Keep it together: Behavioral aspects of teams' location in enhancing motivation to adopt complex work plans

Prior research shows that project managers tend to avoid following the optimal work plan, and that this tendency is negatively influenced by the perceived complexity of the Gantt chart. This research introduces a central factor moderating this effect: The level of communication effort required by PMs (project managers) when managing IT (information technology) team members. To test this prediction, the researchers followed an experimental approach and manipulated the level of communication effort by defining two group types, which differed in the number of team members and the geographical distance between them (together or not). Research results show that the complexity level of the Gantt chart negatively affects PMs' motivation to adopt an optimal work plan, and importantly, findings suggest that the group type (together or not) attenuates this effect. Research findings also offer practical implications for managers seeking to influence PM's behavior and attenuate the negative impact of Gantt chart complexity without changing other aspects of the work plan.