Investigating project managers' work values by repertory grids interviews

Purpose – The purpose of the research is to investigate project managers' work values and their relationship with project managers' competence. Design/methodology/approach – In this research, the authors conducted semi‐structured interviews using repertory grid techniques on 18 Chinese project managers. Three different approaches are utilised to analyse data obtained from the interviews. Findings – The authors categorised work values with different perspectives. Project managers' core work values are identified. Research limitations/implications – The authors recommend that work values are an important dimension in relation to project manager's competence. The understanding of a project manager's work values has a potential application in human resources development and competence‐based management development. Originality/value – This paper presents an innovative approach to the investigation of a project manager's competence.