Damaged identities: Examining identity regulation and identity work of Gulf project managers

Research on the human side of project management is largely overshadowed by its technically focused counter-part. This results in a dangerous neglect of the impacts of a demanding project life and project managers' efforts to construct and sustain a valuable and valued identity at work. In this study of one Middle Eastern IT company, drawing on project management guides, company documents and interview responses from project managers, we examine the regulation of project manager identity using the lens of '€˜identity work'€™. We show that intense identity work can be triggered from project life within a challenging environment, and identify various coping strategies employed by the managers interviewed. In some cases, however, we found that these pressures may lead to the project manager experiencing a temporarily '€œdamaged'€� self-identity. We discuss the practical implications arising from our analysis for project management associations and organizations alike, and opportunities for future research.