Project management is experiencing a renaissance that encompasses a paradigm shift regarding who project managers are and how the team managing the project is composed. The spring of diversity has also blossomed in this important branch of business, widely opening doors for women, guided by the Latin saying ‘varietas delectat’.
– Project management in the nineties was considered a male profession. A successful project manager was a workaholic of strong character who impressed colleagues and superiors with mental and physical abilities, guided by the motto that actions speak louder than words, writes Yvonne Schoper, a professor of International Project Management at the HTW University of Applied Sciences in Berlin.
In the last 20 years, much has changed; a successful project manager today is a person who manages relationships, bravely faces complex problems and uncertainties, collaborates with different cultures, demonstrates emotional intelligence, listens carefully, and successfully builds trust and resolves conflicts.
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Schoper points out that women, historically, have never been more educated than they are today. She adds that by their nature, women tend to be good players thanks to psychological competencies, intuition, and the ability to integrate. Moreover, they are creative, flexible, and possess a range of competencies that enable them to connect life projects.
A two-year study on careers and incomes related to project management in Germany and Austria shows that women as project leaders are more educated and qualified than their male counterparts. However, they still struggle to rise to higher levels, remaining in lower managerial positions with lower incomes. Good education and deep competencies are evidently not sufficient to reach higher positions in management, explains Professor Schoper.
