The impact of project manager leadership profile on project profitability gain in complex erp implementations

This study investigates whether project profitability gains differ by the project manager's management profile in complex ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) implementations. Based on doctoral research conducted at IPEN – Instituto de Pesquisas Energéticas e Nucleares, associated with the University of São Paulo (USP), this article focuses on hypothesis H1.1: There is a difference in project profitability gain according to the management profile of the project manager. A large multinational ERP company headquartered in Germany served as the research field. The sample comprised 3,449 project observations from 98 project managers distributed across 317 strategic projects (2014–2018). Leadership profiles were assessed using the Dimensional Leadership Questionnaire (DLQ) based on the DiSC model (Dominance, Influence, Steadiness, Conformity). One-way ANOVA, followed by Tukey's HSD post hoc test, confirmed statistically significant differences among all profile pairs (p < 0.001). The Influence (I) profile consistently achieved the highest average profitability gain, followed by Dominance (D), then Steadiness (S). These findings contribute to the understanding of how leadership style affects financial performance in complex projects and offer practical implications for project manager selection and development in knowledge-intensive organizations.