Information technology (IT) project managers face a multitude of stressors in their workplaces. This has implications not only for the individual practitioners but also for their employers and society. Exactly what stressors are faced by IT project managers and how they cope with them has received little attention in the literature. In addressing this situation, this paper reports on an exploratory study aimed at identifying the sources of stress, coping strategies, and outcomes that are relevant to IT project managers in a large Queensland-based ICT organization. A critical incident analysis method was used involving interviews with a sample of 12 project managers, resulting in the identification of 50 stressor, coping, and outcome incident chains. These were then coded into categories for frequency analysis.
BabinB. J., & BolesJ. S. (1996). The effects of perceived co-worker involvement and supervisor support on service provider role stress, performance and job satisfaction. Journal of Retailing, 72(1), 57–75.
2.
BrinerR. B. (1997). Improving stress assessment: Toward an evidence-based approach to organizational stress interventions. Journal of Psychosomatic Research, 43(1), 61–71.
3.
BroadbridgeA. (2002). Retail managers: Their work stressors and coping strategies. Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, 9(3), 173–183.
DewhurstS., & MarlboroughM. (2003). Memory bias in the recall of pre-exam anxiety: The influence of self-enhancement. Applied Cognitive Psychology, 17, 695–702.
8.
EdwardsJ. R. (1996). An examination of competing versions of the person-environment fit approach to stress. Academy of Management Journal, 39(2), 292.
9.
EdwardsJ. R., & RothbardN. P. (1999). Work and family stress and well-being: An examination of person-environment fit in the work and family domains. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 77(2), 85–129.
10.
GallstedtM. (2003). Working conditions in projects: Perceptions of stress and motivation among project team members and project managers. International Journal of Project Management, 21(6), 449.
11.
GreinerB. A., KrauseN., RaglandD., & FisherJ. M. (2004). Occupational stressors and hypertension: A multi-method study using observer-based job analysis and self-reports in urban transit operators. Social Science and Medicine, 159(5), 1081–1094.
12.
GuglielmiR. S., & TatrowK. (1998). Occupational stress, burnout, and health in teachers: A methodological and theoretical analysis. Review of Educational Research, 68(1), 61.
13.
HaynesN. S., & LoveP. E. D. (2004). Psychological adjustment and coping among construction project managers. Construction Management and Economics, 22(2), 129–140.
14.
HowardG. (1995). Occupational stress and the law: Some current issues for employers. Journal of Psychosomatic Research, 39(6), 707–719.
15.
JacksonS., & SchulerR. (1985). A meta-analysis and conceptual critique of research on role ambiguity and role conflict in work settings. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 36, 16–78.
16.
KarasekR. A.Jr. (1979). Job demands, job decision latitude, and mental strain: Implications for job redesign. Administrative Science Quarterly, 24(2), 285.
17.
KerznerH. (2003). Project management: A systems approach to planning, scheduling and controlling.New York: John Wiley & Sons Inc.
LeungM. Y., NgS. T., SkitmoreR. M., & CheungS. O. (2005). Critical stressors influencing construction estimators in Hong Kong. Construction Management and Economics, 23(1), 33–43.
20.
LimV., & TeoT. (1996). Gender differences in occupational stress and coping strategies among IT personnel. Women in Management Review, 11(1), 20.
21.
LimV., & TeoT. (1999). Occupational stress and it personnel in Singapore: Factorial dimensions and differential effects. International Journal of Information Management, 19(4), 277–291.
22.
LysonskiS., NilakantV., & WilemonD. (1989). Role stress among project managers. Journal of Managerial Psychology, 4(5), 25.
23.
O'DriscollM. P., & CooperC. L. (1994). Coping with work-related stress: A critique of existing measures and proposal for an alternative methodology. Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology, 67(4), 343.
24.
SachdevaR., & NamburiN. R. (1993). Expert system for project management. Pre-Conference Proceedings, IEEE International Conference in Engineering Management, Managing Projects in a Borderless World, 17-8 Dec. New Delhi.
25.
SelyeH. (1976). The stress of life, rev. ed. New York: McGraw-Hill.
26.
SpectorP. (1992). A consideration of the validity and meaning of self-report measures of job conditions. In CooperC., & RobertsonI. (Eds.), International Review of Industrial and Organizational Psychology (pp. 123–151). Chichester: Wiley.
27.
StorchJ. E., & PanzarellaR. (1996). Police stress: State-trait anxiety in relation to occupational and personal stressors. Journal of Criminal Justice, 24(2), 99–107.
28.
SwickertR. J., RosentreterC. J., HittnerJ. B., & MushrushJ. E. (2002). Extraversion, social support processes, and stress. Personality and Individual Differences, 32(5), 877–891.
29.
TennantC. (2001). Work-related stress and depressive disorders. Journal of Psychosomatic Research, 51(5), 697–704.
30.
ThongJ. Y. L., & YapC. S. (2000). Information systems and occupational stress: A theoretical framework. Omega, 28(6), 681–692.
31.
TutenT. L., & NeidermeyerP. E. (2004). Performance, satisfaction and turnover in call centers: The effects of stress and optimism. Journal of Business Research, 57(1), 26–34.
32.
TysonP. D., PongruengphantR., & AggarwalB. (2002). Coping with organizational stress among hospital nurses in southern Ontario. International Journal of Nursing Studies, 39(4), 453–459.
33.
ViswesvaranC., SanchezJ. I., & FisherJ. (1999). The role of social support in the process of work stress: A meta-analysis. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 54(2), 314–334.
34.
WetzelsM., de RuyterK., & BloemerJ. (2000). Antecedents and consequences of role stress of retail sales persons. Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, 7(2), 65–75.
