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TRAINING PROJECT MANAGERS- -
THE CHALLENGE TODAY
Advanced Management Institute
MOTIVATING PROJECT MANAGERS
Project managers are faced with
a delightful dilemma in today's boom market—there is more work
than many firms can take on, but everyone's stasis pushed to the
limit to keep up with the demand. Project Managers are at ground
zero of this boom, handling tremendous pressure on a daily basis.
So how do we keep them motivated, and help them motivate those working
for them? The Advanced Management Institute (AMI) talked with Dr.
Susan L. Harris, who coordinates our Leadership classes, to gain
some insight.
THE CHALLENGE TODAY
Not only is there more work in the
current economy, but today's projects are extraordinarily complex.
Large numbers of people are involved in these projects, bow in-firm
and on the part of subconsultants, clients, community groups, and
public agencies. When problems surface during a project, particularly
the difficult, people related ones, they are laid at the door of
the project manager.
On the up-side, project managers enjoy
the challenge of having full ownership of the process and the outcome
of the project. Steering a complex project through the design (or
design-build) process and coming out with a satisfying design and
workable solution is immensely gratifying. PM's enjoy the privilege
in their communities of having a hand in shaping land use, infrastructure,
working environments, and people's homes.
The down-side of being a project manager
is the fear and stress associated with being accountable for myriad
factors that are beyond control. Anything from a few hours of network
downtime to a rowdy public hearing can throw a project off, and
the list of things that could go wrong often seems longer than the
list that could go right.
With a wide variety of tasks and responsibilities
involved in project management, there will always be a significant
part of the job that every project manager won't like doing, regardless
of their preferences. Some project managers will enjoy getting in
with the IS department and sorting out the network crash. Others
will take the floor at the public meeting and explain the project
with understanding. But these are not likely to be the same person.
On top of these challenges is the extra
crunch put on project managers' motivation by the boom cycle. "Design
firms are always cautious about hiring new staff, and this reluctance
in the current market can result in overworked staff," notes
Susan Harris. "We also face a talent-poor market, with few
new hires available except fresh, but inexperienced, new graduates.
The project manager ends up trying to motivate overworked and inexperienced
staff, under the constant pressure of more work coming up over the
horizon."
How, then, do we understand what each
project manager is capable of, and help them make the best of their
staff and resources?
IMPORTANCE OF PERSONALITY AND STYLE DIFFERENCES
Project managers come in a wide variety
of personality types, and it is important to acknowledge the differences
between them. Project managers can vary widely in background and
skills, with some having a more technical orientation, while others
prefer using their management and people skills.
Project managers who are motivated
primarily by management enjoy action and results, implementing systems,
and the relationships involved in a project. Those who are motivated
more by the embodiment of the design thrive on ideas, meaning, and
creative self-expression.
When assigning project managers it
is necessary to consider who is most appropriate for a given project:
is this person the best one for this client, this project, this
team? Will this project manager find this project a motivation or
a burden?
THE "HIERARCHY OF NEEDS"
Despite the differences in personality
and style, we can use Abraham Maslow's well known "Hierarchy
of Needs" (see side bar) to understand some basic commonalities
between people. Susan Harris, who uses the Maslow Hierarchy as a
tool for understanding, explains that, "most people in the
project management environment are beyond the first two levels of
need, survival and safety.
"A new person may be working primarily
at the third level of need, love and belonging. Whether this person
is newly a project manager or new to the firm a lot of reassurance
is needed to convey that he/she is becoming part of the team. Project
managers can benefit from awareness of this same issue in dealing
with their new team members, so that encouragement is passed down
the line."
Most commonly, however, the heart of
the motivation matter for a project manager will be either level
~ esteem and recognition, or level 5-self-actualization. So how
do we ensure that project managers are esteem and recognized, and
that they have opportunities for self-actualization?
MASLOW'S HIERARCHY OF NEEDS"
Abraham Maslow (1954) attempted
to synthesize a large body of research related to human motivation
by relating the various aspects of biology, achievement and power
to each other. Prior to Maslow, researchers generally focused on
these factors as discrete explanations of human behavior.
[1] PHYSIOLOGICAL NEEDS.
These needs are biological and consist
of the needs for oxygen, food, water, and a relatively constant body
temperature. These needs are the strongest because if deprived, the
Person would die.
[2] SAFETY NEEDS.
People need to live and work in safe
environments, and feel a sense of personal safety in society and daily
life.
[3] LOVE, AFFECTION AND BELONGING
NEEDS.
People have needs to escape feelings
of loneliness and alienation and give (and receive) love, affection
and the sense of belonging.
[4] ESTEEM NEEDS.
People need a stable, firmly based, high
level of self-respect, and respect from others in order to feel satisfied,
self-confident and valuable.
[5] SELF-ACTUALIZATION NEEDS.
Maslow describes self-actualization as
a person's need to be and do that which the person was born to do.
"A musician must make music, an artist must paint, and a poet
must write."
METHODS OF SUPPORT AND MOTIVATION
If we accept the commonalities outlined
by Maslow's Hierarchy, the following ideas for supporting project
manager motivation suggest themselves:
- A strong initial and ongoing relationship with
the principal-in-charge of the project. The principal should supply
the feedback and support that nurture the project manager's personal
professional growth. This may be the single most important means
of motivating project mangers; it encompasses accessibility, communication,
coaching, support and partnership.
- Consideration of project selection for each project
manager, so that the project's potential to provide esteem or
self-actualization is explored and revealed.
- Encouragement for the project manager in requesting
needed support, and responsiveness to his/her requests.
- Opportunities to share experiences, ideas, and
solutions with the project manager's peers.
- Openness to and support for rest and renewal
opportunities for the project manager whenever they arise, clearly
linked to the project manager's valued contribution.
- Though not a primary motivator, appropriate financial
rewards are an essential foundation in today's environment. These
not only support the project manager in developing a quality personal
life, but provide implicit recognition of his/her work's value.
Motivating project managers is a tough
challenge in today's busy design firms; project managers are often
overworked and stressed. But a strong relationship with the principal-in-charge,
an atmosphere of encouragement and consideration of abilities and
needs can provide the essential motivation a project manger needs.
As Susan Harris has pointed out, good leadership skills are essential
for the principal-in-charge in order to create this atmosphere.
The Advanced Management Institute
for Architecture and Engineering can be contacted at
568 Howard
Street- Fourth Floor, San Francisco, CA 94105-3008,
(415) 512-0360 and email (acrainAMI@ aol.com).
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