The management of human resources in project management‐led organizations

Purpose – The paper examines the operational impact of project management systems on the management of human resources and the practical implications of this for practitioners in two project‐led engineering contractors Design/methodology/approach – The paper achieves these objectives through semi‐structured interviews in two in‐depth case studies. Findings – The paper examines specific human resource practices, for example, staff appraisal and efforts at work re‐structuring. The paper finds that in project‐led organizations, such as those in engineering contracting, embedded sectoral characteristics such as portfolio training limit the capacity of HR practitioners to actively change employee perceptions of their development. Research limitations/implications – The paper reports on sector‐specific research. However, the paper does illustrate the lack of engagement between project management literatures and personnel/HR literatures on the role of HR practitioners in project‐led organizations Practical implications – The paper draws out the impact of embedded sector effects on the management of HRs and the effects of this on the role played by practitioners. Originality/value – The value of this paper for the academic community is that it emphasizes a lack of engagement between project management literatures and HR/personnel literatures when it is likely that “project management” systems are a core managerial mechanism for the deployment of staff.