The relationship between personality, leadership style, and social power bases on the career success of project manager

This quantitative study examined the relationship between specific skills, traits, and behaviors and the career success of project managers in the Architectural and Engineering Design Services Industry across the United States. The variables examined included personality traits, leadership styles, social power styles, educational and training backgrounds, and professional experiences. Instrumentation included the Inscape Dimensions of Leadership ProfileRTM, the Frost/Stehlski Social Power Questionnaire, and the Goldberg 50 Marker Big-Five Questionnaire. A total of 332 useable responses were received, representing a 74% response rate. A logical progression of statistical analysis was followed, from simple descriptive statistics to correlation analysis. The results indicate that project manager career success is low to moderately associated with personality traits and social power style. The findings indicate that professional qualifications and leadership style are not useful factors for predicting project manager career success.