Where did we go wrong
- 1. Where did we go wrong? The role culture plays in managing successful projects in complex organizations
- 2. About the Presenter Kevin Feenan CEO of Knomaze Corporation. • Over 25 years experience in IM/IT • MBA from University of Toronto • Doctorate in Organizational Design and Leadership with the University of Phoenix (ABD) • Sr. PM @ Agriculture and Agri-Foods Canada
- 3. Organizational Complexity • Five Generic Organizational Structures • Simple • Machine Bureaucracy • Professional • Divisionalised • Adhocracy
- 4. Conflicting • Divisional forms of organization are common place however • Adhocracy based teams develop when projects span control boundaries
- 5. Dimensions of Culture • Consistency • Pragmatism • Individualism • Group Orientation • Competing • Partnership • People Centrality • Result Centrality • Ration • Inspirational • Egalitarian • Hierarchical • Internal Drive • Responsiveness • Stable Continuity • Dynamic Change • Long-term • Short-term
- 6. Cultural Hotspots PM span of control PM is pulled from is lateral, not vertical the mid-line of one primary branch You’re not my boss
- 7. Cultural Hotspots Ineffective / blocked communications That decision is above my pay-grade
- 8. Cultural Hotspots Weak strategic planning across branches / teams Not my responsibility
- 9. Cultural Hotspots Lack of strategic direction When did this happen?
- 10. Cultural Hotspots • Language Training • Retirement • Lateral Moves • Promotion • Consultant Turnover
- 11. Cultural Hotspots Branch / Team Assignments Project Responsibilities Was told to go do something else
- 12. Cultural Hotspots Failure to leverage knowledge assets Nobody asked me
- 13. Cultural Hotspots Failure to retain knowledge assets What do you mean she’s gone?
- 14. Cultural Hotspots Inability to learn from past mistakes or consider lessons learned Its not a risk, we still have time to fix it.
- 15. What is really happening? Structural Political • Pragmatic • Results Centric • Rational • Hierarchical • Competing • Internally Driven Human Res. Symbolic • Individualism • Dynamic Change • Short-term
- 16. What should be happening? Structural Political • Consistency • People Centric • Inspirational • Egalitarian • Partnership • Responsiveness Human Res. Symbolic • Group Orientation • Stable Continuity • Long-term
- 17. Typical Management Response • Reorganize • Rebrand • Reassign • Re-scope • Redefine • Revoke
- 18. Successful projects begin with healthy and stable cultures
- 19. Alternative Approaches • Build cultural elements into the strategic plan of the organization • Get to know the culture both horizontally and vertically • Remove cultural barriers • Celebrate mistakes • Identify knowledge assets
- 20. Auditing & Control • Stakeholder analysis should drive the project structure and governance • Establish metrics for cultural engagement • Ensure there is at least one senior knowledge asset in control of the project at all times • Include a cultural component to contingency estimates.
- 21. About the Company Knomaze Corporation • Incorporated 1997 • Client References: Bell Canada, Bell Mobility, Xerox, EDS, AAFC • Projects $2-25M • ktfeenan@knomaze.com • 613 276 1911
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