LEADERSHIP IN THE PROJECT ENVIRONMENT

1. LEADERSHIP IN THE PROJECT ENVIRONMENT Terri Pomfret, PMP, D.M. March 8, 2010

2. Project Success PM Methods Leadership

3. Background • Project Environment • Leadership • Research and Findings • Recommendations

4. Background What does the term “project environment” mean?

5. 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

7. What is “leadership”?

8. Emotional Intelligence Situational Leadership: • Lots of Leadership Models! • Leaders stimulates others to follow • No guarantee a leader is heading in the ‘right’ direction Trait Servant Transformational Charismatic Transactional Characters Authoritarian

9. Project Success PM Methods Leadership

10. Research Despite the wide spread application of project management methodologies an alarming number of projects fail to achieve expected outcomes. (Chabursky, 2005; Ivor & Alderman, 2005; Kanter & Walsh, 2004; Matta & Ashkenas, 2003)

11. Research Determine if arelationship exists between the leadership practices used by project managers and project managers’ performance.

12. Population and Sample • 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

13. Dependent Variable: Project Performance 1 = 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

14. Independent Variable: Leadership Practices • Vision • Motivation • Communication • Team Ethos • Trust/Accountability • Versatility • Problem Solving/Decision Making • Tolerance for Ambiguity and Risk

15. Leadership Practices Inventory PM Leadership Themes 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

16. Independent Variable: Leadership Practices 1 = 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

17. Research Hypotheses Leadership Practices: 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. Performance:

18. Data • 44 project managers participated in the research • Leadership practices data was collected from project managers’ cross-functional team members

19. Performance Data

20. Findings

21. 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

22. Inspiring a shared vision encourages leaders to passionately envision and communicate a future that followers believe and embrace. (Kouzes & Posner, 2002). Vision, Motivation, Communication

23. 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

24. Modeling the way callson 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

25. Encouraging the heart isreliant on the premise that leaders create a sense of collective purpose by linking reward to performance. (Kouzes & Posner, 2002). Vision, Motivation, Communication

26. Implications Leadership Practices Project Performance Challenging the process Inspiring a shared vision Enabling others to act Modeling the way Encouraging the heart

27. Recommendations • Replicate the study using a sample of project managers with significantly greater differences in project performance. • Build a ‘new’ model of project management leadership based on PM Leadership themes and/or qualitative inquiry. • Create new instrument based on PM Leadership themes to study leadership in relationship to project performance.

28. Leadership Focus Group Recommendations 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.

29. Leadership Focus Group Recommendations Objectives • Create a collaborative environment where members and other stakeholder can exchange ideas, lessons learned that focus on leadership development. • Identify and conduct research that advances the understanding of project/program related leadership. • Develop innovative leadership models that are specific to the project/program management environment. • Promote leadership skill development as a means to improve project/program excellence.