Published in "Deccan Avenues" dated April 13, 2005.
The Human Dimension of Project Management
Written by Sabitha Prasad, Consultant - People Skills, SABCONS Project Management Consultants
Ram had just been promoted to run a project with eight of his associates. He was ecstatic - the project was a prize catch - it would not only help him to show results with the technical expertise that he already had - he would be a Project Manager - in short at last he had the ability to short circuit the many nuances and short comings his colleagues had shown on the previous project.
He started with great enthusiasm. In his very first meeting he set the objectives, roles and responsibilities, the dos and don'ts of the project. He was optimistic of finishing dead on target. But his hopes and dreams were however short lived - he found that his colleagues looked at him not as a Project Manager, but a threat who had overtaken them to the role of Project Manager. He found himself sitting late nights setting right the faults made by others, instead of delegating - he was to his own surprise taking on more work. His only dream now was to finish the project on time even if he had to work on it all by himself!
In high tech firms, a manager's job is one of service- they lead but do not run or rule. The role of manager has become more and more people oriented. Leadership styles played down autocratic behavior and emphasized participation. The goal of an organization is viewed no longer as exclusively that of profit or efficiency, but fostering socials goals has become an important benchmark. In short people and human behavioral movement has taken the management by storm.
It is then no wonder that understanding why people behave the way do is becoming more and more important. This then forms the first step in channelizing the energy of the team and helps a Project Manager attain his goals of completing the project within time, budget and the resources allocated to him.
Human behavior is so complex that we will never reach a single, ultimate theory of all that managers would like to know. One factor however is sure that is with the rapid progress and change happening around us we are becoming more and more interdependent on one another - than ever before. Even with increasing emphasis on technology the importance of understanding human behavior has never diminished.
Being technically competent alone is not enough to harness managerial skills - it is a different ball game all together - yet our organizations are progressively promoting the technically competent personnel to take on managerial roles. Added to this is the constant emphasis of gaining technical expertise right through the formative and educative years, that gaining skills to manage others is taken up in a lackadaisical manner.
Soon after reaching the managerial rung a person is focused on getting a team to function well. The focus is however mainly on task, that is - what they need to do to get the work done. There is another dimension, which is perhaps equally important, and that is the process or how the work needs to be done. The task side of the team activity is one that is more familiar and it involves all the ' Whats' - what information the team should discuss, what are the goals, problems, ideas etc.
The process side of the team activity refers to the team's upkeep or maintenance. It involves 'how' a team accomplishes its tasks. Process activities deal with Communication and interpersonal relationships, risk taking, keeping up the energy of the team, conflict management etc.
In general people are more skilled at task activities. Team members can focus on what needs to be done, but identifying how the team accomplishes it's tasks - in short the processes is much more difficult. Yet it is critical for team development.
This can be illustrated by taking the example of a tree. Like the tree a team takes root and grows reaching fruition over time. Just as trees are affected by factors such as weather and temperature, the team too is impacted by the external environment. The roots could be compared to the process areas or the skill sets that members bring with them in terms of their behavior and sensitivity to other team members. The trunk and the branches can be compared to the task areas that a team needs to accomplish. Much as a tree's root system forms the foundation for a stable tree and enables it to grow, so too is a Project Manager’s skills in managing people appropriately, that enables the team to flourish and perform well. Once this is strong and in place the team has a firm foundation. The task activities and high team performance follows automatically!
Human Resource Management is therefore a vital component of Project Management. The Project Management Institute (PMI) has played a leadership role in this area by developing thought provoking literature in the Guide to Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK), which has included Human Resource Management as one of the eight Knowledge areas. It focuses on making the most of human resources on projects. The emphasis is on people and how they can be organized to increase their overall effectiveness as individuals and as effective members of a project team.
Listed here are a few bullets that will help a Project Manager in improving the process aspect of team building:
- Pay attention to individual differences. Team members will vary as to the most effective tool in getting your message across (email, memos, meetings, speaking to one on one etc).
- Stay open to feedback about your blind spots. Remember that everyone has them, and try to receive feedback without becoming defensive.
With the team member explore his or her own ideas about what could be a good source of motivation.
- Be aware of the source of conflict and the different conflict management styles.
- Look for underlying emotional baggage when a team member is not performing to his full potential
- People management is more an art than a science - it is learnt through experience, observation and a will to change behavior patterns that are not working for us!
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