Sponsor Behavior and Impacts in Public Sector Project Management

This study makes an important contribution to both the practical and theoretical level of project management, especially from the sponsor point of view in the public sector context. Project management literature does not describe how the sponsor behaves during project control in this specific occupational safety and health (OSH) public sector project context. Secondly, project management literature does not describe how the sponsor perceives the impacts of projects in this OSH context. It also seems that the literature does not recognize how the behavior of the sponsor is related to sponsor perceptions of project impact. The objective of this study is to increase understanding of sponsor behavior and impacts in public sector projects from the viewpoint of the sponsors themselves. The study also looks for possible connections between sponsor behavior and impacts that are found from the perceptions of sponsors. The context organization of this study was the department of a ministry that operated in the OSH field while the focus is a sponsor. A sponsor is a specific person who acts in the ministry department. A sponsor controls projects and ensures that the objectives of the projects are achieved during the project lifecycle. Interviews were organized for twenty sponsors, and the experiences of the sponsors were analyzed on the basis of Grounded Theory methodology. The study indicated that sponsor behavior was polymorphic. Additionally, similarities were found between the behavior of sponsors. The main terms found for sponsor were "bureaucrat", "participator", "expert" and "observer". The results indicated that the sponsor recognized many impact dimensions. These impacts were changes or actions that happened during and after the project according to the perceptions of the sponsor. The impacts were grouped into two sections; the impacts on the organization and the impacts of cooperation. Connections were found between the behavior of the sponsor and the impact dimensions that were determined from the perceptions of the sponsor. This study also suggests that there is a relationship between the behavior of the sponsor and how the sponsor recognized the impact dimensions of the project. This study increases the understanding that other sponsors, ministries, researchers and project executors have regarding sponsor actions in the OSH field. It provides better possibilities for open discussion of sponsor activities in public sector projects. Additionally, the study provides improved opportunities for continuing discussion about the impact of projects. According to the study, more research is needed on sponsor behavior. For example, human strategic management, staff training and impact assessment methods are some areas that could be examined in more detail from the sponsor point of view.