Can project managers signature strengths enhance project team resilience, and if so, how?

Abstract

Purpose: The purpose of this thesis is to explore the relationship between signature strengths and the development and strengthening of resilience in teams within a project setting. More specifically, this thesis investigates whether project managers can use signature strengths to enhance project team resilience, and if so, how? Design/methodology/approach: Theories within positive psychology and project management will be used as a framework in this thesis. In particular, Peterson and Seligman’s (2004) framework on character strengths and virtues are used as a framework in the data analysis in order to identify the project manager’s signature strengths. It has been employed a qualitative approach and used a case study design to explore the research question. Subject: Positive organizational psychology, with a primary focus on signature strengths and resilience within a project setting. Originality/value: The study contributes to increased knowledge on whether project managers signature strengths can enhance project team resilience. To our knowledge, there is no comprehensive research done on the impact of signature strengths on resilience. In relation to “how” project managers can use their signature strengths to enhance project team resilience the importance of psychological ownership is identified. Findings: The signature strengths leadership, open-mindedness, persistence, social intelligence, forgiveness and hope are found to fosterer the project manager’s resilience. Further, managers, through their behavior, can affect how the team members behave and react to challenges. Hence, increase project teams resilience. In addition, the signature strengths open-mindedness and leadership could through affecting the team members feeling of psychological ownership, result in increased resilience in project teams. Keywords: signature strengths, positive psychology, psychological ownership, project management, project teams, resilience.