LEADERSHIP IN THE PROJECT LEADERSHIP IN THE PROJECT ENVIRONMENTENVIRONMENT
Terri Pomfret, PMP, D.M.
March 8, 2010
Project SuccessLeadershipPM Methods
• Background– Project Environment– Leadership
• Research and Findings
• Recommendations
BackgroundBackground
What does the term
““project environment” project environment”
mean?
Project Environment
Temporary Distinct Beginning and End Centered on Specific Goals and Responsibilities Limited to a Steady State of Change Constrained by Time, Resources, and Requirements Led by a Manager with no Formal Authority Supported by the Coordinated Effort of Subject Matter
Experts Impacted by Internal and External Pressures Authority Disparity Between Function and Project Contradictory Objectives Between Function and Project
Project Environment
Operational Environment
Transformation Environment
Political Environment
Temporary Permanent Temporary Permanent
Distinct Beginning and End
No Distinct Beginning or End
Distinct Beginning and End
No Distinct Beginning or End
Steady State of Planned Change
Day-to-Day with Minimal Change
Dramatic Revolutionary Change Incremental Evolution
Specific End Goal or Objective
Focus on Mission / Long-Term Strategy Strategic Objective Stay in Power
Activity Disparity between Project and Function
Activities Sustain Mission Activities Enable Strategy Activities Build Support
Limited by Internal / External Constraints Internal Constraints Almost Unlimited
Constraints Almost Unlimited Constraints
No Formal Authority Hierarchical Authority Hierarchical Authority Positional Authority
What is
““leadership”leadership”?
ServantServant
Leadership:
Lots of Leadership Models!
Leaders stimulates others to follow
No guarantee a leader is heading in the ‘right’ direction
Situational
Situational
TransactionalTransactionalCharismatic
Charismatic
TraitTrait
Characters
Transformational
Transformational
AuthoritarianAuthoritarian
Emotional Intelligence
Project SuccessLeadershipPM Methods
Despite the wide spread application of project management methodologies an alarming number of projects fail to projects fail to achieve expected outcomesachieve expected outcomes.
(Chabursky, 2005; Ivor & Alderman, 2005; Kanter & Walsh, 2004; Matta & Ashkenas, 2003)
ResearchResearch
Determine if a relationshiprelationship exists between the leadership practices leadership practices used by project managers and project managers’ performanceperformance.
ResearchResearch
Research population: North American project managers responsible automotive product development projects
Sampling Frame: 96 North American product development project managers employed by Fortune 100 automotive supplier
Similar education, responsibility, scope Same tools and methods
Population and Sample
Dependent Variable: Project Performance1 = Unacceptable performance
2 = Less than full performance
3 = Full performance
4 = Excellent performance
5 = Distinguished performance
Assessment Criteria• Team Management – Gate Exits On Time
• Scope Management – Adherence to Plan
• Project Metrics – Accomplishment of Key Project Metrics
• Financial – Accomplishment of Financial Metrics
• Product – Accomplishment of Quality and Delivery Metrics
• Customer Satisfaction – Customer Assessment
Assessment Criteria• Team Management – Gate Exits On Time
• Scope Management – Adherence to Plan
• Project Metrics – Accomplishment of Key Project Metrics
• Financial – Accomplishment of Financial Metrics
• Product – Accomplishment of Quality and Delivery Metrics
• Customer Satisfaction – Customer Assessment
Independent Variable: Leadership Practices
• Vision• Motivation• Communication
• Team Ethos• Trust/Accountability
• Versatility• Problem Solving/Decision Making • Tolerance for Ambiguity and Risk
• Vision• Motivation• Communication
• Team Ethos• Trust/Accountability
• Versatility• Problem Solving/Decision Making • Tolerance for Ambiguity and Risk
Challenging the process
Inspiring a shared vision
Enabling others to act
Modeling the way
Encouraging the heart
Vision
Motivation
Communication
Team Ethos
Trust / Accountability
Versatility
Problem Solving / Decision Making
Tolerance for Ambiguity & Risk
Leadership Leadership Practices InventoryPractices Inventory
PM Leadership PM Leadership ThemesThemes
Independent Variable: Leadership Practices1 = Almost Never 6 = Sometimes
2 = Rarely 7 = Fairly often
3 = Seldom 8 = Usually
4 = Once in a While 9 = Very frequently
5 = Occasionally 10 = Almost always
Leadership Practices Inventory• Challenging the Process
• Inspiring a Shared Vision
• Enabling Others to Act
• Modeling the Way
• Encouraging the Heart
Leadership Practices Inventory• Challenging the Process
• Inspiring a Shared Vision
• Enabling Others to Act
• Modeling the Way
• Encouraging the Heart
Research Hypotheses
H01: Challenging the process…
H02: Inspiring a shared vision…
H03: Enabling others to act…
H04: Modeling the way…
H05: Encouraging the heart…
… relationship with project manager’s performance.
Leadership Practices:
Performance:
Data 44 project managers participated in the
research
Leadership practices data was collected from project managers’ cross-functional team members
Performance Data
Findings
Challenging the process encourages leaders to create environments where they and their followers can challenge established boundaries and standards, as well as take on risk and explore innovative solutions. (Kouzes & Posner, 2002).
Versatility, Problem Solving / Decision Making, Tolerance for Ambiguity & Risk
Inspiring a shared vision encourages leaders to passionately envision and communicate a future that followers believe and embrace.
(Kouzes & Posner, 2002).
Vision, Motivation, Communication
Enabling others to act encourages leaders to accept various points of view and facilitate environments where followers are free to accomplish their work in accordance with their level of knowledge and skills.
(Kouzes & Posner, 2002).
Team Ethos, Trust / Accountability
Modeling the way calls on leaders to make clear expectations in the form of plans and goals that are realistic and measurable, and in keeping with their own values and those of their followers.
(Kouzes & Posner, 2002).
Team Ethos, Trust/Accountability
Encouraging the heart is reliant on the premise that leaders create a sense of collective purpose by linking reward to performance.
(Kouzes & Posner, 2002).
Vision, Motivation, Communication
Project Performance
Implications
Challenging the process
Inspiring a shared vision
Enabling others to act
Modeling the way
Encouraging the heart
Leadership Practices
RecommendationsRecommendations
1) Replicate the study using a sample of project managers with significantly greater differences in project performance.
2) Build a ‘new’ model of project management leadership based on PM Leadership themes and/or qualitative inquiry.
3) Create new instrument based on PM Leadership themes to study leadership in relationship to project performance.
Leadership Focus Group
Mission
Provide PMI GLC members and environment to develop PM specific leadership skills.
Develop practical methods and models of leadership that enable project and program
management excellence.
RecommendationsRecommendations
Leadership Focus Group
Objectives1. Create a collaborative environment where members and other stakeholder can exchange
ideas, lessons learned that focus on leadership development.
2. Identify and conduct research that advances the understanding of project/program related leadership.
3. Develop innovative leadership models that are specific to the project/program management environment.
4. Promote leadership skill development as a means to improve project/program excellence.
RecommendationsRecommendations