Page 1 of 10
Journal for Studies in Management and Planning
Available at
http://edupediapublications.org/journals/index.php/JSMaP/
ISSN: 2395-0463
Volume 04 Issue 06
June 2018
Available online: http://edupediapublications.org/journals/index.php/JSMaP/ P a g e | 213
Understanding the Impact of Self-awareness Emotional
Intelligence of Project Managers in Contributing to
International Development Project Success: Perspectives
of Ghanaian Project Workers
Emmanuel Dwamena Sasu
PhD
Senior Programme Management & Evaluation Specialist, Ghana Statistical Service
/ Part-Time Lecturer, Accra Institute of Technology, Ghana.
Email: dwamena.sem@gmail.com/ emmanuel.sasu@swissmc.ch
ABSTRACT
This research focuses on understanding the impact of project managers’ self-awareness
emotional intelligence, consists of emotional self-awareness, accurate self-assessment, and self- confidence on project success factors. These factors are attributed to satisfying beneficiaries,
designing and planning, schedule compliance, monitoring and evaluation and feedback. Relying
on responses from 300 international development project workers in Ghana, multiple regression
analysis performed on the data collected revealed a statistically significant impact of
international development project managers’ self-awareness on project success factors
attributed to satisfying beneficiaries, designing and planning, schedule compliance, monitoring
and evaluation, and feedback. The study further revealed that leadership self-confident
constitutes the most significant predictor to project success, whilst self-accuracy that is driven by
schedule compliance accounts for the highest contribution to international development project
success.
Keywords: Project managers, international development projects, emotional intelligence self- awareness, self-assessment, self-confident.
1. I NTRODUCTION
Many development projects in Ghana
have ended up with huge cost overruns,
schedule delays, desertion, poor design and
weak monitoring and evaluation activities
(GETFUND Project Audit Report, 2013;
Achimota- Ofankor Road Project Audit
Report, 2013). Project management
leadership requires that projects are
managed by applying techniques which
adapt to evolving developments on the
project, for effective delivery based on
sound application of project management
processes (Galvin, Gibbs, Sullivan, &
Williams, 2014; PMI, 2013). Research
identifies a four-factor model which
identifies leadership skills required of
project managers addressing a number of
environmental and psychological challenges.
These include self-leadership,
communication and relations, staying
positive, and empowering and delegating
Page 2 of 10
Journal for Studies in Management and Planning
Available at
http://edupediapublications.org/journals/index.php/JSMaP/
ISSN: 2395-0463
Volume 04 Issue 06
June 2018
Available online: http://edupediapublications.org/journals/index.php/JSMaP/ P a g e | 214
(Redick, Reyna, Schaffer, & Tommey,
2014). Among these four leadership skills,
self-leadership comprising of emotional
intelligence, personal values, and cognitive
abilities play key roles in project success.
Previous studies admit the significance of
self-awareness emotional intelligence to
leadership effectiveness (Jiang, 2014;
Murtejaz, 2011).
Emotional leadership competency is
required for emotional resilience, in respond
to unexpected events which often undermine
project success ((Muller, Geraldi, & Turner,
2012). Earlier studies confirmed that less
than 40 percent of people identify and
manage emotions in their career due to lack
of control (Murtejaz, 2011, p. 18). Self- awareness constitutes one of the most
essential forms of emotional intelligence
required by leaders because leaders who are
self-aware understand their feelings in-terms
of capability, weaknesses, and other opinion
about them (Wheeler, 2016, p. 27). Previous
studies revealed that being self-aware as a
leader can translates into productive
outcome (Anand & Udayauiyan, 2010;
Goleman & Boyatzis, 2008; Murtejaz,
2011), however, its application in project
management is evolving (Galvin, Gibbs,
Sullivan & Williams, 2014; Hart, 2017; Jian,
2014; Sasu, 2018).
This study sought to understand the
impact of Ghanaian project managers’ self- awareness emotional intelligence as a
contribution to successful management of
international development projects in
Ghana. The main objective of this
quantitative research paper was to determine
the impact of Ghanaian international
development project managers’ self- awareness emotional intelligence (emotional
self-awareness, accurate self-assessment,
and self-confidence) on successful
implementation of international
development projects undertaken in Ghana.
