an

reer planning and counseling, and important prerequisite for getting

Implications for Managers by providing development opportu- the opportunity for large manage-
and Professional Development nities in a variety of ways. Only those rial responsibility and skill devel-
Specialists people intrinsically motivated to opment. Therefore, staying current
Taken together, each training learn and grow will truly benefit regarding the technologies, prod-
method has its own strengths and lim- from the professional development ucts, markets, and customer appli-
itations for developing specific project activities available to them. cations seems vital to the manager’s
management skills. However, training credibility with upper manage-
methods are seldom being used exclu- SUGGESTIONS FOR ment, peers, and subordinates, and
sively, but rather in a combination of DEVELOPING PROJECT ultimately the opportunity for fur-
several methods. This can result in sub- MANAGEMENT SKILLS ther career growth.
stantial synergism. For example, class- A number of specific suggestions, ● Continue your education as a life-

room training in combination with may be helpful in developing the long learning in the job-related
readings and on-the-job experiential skills needed for effective project areas of technology, administra-
learning might bean excellent way to management performance. Many of tion, and management is a prereq-
build skill in any category and at any these suggestions are also aimed at uisite for managerial skill building
performance level. those professionals who wish to pre- and career development.
The significance of our study is in pare themselves for project manage-
three areas. First, it shows the relative ment assignments: A FINAL NOTE
effectiveness and cost of various train- Managing projects in today’s competi-
ing methods. This enables managers to ● Observe the management practices tive environment is a highly complex, in-
fine-tune professional development of others. novative, and multidisciplinary task.
programs for their people or for them- ● Develop a sensitivity to what works Project managers must have the skills of
selves depending on the specific job and what does not in your own man- unifying multifunctional teams and
requirements. Second, it shows the rel- agement style and environment. leading them towards integrated re-
ative distribution of time and effort ● Understand available tools and tech- sults. They must understand the inter-
across the various training methods niques, especially in the administra- action of organizational and behav-
which can provide some guidelines for tive and technical area via readings, ioral elements in order to exert the influ-
designing professional training and courses, seminars, and workshops. ence required to build an environment
development programs. Third, it stim- ● Attend some project management-re- conducive to the team’s motivational
ulates thinking regarding the type of lated seminars, workshops, and needs. They must foster a climate of
specific training and development courses. They provide insight into the active participation and minimal detri-
methods that are available. drivers and barriers to effective man- mental conflict. The effective flow of
Effective managers know the type agement. Such education can provide communications is one of the major fac-
of training and development meth- “how-to” guidelines for effective lead- tors determining the quality of the or-
ods available. They also seem to have ership, team building, communica- ganizational environment. Therefore,
a sixth sense in selecting the right tion, and conflict resolutions. these managers must provide a high
44 PROJECT MANAGEMENT JOURNAL

