The compelled circumstantial trust in project management environment: validation of the scale model

Abstract

This article investigates the phenomenon of compelled circumstantial trust, which project managers are subject to when performing their functions in the project environment. The objective is to contribute to project manager‘s higher productivity and efficiency. Compelled circumstantial trust is a phenomenon that happens, for instance, when there is a change of any key stakeholder in the project environment, or when a new project manager takes over the project. Therefore, it is necessary to trust the administrative legacy inherited and those who are part of it, which may represent a potential problem for an efficient project management model and become a challenge for the project manager, and ultimately for the sponsor. This article discusses compelled circumstantial trust and presents a validated scale, together with a set of practices that aims to improve the performance of project managers in the exercise of their duties, while keeping the privileges and particularities of their role.