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