The impact of project-related failures on team members and support mechanisms – a narrative analysis

Abstract

Purpose Past studies on project-related failures (PRF) have focused more on developing criteria for measuring project success and failure and achieving project outputs without addressing the impact of PRF on team members. Therefore, this study aims to focus on reviewing the impact of PRF on team members and the support offered by leaders. Design/methodology/approach A qualitative research approach was adopted, and data was collected through interviews involving 15 construction professionals. The data was analysed using the narrative data analysis method whilst adopting just culture theory as a theoretical lens. Findings Failure impacts team members’ emotions and morale negatively in form of grief, stress and in some cases death. Family and personal relationships are strained due to the financial burden of losing employment. Support offered to team members mostly increased training and supervision with a focus on meeting the project outputs (time, cost and quality) without addressing the emotional and morale-related impact of failure on team members. Instead team members are blamed and punished, which demonstrates a prevalence of a retributive response to failure. Research limitations/implications Considering the limited number of participants, the study’s findings cannot be generalised. Hence, future studies with a large population are encouraged. Practical implications The implications for practice are that team members should be supported emotionally besides retraining/upskilling and supervision. Accordingly, there is need to adopt a just culture which focuses on who are affected and how they can be supported instead of focusing on who to blame. Originality/value Unlike studies that focus on the criteria for measuring and mitigating project with the view of achieving project outputs, this study encourages providing emotional support to team members.