Behavioral Aspects of Project Management The purpose of this paper is to explore how organizational culture and human behavior influence the success of projects, particularly problem-plagued projects. This article will first answer how organizational culture influences the selection, sponsorship, prioritization, and ultimate success of projects. Second, answer the question of what role project leadership plays in the success of projects and how a project manager can build and manage a successful project team. Finally, the document will offer some strategies that could be used by a project manager to successfully manage relationships between project team members and relationships between the project team and external resources. Organizational culture influences project selection, sponsorship, prioritization, and ultimate success. a project by setting the standards for what an organization must accomplish. Gray and Larson (2005) identified 10 cultural dimensions of an organization that form an advantageous environment for carrying out more complex projects involving employees from various disciplines (p.77). Cultural dimensions include the following: 1. member identity, 2. team emphasis, 3. people focus, 4. unit integration, 5. control, 6. risk tolerance, 7. reward criteria, 8. tolerance to conflict, 9. means-end orientation, 10. focus on open system. These characteristics determine the success or failure of a project within an organization. The culture of each organization is used to develop strategies and solutions that are more likely to be understood and accepted. In this way, the organization's culture avoids violating key norms that would otherwise jeopardize the effectiveness of strategies and...... middle of paper ......r, leadership is about managing change and the success of a project is only as strong as the leadership provided. References Barber, E., Warn, J. (2005). Project Management Leadership: From Fireman to Lighter. Management Decision, 43(7/8), 1032-1040. Retrieved February 27, 2007, from the ProQuest database.Gray, Larson. (2005). Project management: The managerial process. [University of Phoenix Custom Edition Electronic Text]. Columbus, OH: McGraw-Hill Company. Retrieved February 5, 2007, from University of Phoenix, rEsource, MGT 573—Project Management in the Business Environment Web site. Kotelnikov, V. (2007). Project leader skills. Retrieved February 27, 2007, from http://www.1000ventures.comMehrotra, V. (2003). The truth about project managers. (Was that something I said?). OR/MS Today, 30(2), 12. Retrieved February 27, 2007, from the Thomson Gale database.