Project management and job satisfaction in the public sector

The article addresses the question of the impact of project management on employee job satisfaction. After noting that the literature generally does not provide much information on the subject, the results of a study conducted in Garland Texas are presented. The Garland data, based on an analysis of twenty-two matched-pairs of employees (a group who had served on project teams were matched with a similarly-situated group who had not), indicated that project management does change employee opinions about management practices. Indeed, in terms of decision-making processes, goal-setting, interaction and upward communication processes, there were significant differences between the two groups. The study concludes that part of this effect may be similar to a “Hawthorne Effect”.