An experimental investigation of factors influencing perceived control over a failing IT project

IT project managers may sometimes continue to pour more resources into a failing project, a phenomenon known as ‘escalation of commitment’. If project managers believe that the failing project is under their control, they may be more likely to recommend continuation of a failing project. An experiment using a computer simulated task investigated the influence of self-efficacy and project risk characteristics on perceived control over a failing IT project. The study found that participants with higher task-specific self-efficacy were likely to perceive greater control over a failing project even when the project risk factors were less within their control.