An exploratory analysis of the project management and corporate sustainability capabilities for organizational success

Purpose This study investigates whether corporate sustainability capability (CSC) along with project management maturity (PMM) based capability contribute to perceived organizational success. It also studies how this contribution varies by project type employed in the organization. Design/methodology/approach The research is based on survey data collected from 66 managers of mostly small service businesses. The survey instrument consisted of a four-part questionnaire with 41 indicators focusing on CSC, maturity in project management knowledge areas and perceived internal and external organizational success. The SEM methodology, GLM (General Linear Model), and ANOVA are used for the analysis of the causal relationship among the indicators. The moderating effect of Project Type is analyzed using the Multi Group Analysis. Findings The findings demonstrate the impact of the successful integration of corporate sustainability and organizational PMM efforts on organizational success. Project management capability strengthens the effects of sustainability efforts, specifically in economic and social sustainability. Moreover, project type ranging from derivative to breakthrough moderates this effect. Research limitations/implications The findings demonstrate the strategic importance of corporate sustainability and its integration with organizational project management, valuing project sustainability management. Practical implications The study shows the importance of project management and sustainability capabilities for organizations in managing projects and developing vision, policy, and guidance with stakeholders, leading to organizational success. Originality/value This study reveals most success is achieved by maturity in stakeholder management, time, quality, communication and human resource management areas, economic and social sustainability capabilities demonstrated by platform and breakthrough projects.