A.Y.

2020- 2021
1ST Semester

4th Reading Analysis in DMBA 401

Project Planning and Development

Linking Trust and Collaboration in Project Teams

to Project Management Success

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 I. Article Title: Linking Trust and Collaboration in Project Teams
to Project Management Success
II. Source:
This article was taken from www.mendeley.com

The article link is:

https://www.mendeley.com/catalogue/150a37aa-63aa-3d20-
917b-9ba11f24ff0f/

APA Citation
Bond-Barnard, T. J., Fletcher, L., & Steyn, H. (2018). Linking
trust and collaboration in project teams to project
management success. International Journal of Managing
Projects in Business, 11(2), 432–457.
https://doi.org/10.1108/IJMPB-06-2017-006

III. Introduction

Project Management Success has been one of the widely used tools of the
organization to ensure its desired objectives in the future. Since it is defined as the level
of efficiency the project achieved to reach the project objectives. Efficiency is related to
how the project manages its limited resources to meet the goals while building good
relationships with internal and external stakeholders (Siles, 2018). Hence, a project
team with its respective works, roles and responsibilities in the project operation can
able to withstand various problems that may able to arised while the organization is still
continuing its aim. According to Buvik and Rolfsen (2015) and Henderson et al. (2016),
project team trust and collaboration has a diverse and intertwining relationship with
project success, which should be studied more thoroughly as both these singular case
studies present inherent limitations to generalisability. Several studies suggest the link
between trust, collaboration and Project management success would be useful in the
organization’s attainment of a particular project’s success. Therefore, this study is all
about “Linking Trust and Collaboration in Project Teams to Project Management
Success”. The main purpose of this case study is to reveal the significance of having
great level of trust and collaboration for increasing the possibility of project management
(PM) success. Thru this study, it can able to help different project makers and doers in
various fields of business, service and even profession via providing insights and
implications, by means of learning, teaching and doing. Moreover, this peculiar
approach emphasizes the “human factors” (especially trust and collaboration) that
influence perceived project management success which should benefit the researchers
and even all readers. In this paper, it is stressed that “Without trust, ones are not truly
collaborate; one just merely coordinate, or best, cooperate. It is the trust and
collaboration that transforms group of people into a team” (Stephen M. Corvey) that are
very much reflected in one’s engagement in projects. Additionally, given
recommendations that are crucial to the organization’s reaching its targeted goals
through its project teams are visible in this study.

IV. Summary

The purpose of this case study is to emphasize the importance of high levels of trust
and collaboration for increasing the likelihood of project management (PM) success.
However, the link between these three constructs remains unclear. In this study, the
authors use structural equation modelling (SEM) based on the findings from an
international survey of 151 project practitioners to demonstrate the significance of
project team trust and collaboration for increasing the likelihood of PM success. The
results indicate that PM success becomes more likely as the degree of collaboration
improves which , in turn, is influenced by an increase in the level of trust between team
members. The two factors of PM success are project performance and knowledge
integration and innovation. The six factors of the degree of collaboration that were

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studied are physical proximity, commitment, conflict, coordination, relationships and
incentives. The three factors of the level of trust investigated are expectations,
knowledge exchange and imported trust. The results of the study are expected to
provide insight for project practitioners to Increase the likelihood of PM success by
taking cognizance of the factors that influence collaboration and trust. The results of the
study may also provide insight into teaching and learning in tertiary education, in terms
of professionalism and integrity issues. Thus, this paper presents a new perspective for
investigating PM success. SEM techniques are used to determine the likelihood of PM
success by promoting trust and collaboration in the project team. This unique approach
highlights the “human factors” that influence perceived PM success which should
benefit both researchers and practitioners.

V. Learning or Insights

Human capital is one of the most significant factors in the continuous improvement
of every business infrastructure. Despite the abundance of technology in our modern
world today, we cannot deny the fact that people behind every work remains a dominant
vital aspect. The link of trust and collaboration in project management success, shows
the importance of good human relation in the efficiency of business. When we are
talking about project management, we are referring to group of people or a team
working collaboratively to finish a specific task or project. As what is stated in the study,
trust, collaboration, innovation and many more are what makes the project successful.
The primary reason why trust and collaboration are effective, is because it builds a
fundamental foundation for the team to grow a bond and understanding with each other.
Trust helps everyone on the team to never doubt someone’s ability and expertise.
Through this, everyone is able to work without worries. Collaboration on the other hand,
makes the work be done smoothly and fast, effective and efficient as well. It helps the
team bring out the best of each other.

To elaborate our insights more, I would like to explain it further through real life
examples. One of the simplest forms of project management is the making of our WAC.
We are formed into a group that must finish a task for certain project. With this task, we
build trust and we collaborate with each other despite the demand of activities that we
are currently in. We grown to trust each other’s capabilities that is why we believe that
whatever task assigned to our team member, we know that they’ll be able to finish it on
time. This helps our task (WAC) to be lighter and easier to finish, because the amount
of work is distributed fairly and in accordance to our strength and expertise. Thus, we
seen how all team members did our best in doing our respective task and to be able to
attain the team’s objectives as a whole. We did not only read the assigned topics/case
to us, but we practiced the concept to achieve the so called, project management
success, by coming up with a great project outcome to excel on the class.