degree of leadership in unstructured used to collect the data which were a Successful Project Manager. Indus-
environments. summarized and integrated to deter- trial Management & Data Systems.
Furthermore, the proper skills will mine the relative contribution made (UK)
help the project manager to develop by each of the five methods to leader- 6. Carter, Norman H. April 1986.
credibility among the peer group, team ship, technical, and administrative Career Development: A New Look.
members, senior management, and the skill development. The distribution EDP Analyzer.
customer community. Above all, these of sources was somewhat similar for 7. Carter, Norman H. Fall 1988.
skills will help the project manager to all three skills. Figure 1 presents an The Project Manager: An Emerging
become a social architect who under- aggregated view of the sources for Professional. Journal of Information
stands his or her organization, its cul- managerial skill development. Systems Management.
ture and value system, its environ- 4. Intensity is defined as the average 8. Einsiedel, Albert A., Jr. December
ment, and its technology. These are the number of days per year spent per 1987. Profile of Effective Project Man-
prerequisites for developing and fine- project leader developing these skills. agers. Project Management Journal.
tuning the management skills needed Managers estimate that, on the aver- 9. Gemmill, Gary R., and Hans J.
for building a project organization to- age, project leaders spend each year 98 Thamhain. May 1973. The Effective-
ward long-range, continuous produc- out of 250 working days developing ness of Different Power Styles of Proj-
tivity improvement and high quality and upgrading their skills. That ect Managers in Gaining Project
standards. amounts to 39 percent of regular work- Support. IEEE Transactions on Engi-
ing time. Equally impressive is the fact neering Management.
ENDNOTES that 85 percent of the skill training and Gemmill, Gary R., and Hans J.
1. In their search for ways to improve development relies on experiential Thamhain. Spring 1974. The Effective-
organizational effectiveness, many methods which include primarily on- ness of Different Power Styles of Proj-
companies have applied Total Quality the-job learning plus observations, for- ect Managers in Gaining Project
Management concepts also to their mal on-the-job training, and upper Support. Project Management Quarterly.
project organizations (see references management coaching. It also includes 10. Kerzner, Harold. February 1987. In
[24] [25] [26]). Under this umbrella, a small amount of job rotation. The Search of Excellence in Project Manage-
continuous project management skill actual number of days dedicated to job ment. Journal of Systems Management.
updating and development becomes a rotation could not be estimated with 11. Kezsbom, Deborah S. 1988.
vital part of a company's Total Quality any confidence during the field study Leadership and Influence: The Chal-
Management efforts, and should be in- since the training method itself does lenge of Project Management. AACE
tegrated accordingly. not require any extra time, but just rep Transactions.
2. The managers’ claim that most of resents an ongoing work assignment in 12. Krippendorff, Klaus. 1986. Con-
these skills are learnable was verified a different functional or business area. tent Analysis: An Introduction. Sage
earlier via a field study by Thamhain The “cost of participation” would be Publications.
and Wilemon [29] which identified the transition time and effort required 13. Posner, Barry Z. March 1987.
seven skill categories: (1) technical ex- to change from one job assignment to What it Takes to Be a Good Project
pertise, (2) organizational skills, (3) ad- another, which is clearly an area for Manager. Project Management Journal.
ministrative skills, (4) leadership, (5) future research. For the time being, job 14. Rafael, Israel Dror and Albert
team building, (6) interpersonal skills, rotation is being treated as part of ex- H. Rubenstein. January 1984. Top
and (7’) conflict resolution skills. On the periential learning. Management Roles in R&D Projects.
average, 94 percent of these skills are R&D Management. (UK)
learnable, as perceived by project man- BIBLIOGRAPHY 15. Schlick, James D. May 1988. De-
agers. The learning proficiency vanes 1. Adams, John R., and Nicki S. veloping Project Management Skills.
depending on the particular category. Kirchof. March 1983. A Training Tech- Training & Development Journal.
For example, conflict resolution skills nique for Developing Project Manag- 16. Siegel, S. 1956. Nonparametric
seem to be more difficult to learn than ers. Project Management Quarterly. Statistics For The Behavioral Sciences.
administrative skills. However, all 2. Aquiline, J.J. Summer 1977. Multi- McGraw-Hill.
categories taken together, 94 percent Skilled Work Teams Productivity Ben- 17. Syrett, Michel. January 1988.
of project management skills seem to efits. California Management Review. New Paths for Project Management.
be learnable. 3. Badawy, Michael K. 1982. Devel- Director. (U.K.)
3. The percentile was determined as oping Managerial Skills in Engineers 18. Thamhain, Hans J. August 1983.
follows project leaders were asked to and Scientists. New York: Van Managing Engineers Effectively.
indicate for each of the nine skill cate- Nostrand Reinhold. IEEE Transactions on Engineering
gories shown on the bottom of Table 2, 4. Barker, Jeffrey, Dean Tjosvold, Management.
(1) what training methods helped to and Robert I. Andrews. March 1988. 19. Thamhain, Hans J., and David
develop each skill, (2) how effective Conflict Approaches of Effective and L. Wilemon. 1983. Leadership Effec-
was the method, and (3) what approx- Ineffective Project Managers: A Field tiveness in Project Management. In
imate contribution a method made to a Study in a Matrix Organization. Jour- Donald J. Reifer (cd.), Tutorial: Soft-
skill development, relative to other nal of Management Studies. (UK) ware Management. Los Angeles: IEEE
methods employed. A combination of 5. Bowenkamp, Robert D., and Brian Computer Society.
questionnaires and interviews were H. Kleiner. Mar/Apr 1987. How to Be Continued on page 53
 PROJECT MANAGEMENT JOURNAL 53

Continued from page 44 25. Walsh, John J., and Jerome Kan- 26. Woodard, William A., and Pa-
20. Thamhain, Hans J. and David L. ter. January’ 1988. “Toward More Suc- mela Miller. December 1988.10 Ways
Wileman. October 1978. Skill Re- cessful Project Management. Journal to Make Sure Your Projects Succeed.
quirements of Engineering Program of Systems Management. Working Woman.
Managers. Convention Record, 26th Hans J. Thamhain is associate pro-
Joint Engineering Management Confer- fessor of management at Bentley Col-
ence. lege in Waltham, Massachusetts. He
21. Thamhain, Hans J. 1991. Devel- received master’s degrees in engineer-
oping Engineering/Program Manage- ing and business administration, and a
ment Skills. Chapter in Management of doctorate in management from Syra-
R&D and Engineering. Wiley. cuse University. Dr. Thamhain has
22. Thamhain, Hans J. August 1990. held engineering and management po-
Managing Technology: The People sitions with GTE, General Electric and
Factor. Technical & Skill Training. Westinghouse, and is well known for
23. Thomas, Rick and Robert his research on engineering team build-
Drury. January 1988. Team Commu- ing and project management. Dr.
nication in Complex Projects. Engi- Thamhain is a frequent speaker at
neering Management International. major conferences, has written over
(Netherlands) sixty research papers and four books on
24. Thornberry, Neal E. October 1987. engineering/project management and
Training the Engineer as Project Man- is consulted in all phases of technology
ager. Training &Development Journal. management.