Project leaders' control resources and role overload as predictors of project success: developing the job demands–resources model

Drawing on the job demands-resources model (JD-R model), this article introduces information control and team control as project leader-specific job resources, as well as role overload as a demand, and then examines their influences on project experience appraisals and project success. With a sample of 185 project leaders, this study reveals that all three factors drive project success and project leader well-being. The moderating effects of role overload on the relationships between team control and negative experience and between team control and goal attainment are particularly remarkable; goal attainment is highest with high team control and high role overload. Similarly, the most positive experiences occur with high team control and high role overload. This further development of the JD-R model, thus, identifies information and team control as resources specific to project leaders and role overload as a predominant challenge stressor, with an ambivalent nature.