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MANAGING THE MENTAL HEALTH OF PROJECT MANAGERS
POOR MENTAL HEALTH IS A SIGNIFICANT PROBLEM, WITH TREMENDOUS ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL EFFECTS.
The COVID-19 pandemic introduced new psychosocial risks in Architecture, Engineering and Construction (AEC) project organisations, causing poor mental health for some project managers.
Despite the urgent need for mental health management practices during the COVID-19 era, it is surprising that there is an absence of mental health studies in AEC project organisations to tackle psychosocial risks triggering poor mental health.
Insufficient empirical studies on mental health management has hampered the ability of AEC firms to adopt project management practices that reduce newly introduced COVID-19 psychosocial risks. Therefore, it is up to practitioners, government institutions and researchers to challenge existing studies to uncover ways to improve mental health management for project managers.
(Source: Canva)
THE PSYCHOSOCIAL RISKS CAUSING POOR MENTAL HEALTH
Some of the psychosocial risks triggering poor mental health among project managers in the Construction industry include:
• Long working hours
• Increased workload
• Reduced rest periods
• Work-family conflict
COVID-19 has introduced a range of additional psychosocial risks, including:
• Social isolation
• Teleworking
• Job loss
• Reduction in revenue
• Fear of catching the COVID-19 virus
• Changes in procurement management procedures
• Changes in project planning and management
For over 20 years mental health research in the Construction industry has perceived psychosocial risks as generic factors without considering the project context. Emergent COVID-19 related psychosocial risks in AEC project organisations has meant mental health management practices for project managers has needed to evolve with innovative solutions required.
MENTAL HEALTH MANAGEMENT PRACTICES NEEDED DURING COVID-19
AEC firms seeking to promote positive mental health among project managers must take into account their project organisation design and identify project management practices that will promote positive mental health.
Lets draw inspiration from the McKinsey 7S Model to identify mental health management practices for reducing psychosocial risks during COVID-19. The McKinsey 7S Model comprises seven elements: structure, systems, style, staff, skills, strategy, and shared values, which can underpin the design of mental health management practices in AEC project organisations.
(Source: McKinsey 7S Model. Extracted from Waterman, Peters and Philips, 1980, p.18)
1. Structure: Structure refers to governance institutions in AEC project organisations controlling project organisational learning, project management competencies, project performance control and monitoring, development of standardised methodologies and decision making.
2. Systems: Refers to operational systems of the AEC project organisation that determine project management activities allocated to project managers.
3. Style: Style refers to leadership styles, starting from top managers to project leadership, adopted in coordinating the affairs of project managers in AEC project organisations.
4. Staff: Staff refers to human resources management for coordinating and monitoring recruitment, rewards, and appraisal of project managers in the organisation.
5. Skills: Skills refers to the project management skills required for project management activities in an AEC project.
6. Strategy: Strategy in the model refers to the business strategy the AEC firm plans in response or anticipation to changes in its external environment that can impose pressure on business operation and project managers engaging in project management practices.
7. Shared values: Shared values refers to the culture inherent in the AEC project organisation.
Given the link between organisational design and mental health, interactive relationships between the seven organisational elements in the 7S Mckinsey model can underlay the development of mental health management practices in AEC project organisations. Practitioners should take into consideration these seven organisational elements influencing psychosocial risk, which can cause poor mental health.
Authors: This article was written by Mr. Bashir Tijani, A/Prof. Xiaohua Jin, Dr. Robert Osei-Kyei and Prof Srinath Perera. Bashir is a Doctoral researcher at Western Sydney University, who is currently developing a mental health management framework for project management practitioners in AEC project organisations. Xiaohua is a Director of the academic program for Project Management at Western Sydney University. Robert is an academic course advisor for Construction Management at Western Sydney University. Srinath is the director for the Centre for Smart Modern Construction (c4SMC) at Western Sydney University.
