AI Orientation in Project-Based Organizations: An Organizational- and Individual-Level Perspective

Artificial intelligence (AI) is increasingly transforming project management, yet the organizational conditions that enable its effective use in project-based organizations remain insufficiently understood. Drawing on the attention-based view, this study conceptualizes AI orientation as an organizational attentional structure that directs managerial attention toward AI strategy, support structures, and integration priorities. We examine how AI orientation relates to outcomes at both the organizational and individual levels. Using multi-informant survey data from 116 project-based organizations and 358 project managers, complemented by qualitative follow-up interviews, we find that AI orientation is positively associated with business success. This relationship is stronger when organizations are characterized by a positive collective attitude toward AI. At the individual level, perceived AI orientation is positively associated with project managers’ AI use, which in turn is associated with higher perceived AI augmentation in project tasks. Perceived AI orientation also strengthens the relationship between AI use and perceived augmentation. Qualitative insights further show that AI orientation is enacted through strategic prioritization, top-management attention, governance mechanisms, training, and knowledge-sharing practices. The study contributes to research on artificial intelligence in project management by showing that AI-related outcomes depend not only on tool availability but also on strategic orientation, supportive organizational structures, and employee-level uptake.