Competency and empowerment of project managers in China

Abstract

The Agent Construction Management (ACM) system is one of the new measures adopted in government funded projects in China. The main characteristic of the ACM system is the introduction of an independent professional project management firm into the project management process. The ACM system is still in its trial stage in China and there is no unified qualification assessment system for agent construction organizations. While the importance of the project manager’s competence is recognized, previous research also shows that project manager’s empowerment is conducive to project performance. The definition of competency is confusing as several terms such as competency/competencies, competence/competences, capability and ability are used interchangeably and inconsistently. Competence is the state or quality of being adequately qualified -- the ability to perform a specific role (e.g. PMI’s project manager’s competency development framework). While empowerment can be viewed as a relational construct and considered within a more general concept of power, it is also a motivational (or psychological) construct. These two perspectives of empowerment are not independent and motivational empowerment may be an outcome of relational empowerment. This research aims to analyze the relationships of motivational empowerment and competency on job performance of the project managers in the ACM organisations. Regression modelling is adopted to analyze the data collected from 203 project managers involved in projects adopting ACM system. Findings support the relationships of competency and empowerment and their effect on project manager’s job performance.