Project Management is the practice applied in order to attain specific short and long-term results in highly complex and dynamic environments, and in a way that responds efficiently to the multiple and sometimes contradictory needs and standards of all the stakeholders involved in every step of the process. So, in order to be an efficient Project Manager you need to be able to do what is described above in the best way, which requires a wide spectrum of perspective, practice and people competencies (IPMA, 2016). These competencies, in turn, require the fundamental intellectual and moral virtues in order to be applied efficiently.
Furthermore, under the pressing need for sustainable development, project management needs to transform into a sustainable practice. With the virtues, a Project Manager develops the right disposition and ability to apply any competencies (knowledge, skills and abilities) s/he has efficiently and sustainably in a way that best serves the short and long-term goals of the project while appropriately meeting the environmental, economic and social, sustainability standards in every step of the process. Virtues help the Project Manager to be willing and able to perform sustainably at any given moment, by accurately identifying and applying the practices, behaviors and actions that promote sustainable balance.
All virtues are required for the sustainable performance, and the efficient application of every competency.
However, certain virtues are more important for certain competencies than others. For example, certain Aristotelian Virtues correspond to the perspective, practice and people competencies of IPMA (2016):
- For practice competencies, all intellectual virtues (Judgment, Prudence, Insightfulness) are absolutely essential while various moral virtues are required as well, i.e. for “Resources”, the moral virtues of Liberality and Magnificence are required , for “Risk & Opportunity”, Courage and Liberality are required, for “Procurement”, Fairness, etc.
- For how the virtues correspond to the people competencies see the table below:
| People Competencies (IPMA, 2016) | Virtues |
| Self-reflection & Self- management | Judgment, Prudence, Temperance, Courage, Calmness |
| Personal Integrity & Reliability | Prudence, Honor, Courage, Honesty about oneself, Judgment |
| Personal Communication | Friendliness, Liberality, Honesty for Oneself, Humor |
| Relationships & Engagement | Judgment , Insightfulness, Friendliness, Liberality, Honesty for oneself, Honor, Fairness |
| Leadership | Courage, Liberality, Calmness, Fairness, Friendliness, Judgment, Prudence |
| Teamwork | Friendliness, Liberality, Honesty for Oneself, Humor |
| Conflict & Crisis | Courage, Judgment, Prudence, Honor Calmness, Fairness, Liberality, Insightfulness |
| Resourcefulness | Judgment, Prudence, Temperance, Insightfulness |
| Negotiation | Judgment, Prudence, Insightfulness, Fairness |
| Result Orientation | Prudence, Judgment, Temperance, Honor |
