How the Competencies of a Project Manager are Valued : A Case Study of a Swedish Energy Company

Sammanfattning: The purpose of this study is to examine howthe intellectual, social/emotional and managerial competencies of a project managers are valued by the line manager and project manager to provide a framework for categorizing the competencies which can be used for HR purposes. Previous research has developed a framework of 15 competencies connected to intellectual, emotional and managerial intelligence. Studies have linked the competencies of a project manager to project success. Research emphasizes the need of integrating and involving the project manager to have an active role in competence management. However, the competence management of the project manager is not as widely discussed. With this background, it is therefore interesting to study how the employees involved ina project value the competencies of a project manager and to further discuss the HRM practices for a project manager. Six interviews were held with one line manager and five project managers working at a Swedish energy company. Inline with previous research, this study found that the 15 competencies of a project manager are valued important by the line manager and the project managers. Based on the empirical findings the 15 competencies were categorized into four categories; perceptive competencies, strategic competencies, interpersonal competencies and elemental competencies. Furthermore, the empirical data show a difference in what competencies the line manager hopes for the project manager to have, and what competencies the project managers hope to achieve. Both the theoretical and the practical contribution are a framework based on the categorization of the 15 competencies of a project manager. The suggested use of the framework is as part of competency -based human resource management, and more specifically as part of performance management. Further, the study presents a behavior-anchored rating scale for evaluating of the 15 competencies of a project manager.