Factors Leading to Motivational Decline among Team Members and the Impact of Motivational Decline on Project Success

Project failure may occur due to human relations factors when managing projects to motivate the project team. Project managers may not know the perceived motivational needs of project team members and this can present a challenge in determining how to support and facilitate the team motivational drivers. Understanding the motivational drivers as it relates to the project team prepares a project manager to support and implement measures to complete project activities. A multi-case study approach was used to investigate the perceived means by which these drivers of worker motivation may be promoted in project environment, based on the perceptions of both project team members and project managers. The study sample group consisted of 25 project team members and 10 project team managers from the American Academy of Project Management (AAPM) national association and Facebook New York Office. Data analysis was done using a thematic analysis method with NVivo 11. Fifteen themes emerged from the data analysis; process theory revealed some aspect of process motivation such as fair wages or equal pay for equal work, medical benefits were an outlier. Whereas, content theory exposed a sense of accomplishment, recognition, challenge, or another aspect that relates to process theory. Themes that emerged from the question with the project managers' perception revealed possessing great leadership, intrinsic rewards, extrinsic rewards, and lack of leadership, lack of engagement, content and process theories. The study findings provide preliminary evidence that project team members' results were similar to those from a project manager perspective as how they perceive that projects can support the factors of motivation, with project team members. Recommendations is that lack of leadership was a common problem and the need to have great leadership skills among project managers is necessary to motivate team members. The study may provide an understanding of what motivates the project team to achieve project success from a human relations perspective and implement measures to assist organizations in managing projects. Also, the study could help fill a gap in the research related to the understanding and practice of motivation from the perspective of team members in a project environment.