Oct 20, 2011
Print this post
Cultural Barriers to Successful Projects
Here are three mindsets that create non-productive project cultures. They reduce the probability of implementing change successfully and of your project really changing anything. I’ve seen them in different countries around the world, across national boundaries (though some regions tend to exhibit one or more to greater degrees).
- Harmony Above All
- I’m the Boss
- Short-Term Grab
1. Harmony Above All. This mindset shuns conflict (and project truths). Harmony above all denies problems, preferring to report that everything is possible, everything is going great on a project and that everyone is happy. It stems from a belief that pleasing the project manager is dependent on words and deference, rather than results.
2. I’m the Boss. This mindset breeds conflict. It uses any interaction as a mechanism to assert one person’s control over the other. I’m the boss focuses excessively on interpersonal issues and a project’s politics. Truth and project metrics are used subjectively to illustrate the reporter’s point of view. It stems from a belief that a person’s relative position is more important than results and that the highest reward is to be in a good position relative to other people.
3. Short-Term Grab. This mindset is opportunistic and scheming. Participation in a project is viewed as a means to fulfill a short-term need. People take actions to fulfill those needs, regardless of their impact on the project. Interactions are used to attain those needs or position one’s self (or someone else) to attain those needs. It stems from a paucity of opportunities over the long term and an inability to forecast a consistent path to basic-needs fulfillment with any degree of certainty past today or tomorrow.
Creating Change.
These mindsets distort a project away from results. They share a common feature in that failure is viewed as bad and that a project’s result is secondary to the opportunities presented by simply being involved in a project. Only in a culture where failure is acceptable can change succeed. You can strip these mindsets of their power by rigorously focusing rewards on results and accepting failed outcomes (make sure to communicate the consequences of failure to your team, namely, that it’s a learning experience and not the end of their opportunities –of course, these needs to be handled delicately to reduce moral hazard).
