Leveraging generative AI for project management: The role of mindfulness and job crafting

The integration of generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) holds great potential to transform the project management profession, which can bring both substantial benefits and significant disruption. This study argues that effective GenAI adoption requires not only technical skills but also mindfulness to navigate its complexities and challenges. This study explores how mindfulness supports project managers in leveraging GenAI technologies to innovate work practices. We argue that project managers with higher mindfulness levels tend to be more open, attentive, and creative in crafting their immediate work environment. This, in turn, encourages project managers to explore how GenAI can optimise workflows, and ultimately improve the frequency and effectiveness of GenAI use. The mediating role of job crafting was verified in this study using a two-wave time-lagged design among 441 project managers. The moderating role of project complexity and GenAI knowledge were also validated in this mediation model. This study provides timely guidance on developing mindfulness and job crafting strategies to support project innovation in an era where emerging technologies are transforming traditional project management practices.