Developing a High Performance Project Culture

Presented by:

Keith Aldrich

January 17, 2013

©2013 Continuity Consulting, Inc. 1

Team A Team B

World Class PMO Immature Project Organization

Well Defined Project Scope Scope is somewhat vague

Reasonable Budget Very Lean Budget

Reasonable Timeline Aggressive Timeline


Team A - Culture Team B - Culture

Dysfunctional, negative, competitive, political, infighting, lacks trust, lacks accountability, entitlement, undisciplined

High Performing, positive attitudes, high levels of trust, accountability, disciplined, mutual respect

Project HR

Management

Personal

Leadership

Practical

Applications

Project Team

Culture


Developing a High Performance Team Culture

Why do we care about developing a high performing team?

What is the biggest contributor to team performance?

What is the biggest contributor to culture?

If people are the biggest contributor to culture, what kind of people do we want?


People

Culture

Team

Results


Teamwork is a critical factor for project success, and developing effective project teams is one of the primary responsibilities of the project manager. Project managers should create an environment that facilitates teamwork.

Project managers should acquire skills to identify, build, maintain, motivate, lead, inspire project teams to achieve high performance and to meet the project’s objectives.

High team performance can be achieved by using open and effective communication, developing trust among team members, managing conflicts in a constructive manner, encouraging collaborative problem solving, and decision making.

The project manager should request management support and or influence the appropriate stakeholders to acquire the resources needed to develop effective project teams.

A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge – Fourth Addition, Chapter 9


“I came to see, in my time at IBM, that culture isn't just one aspect of the game, it is the game. In the end, an organization is nothing

more than the collective capacity of its people to create value.”

Lou Gerstner


Culture is everywhere

Culture defines the collective character and essence of the group

Culture is a conscious and unconscious force

Culture influences individual and collective behavior

Culture is changed and modified as new elements are introduced


1. Unique Purpose and Personality

2. Passion for Performance

3. Bias Towards Action

4. Outward Focused

5. Team Oriented

6. Values Each Individual

7. Highly Adaptable

8. Principled Leadership

9. Alignment and Congruency

10. Effective Communication



Trust Purpose

Challenge Discipline

Excitement Accountability

Positive Attitude

Fear Apathy Politics Conflict Burnout

Selfishness Entitlement


“Since culture is a human creation, whose deformations begin not ‘out there’ but in our inner lives, we can transform our culture only as we are inwardly transformed.” --

(Parker Palmer)

“Knowing thyself is the most difficult task any of us faces. But until you truly know yourself, strengths and weaknesses, know what you

want to do and why you want to do it, you cannot succeed in any but the most superficial sense of the word.” - Warren Bennis


Personal Leadership Effectiveness (PLE) is the skill of leading or governing oneself to their full potential and desired level of success, through greater understanding and management of their:


PLE

Behavioral Traits

Nature / Nurture

Default Mode

Character Competencies

Shaped by Life Events

Personal Decisions

Can be intentionally

developed

Behavioral Traits Influence:

Communication Styles

Work Preferences

Motivations

Fears

Likes

Dislikes



The ‘rate

of motion’

trait

The ‘people

communication’

trait

Dominance Extroversion

Conformity Patience

You will notice… self-confidence, decisiveness, a

desire to lead, and risk-taking.

You will notice… enthusiasm, charm, sociability, relational

skills, persuasiveness, and

expressions of emotion.

You will notice… cautiousness, an

emphasis on detail and precision,

restraint, perfectionism, and

factuality.

You will notice… fortitude, a methodical

approach, a team player, and concern for team members.

Positive Attitude

Integrated Life

Change Adaptive

•Vision

•Mission

•Values

Ideal

Self

•Self-

Awareness

•Feedback

Real Self

•Leverage

Strengths

•Develop

Weaknesses

Make a

Plan

•Experiment

•Fail

Forward

Practice

New

Skills


In the context of: Trusting and Encouraging Relationships

Turnover costs organizations 1.5 – 2.5x salary.