Specific objectives addressed in the study
were to determine:
The impact of project managers
‘emotional self-awareness’ on
project success factors attributed to
designing and planning projects,
satisfying project beneficiaries,
accomplishing projects on schedule,
monitoring, evaluating and reporting
on projects.
The impact of project managers
‘accurate self-assessment’ on project
success factors attributed to
designing and planning projects,
satisfying project beneficiaries,
accomplishing projects on schedule,
monitoring, evaluating and reporting
on projects.
The impact of project managers
‘self-confidence’ on project success
factors attributed to designing and
planning projects, satisfying project
beneficiaries, accomplishing projects
on schedule, and monitoring and
evaluating and reporting on projects.
The paper sought to answer one main
question: What is the impact of international
development project managers’ emotional
intelligence component of self-awareness on
project success factors attributed to
beneficiary satisfaction, project designing
and planning, undertaking projects on
schedule, and monitoring and evaluating and
reporting on projects?
Page 3 of 10
Journal for Studies in Management and Planning
Available at
http://edupediapublications.org/journals/index.php/JSMaP/
ISSN: 2395-0463
Volume 04 Issue 06
June 2018
Available online: http://edupediapublications.org/journals/index.php/JSMaP/ P a g e | 215
1.1 INTERNATIONAL
DEVELOPMENT
PROJECTS
These are projects designed to achieve
a number of identified goals that include:
economic growth and poverty reduction,
humanitarian aid among others (Donnelly &
Ika, 2017). Further studies described these
type of projects as projects undertaken
through grant or credit offer in a form of
development assistance for developing
nations purposely to address a number of
social intervention programmes like
improvement in agriculture, education,
health, water sanitation and hygiene
(WASH), infrastructure, environment,
governance, capacity building among others
(Corti & Landoni, 2011; Ika, 2012; Sasu,
2018).
These projects are mostly
characterized with complex
interrelationships addressing concerns of a
number of its stakeholders (Asongu &
Nwachukwu, 2017; Asongu, 2012, 2013;
Asongu & Jellal, 2013; Ika, 2012). A
number of reports have pointed to lack of
effective leadership approach as major
factors contributing to projects failure in
Ghana (Awuah, 2008; Amponsah, 2010;
Ghanaian Times, 201). These developments
have resulted in waste of public funds,
increased underdevelopment and contributed
to rise in poverty levels (GETFUND Project,
2013; Achimota- Ofanko Road Project,
2013). Considering the huge loss of
revenues from these projects due to poor
leadership competencies, no study employed
emotional intelligence component of self- awareness impact on international
development projects undertaken in Ghana.
2. LITERATURE &
THEORETICAL
ORIENTATION
This study’s literature review is
founded on the theoretical orientation
consisting of Jian (2014) project success
factors identified as: (1) schedule and plans,
(2) monitoring and feedback, and (3)
beneficiary satisfaction, and that of Murtejaz
(2011) Self-awareness emotional leadership
competencies which consist of: (1)
emotional self-awareness, (2) accurate self- awareness, and (3) self-confidence.
2.1 SELF-AWARENESS
Self-awareness is a fundamental
leadership competency within emotional
intelligence. However, literature on self- awareness and leadership is minimal
(Sullivan, 2017). Emotional intelligence
leadership facilitates team cohesion as
people work together to accomplish defined
goals (Posner, 2013; Sullivan, 2017). Self- awareness construct is defined as being able
to recognize one’s emotions and their effects
based on understanding on one’s internal
states, preferences, resources and intuitions
(Boyatzis, 2011; Sullivan, 2017). Self-aware
leaders are known for their reflectiveness,
self-reflectiveness, and thoughtful reaction
towards circumstances as revealed by their
deeper understanding of personal emotions,
strengths, weaknesses, in addition to values
and motives (Mutejaz, 2011, p. 79). Self- awareness leaders possess genuine self- knowledge. They are transparent with
themselves and others, they frequently admit
