Between a Rock and a Hard Place: The Competent Hybrid

Typically, the career path to project management is that a junior technical person is first promoted to a senior technical position and then to project manager. As the junior employee becomes more technically competent, they are often given more managerial and decision-making responsibility. They progress into a hybrid role; they are responsible for both technical and managerial responsibilities. We have some understanding of the competencies project managers and technical team members require, but we do not know what "soft” competencies a hybrid person requires to be successful in projects. Research was completed with the aim to better understand the soft competencies of the hybrid role. The results come from a series of two interviews and a survey with a sample of 22 project managers, senior managers, and hybrid personnel from the Canadian oil and gas industries representing owners and contractors. We will present the key competencies required for project success in terms of social, personal, professional, negotiation, communication, and general project management competence categories.