Disengaged Employees (25%-55%)

Managers influence 15 out of 20 engagement variables

> 25% of managers time is spent dealing with conflict

77% working adults emulate behavior of their supervisors.

“Project Oxygen” Be a good coach.

Empower your team, and do not micromanage.

Express interest in team members’ personal success and well-being.

Don’t be shy; be productive and results-oriented.

Communicate and listen to your team.

Help your employees with career development.

Express a clear vision and strategy for the team.

Demonstrate technical skills so you can help advise the team.


“Most organizations make decisions about their people’s talents and how those people are organized with far less

rigor, logic and distinctiveness than their decisions about other resources, like money and technology.”

(Boudreau and Ramstad)


•Improve

Competencies

•Team Interaction

•Team Performance

•Feedback

•Resolve Issues

•Optimize

Performance

•Competency/ Skills

•Project Interest

•Negotiation

•Staff Assignments

•Roles & Skills

•Training Needs

•Team Building

Strategy

HR Plan Acquire

Team

Develop

Team

Manage

Team


Developing effective project teams is the responsibility of the Project Manager.

Can you identify individual and team development

needs?

Can you identify individual and team strengths?

Do you leverage the strengths of other team members to mentor and coach others?

Have you established individual and team development plans that will impact performance and productivity of the project team?




0

1

2

3

4

5

M A X I M I Z E R S

Team Development Areas

Is your training and development strategy focused and targeted on the areas of greatest need?

Project Managers are to foster teamwork and integrate the efforts of team members to create high-performance teams. This includes:

Tracking team member performance

Observing team behavior

Providing recognition and feedback

Managing conflict and resolving issues

Optimizing project team performance




Improve the predictability of your hiring decisions Alignment with needs of the project role

Alignment with the culture of the organization

Alignment with the project team



Employee 1

Employee 2

From the Recruitment and Development Report we get more insight into the person we are considering for a particular role on the project.

This person is obsessed with doing things right. That means that John relies on, and complies

with, rules and regulations, policies and procedures, and respected authorities.

John tends to be a perfectionist, a person who may even be compulsive about being organized

and taking care of every detail. For John everything has a place, and everything must be in its place, unless it is being used.

This person tends to take one step at a time. John likes to list and schedule events and activities

and check them off when they are completed so that there is a sense of progress and evidence of accomplishment at the end of the day.

This person wants to be right, hates to be wrong, hates to be embarrassed. Sometimes John

may not take action for fear of being wrong or for fear that asking for help might lead to

embarrassment. Those situations can be very stressful for John.

John probably looks to others for leadership, preferring to support respected leadership rather

than to be solely in charge. But, John is very responsible for carrying out work assignments, as long as the goal is clearly defined and the instructions are thorough and fully understood.



The Recruitment Report provides key interview questions for each

individual based on their assessment results.

Organizational

High Performing Culture

Improved Recruitment Practices

Greater Productivity

Effective Team Work

Increased Retention

Enhanced Morale

Improved Employee Engagement

Personal

Self Awareness

Personal Responsibility

Self Discipline

Values Clarification

Better Relationships

Improved Communication

Personal Achievement

Personal Significance

Greater Sense of Purpose


Become intentional about your personal development

Be a courageous champion for a healthy culture

Help others to develop and grow

Invite us in to talk to your team

Review the MERIT Profile Guide http://issuu.com/continuityconsulting

Consider taking a MERIT Profile http://continuityconsulting.com/store.htm


http://issuu.com/continuityconsulting

http://continuityconsulting.com/store.htm


Success in leadership, success in business, and

success in life has been, is now, and will continue to be

a function of how well people work and play together.”

(Kouzes and Posner)

For Additional Information Contact: Keith Aldrich

President

Continuity Consulting, Inc.

[email protected]

916-458-5151

www.continuityconsulting.com

mailto:[email protected]

http://www.continuityconsulting.com/

Documents

Developing a High Performance Project Culture