How do project leaders respond to extra-scope requirements: the case of talent management

Purpose Project leaders primarily focus on their project scope, yet they often encounter organizational expectations that extend beyond it. For instance, they may be required to contribute to talent management processes within the organization. This study aims to explore how project leaders respond to such expectations that go beyond their immediate project responsibilities. Design/methodology/approach Employing a grounded theory approach, we analyzed 13 semi-structured interviews with project managers from Canadian organizations. Based on this analysis, we propose a context–mechanism–outcome (CMO) framework to explain how project leaders adopt talent management practices and derived a model of their distinct responses to talent management expectations based on specific configurations of contextual conditions and mechanisms. Findings The analysis shows that top-level talent management expectations do not simply trickle down to project leaders but are taken up through specific combinations of context and mechanisms that give rise to distinct accountability orientations in how project managers practice talent management. Research limitations/implications These findings offer actionable insights for project-based organizations, supporting better alignment between strategic leadership objectives and project-level practices while advancing talent management frameworks in project contexts. Originality/value This study challenges assumptions that institutionalized practices and leadership expectations simply “trickle down” from top leaders to lower-level leaders. Focusing on project managers as leaders of temporary activities, we show that talent management practices are filtered through specific CMO configurations. We use this model and four accountability orientations to explain when project leaders enact, adapt or symbolically comply with top-level talent management expectations in project settings.