Upload
andrea-wenger
View
3.814
Download
0
Tags:
Embed Size (px)
DESCRIPTION
Effective project management demands that products are delivered on time, on budget, and with the expected level of quality. How can you prevent personality conflicts from getting in the way? Join me at the at the Management Progression at the 2012 STC Summit on Tuesday, May 22 from 10-11 a.m.
Citation preview
Project Management
and Personality Type
Personality Type
Myers-Briggs Type Indicator Measures personality on 4 scales
1. Orientation
Extraversion (E)
Gain energy from the external world of people, objects, and events
Introversion (I)
Gain energy from the internal world of thoughts, ideas, and emotions
2. Gathering information
Sensation (S)
Trust facts and focus on detail
Intuition (N)
Trust insight and focus on the big picture
3. Making Decisions
Thinking (T)
Seek to objectively remove themselves from a situation when making decisions
Feeling (F)
Seek to empathetically project themselves into a situation when making decisions
4. Attitude
Judgment (J)
Seek closure and make decisions as soon as sufficient facts are known
Perception (P)
Keep their options open as long as possible in case new facts or opportunities arise
Extraversion: Project Mgmt Style
Brainstorm and present ideas off the top of their head
Communicate regularly with other team members to discuss ideas and check on status
Prefer verbal to written communication
Extraversion: Conflict Sources
May spend more time communicating about tasks than working on them
Risk scope creep by verbalizing impulsive ideas that sound like decisions
To avoid conflict, ask, “Will this discussion move the project forward?”
Introversion: Project Mgmt Style
Consider their ideas carefully before discussing them with the group
Focus their time and energy on completing their tasks as individual contributors
Prefer written to verbal communication
Introversion: Conflict Sources
Fail to adequately communicate decisions and delays to the entire team
Take action without considering the effect on the team
To avoid conflict, ask, “Do I need to discuss this with anyone first?”
Sensation: Project Mgmt Style
Think in terms of present needs and the practical benefits of the product
Rely on past successes to build approaches to future projects
Break projects down into an assortment of small tasks
Sensation: Conflict Sources
View tasks at such a granular level that they overlook opportunities to combine them
Fail to develop an overall vision that they can succinctly articulate to management
To avoid conflict, ask “What are the implications? What patterns are emerging?”
Intuition: Project Mgmt Style
Take a long-term view and consider how current changes will affect future iterations
Innovate new and better ways of approaching the project
View the project from a high level and fill in the details as the need arises
Intuition: Conflict Sources
Underestimate needed resources because they haven’t documented all tasks involved
Fail to articulate specific benefits to management and customers
To avoid conflict, ask, “Does this solution address today’s practical needs?”
Thinking: Project Mgmt Style
Focus on an objective set of criteria Consider problems before people Challenge statements made by others,
looking for holes and opportunities for improvement
Thinking: Conflict Sources
Assign tasks without considering needs of team members, leading to alienation
Risk failure by developing a product that meets specs but that no one wants to buy
To avoid conflict, ask “What would customers and stakeholders think about this?”
Feeling: Project Mgmt Style
Focus on pleasing customers and stakeholders Assign tasks based on the skills and
preferences of the individual Encourage a team spirit and praise individual
contributions, stating disagreement indirectly
Feeling: Conflict Sources
Maintain harmony by leaving tasks unassigned or not pointing out when deliverables are late
Discourage debate that could lead to hurt feelings but also better solutions
To avoid conflict, ask, “What would I do if I weren’t worried about people’s feelings?”
Judgment: Project Mgmt Style
Measure progress based on whether tasks are completed
Organize meetings according to an agenda and stick to it
Avoid scope creep, which could place the deadline at risk
Judgment: Conflict Sources
Focus more on project management than on the end product
Appear inflexible to customers, stakeholders, and other team members
To avoid conflict, ask, “Can I adapt the schedule to accommodate new information?”
Perception: Project Mgmt Style
Recognize that conditions evolve, so they focus on the ultimate goal rather than a schedule
Work intensely as the deadline approaches rather than steadily throughout the project
Develop informal projects when gaps are identified in existing projects or product offerings
Perception: Conflict Sources
Take action without getting buy-in, leading to questions of who agreed to what
Focus more on the learning process than on completing tasks on time
To avoid conflict, ask, “Will exploring this option place the deadline at risk?”
Examples
ESTJ Questions
“Will this discussion move the project forward?” “What are the implications? What patterns are
emerging?” “What would customers and stakeholders think
about this?” “Can I adapt the schedule to accommodate new
information?”
INFP Questions
“Do I need to discuss this with anyone first?” “Does this solution address today’s practical
needs?” “What would I do if I weren’t worried about
people’s feelings?” “Will exploring this option place the deadline at
risk?”
Bibliography
Baron, Renee. What Type Am I? New York, NY: Penguin Group, 1998.
Myers, Isabel Briggs with Peter B. Myers. Gifts Differing. Mountain View, CA: Davies-Black Publishing, 1980, 1995.
Tucker, Jennifer. Introduction to Type and Project Management. Mountain View, CA: CPP Inc, 2008.
Jung Typology Test at https://www.humanmetrics.com
Contact Info
Andrea J. Wenger
President, STC Carolina Chapter
Membership Mgr., Technical Editing SIG
www.WriteWithPersonality.com