Project Personnel, Job Demands, and Workplace Burnout: The Differential Effects of Job Title and Project Type

Abstract

As a result of the frenetic and demanding working conditions associated with projects, much research and theory has addressed the stress and burn-out propensity of members of project teams. However, research has generally not taken into consideration the differential effects of job title or types of project organizations on job demands, perhaps assuming that all levels within a project team and all project types offer similar levels of job demands. This study addresses the question of how the perception of job demands varies by job title (project manager, engineer, and project team member) and across project type (construction, research and development, and information technology). Using a sample of 208 project personnel, we examined the dimensions of burnout (emotional exhaustion, cynicism, and reduced personal efficacy) for the evidence of their differential impact across both job title and project type. Our findings suggest that there is no significant difference in perceived job demands across both job title and project type. However, we found that project managers have a significantly higher level of the emotional exhaustion form of burnout than other job classifications and construction project personnel suffer from a significantly higher level of emotional exhaustion than those working on other classes of project.