Reluctance to Report Reality in Troubled Technology Projects

Abstract

The situation of IT project leaders’ reluctance to engage in “reality reporting” is examined within a classic organizational behavior framework: the influence of person vs. situational factors on worker behavior. We review the MIS literature to establish that this project reporting problem has been substantiated and creates problems for organizations. Then we detail the foundation underlying Mischel’s classic argument regarding the type of situations in which person variables tend to be influential, and we extend a useful conceptual framework for IT managers. Viewing this reporting behavior through the lens provided by Mischel leads to recommendations on how managers can make status reporting in troubled IT projects a stronger situation to influence reality reporting behaviors by project leaders.