VI. Implications

A. Education

The effect of project management in education is that the courses of project

management help in educating the success with the overall professional performances.
For achieving the superiority, the regular and the continuous education has become
necessity in the workplace that helps in the accomplishment of personal and
professional goals. Project management in the high education sector is not only about
writing schedules, but it can also be anything from lesson and curriculum planning to
working on a new building or campus. It describes one of the most fundamental
systems that every university and college must develop the ability to manage projects. It
also helps students to be active and collaborative in each aspect because they need a
smart online collaboration solution that will provide them with such outstanding features
such as task management, scheduling, knowledge base, financial control, and time
tracking. Educational project management requires constant between professors,
teachers, students, departments, and sometimes between geographically dispersed
campuses. Project management in collaboration with education established as a

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profession and an essential part of that is practitioners should have a sound theoretical
knowledge of the subject from which they can make predictions about which
approaches will lead to be better outcomes of their projects. Project management trust
educations that through this they can achieve their goals easier because of lots of
knowledge and skills that they learned.

B. Business

Collaboration in the workplace is a sign of effective team as it harnesses the best out
of two or more individuals. In business it is important to have a trust and collaboration
because it leads to a success of a project. Trust enhances teamwork and collaboration,
so if the project teams have this then it will lead to have a more successful project.
Linking trust and collaboration in project teams to project management success is
important in business, for it makes the business more productive and successful that
can able to help employees to be more connected to each other that can lead to better
output and result. Working to build an understanding of each other’s needs,
expectations, and requirements help move through difficulties while building trust. It is
important to respect each other’s personal and organizational positions, mandates and
to genuinely value each other’s contributions that includes agreeing to disagree
sometimes. Breaking through difficulties can lead to exciting, innovative approaches
and new directions, some trust must exist between the team members so that
information can flow along the agreed upon and appropriate lines of communication.

C. Public Sector

Public Sector is comprised of organizations that are owned and operated by the
government and exist to provide services for its citizens. As a business having its main
objective of providing a public service to its people rather than making a profit, this
organization needs some influential factors that could help not just itself but its mean of
lending assistance to everybody. Trust and collaboration as one of the foremost
elements an organization should have in making projects may lead the team in
executing probable actions suited for the organization’s operation to become
successful. Public education, telecommunications, health care, electricity, emergency
services and etc. are just only some of the public sectors we have today. Some, if not
many, of it have greatly influenced the lives of the citizen from having none to having
some. But every public project has the capability to improve the lives of citizens or the
effectiveness and efficiency of government and those who manage public-sector
projects participate in a proud tradition of projects that created results for society. In
order to perform its aim in providing public services to the people, public sector is
expected to create innovative and appropriate projects with relates to meeting up the
citizen’s call for action as to a particular problem. Alongside with this, the organization
(public sector) will do its best to plan and decide for action, organize and execute
possible solution, monitor and control the project’s operation. That is where project
management may come in, leading the work of a team to achieve goals and meet
success criteria at a specified time. Thru the help of linking trust and collaboration in
project teams, this would be essential to meet organization’s desired objectives and
results in the future. When an organization (public sector) promote trust and
collaboration in a project, it is more likely that the project will be a success in terms of
time, cost and quality objectives that will not only build a good relationship to each team
members but also making, if not the best, the better project result to everybody. Trust
would be an agent of building a nice teamwork in the project, this would also improve
one’s capability and confidence to do its best at its finest. Since public sector’s role is
vague because it covers somewhat all aspects that are in line with the government, the
two human factors, trust and collaboration, must go hand in hand with each other to
eventually correlates with project management success. Trust is recognized as a key
factor contributing to project success. The ability to work collaboratively is recognized as

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a core competency of a learning organization or team, but that trust determines the
dynamic of this collaboration. Meaning, if there is trust and collaboration in a team,
projects and tasks being handled would able to drive growth that benefits all citizen and
that trust is important to an effective team because it provides a sense of safety. When
your team members feel safe with each other, they feel comfortable to open up, take
appropriate risks, expose vulnerabilities and collaborate freely with respect to one
another. Furthermore, solid project team skills will not guarantee that public sector
managers will accomplish great and wonderful things, but having those skills and
attitude (trust and collaboration) will increase the probability that they will.

public services can be delivered at a higher quality and with

greater economic efficiency
VII. Recommendations

The following recommendations are formulated specifically to the project

managers based on the insights and implications conveyed in the article. These are:

1. It is possible to link trust and collaboration in project teams in order to

achieve specific goals of projects.

2. Human factors such as trust and collaboration are significant elements

that a business or organization must consider.

3. Teamwork should start with trust in each other to collaboratively enhanced

performance and attained targeted goals.

4. Project team must utilize factors such as human factors in order to adapt
with the growing environment we are now and to have successful output
as a result.

5. Project management success together with project team’s trust and

collaboration with one another, will serve as a tool for business or
organization to continuously operate smoothly.

6. Aside from success, building good relationships and connections with your
team members can be feasible.

7. Gives opportunity to voice out perspective.

8. Using this, will lead to embracing roles as a member and a leader that
would improve one’s work and self, as well.

9. This would strengthen the bond of each team member and can work
harmoniously within the organization.

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