1st Edition

Making Projects Work Effective Stakeholder and Communication Management

By Lynda Bourne Copyright 2015
    260 Pages 24 B/W Illustrations
    by Auerbach Publications

    260 Pages 24 B/W Illustrations
    by Auerbach Publications

    Projects are performed by people for people, with the key determinants of success being the relationships between project teams and project stakeholders. This web of relationships will either enable or obstruct the flow of information between people and, as a consequence, will largely determine project success or failure.

    Making Projects Work: Effective Stakeholder and Communication Management provides a framework for understanding and managing the factors required for achieving successful project and program outcomes. It presents guidelines to help readers develop an understanding of governance and its connection to strategy as the starting point for deciding what work needs to be done.

    • Introduces the idea of an organization’s communication ecosystem where information flows freely within and among all organizational layers
    • Explores the importance of the relationships with the project’s stakeholder community as keys to project success
    • Describes the theoretical underpinnings of leadership
    • Provides detailed analysis of the different types of project stakeholders
    • Supplies guidance on developing the appropriate messages to meet project and stakeholder needs

    The book describes how to craft appropriate communication strategies for developing and maintaining successful relationships with stakeholders. It highlights the strengths and weaknesses of existing project controls and outlines effective communication techniques for managing expectations and acquiring the support required to deliver successful projects on time and under budget.

    Making Projects Work
    Introduction
    The Communication Ecosystem
    Definitions
    Governance
         Strategic Management of Projects (Project Governance)
    What Should the Boundaries of the Project Be?
    Communication Influences Project Outcomes
    The Reality Check
         The Project Manager as Superhero: Represents the Hero Component of Project Management Culture
         The Schedule and the Gantt Chart Are Truth: Represents the Symbol Component of Project Management Culture
         Project Reports Are Clear Representations of Project Progress: Represents the Rituals Component of Project Management Culture
         Operating within the Power Relationships of the Organization Is Manipulation: Represents the Value Component of Project Management Culture
         Risk Management Is a Rational Process: Represents the Value Component of Project Management Culture
    Conclusion

    Stakeholders and Organizational Value
    Introduction
    What Is a Stakeholder?
         A Stakeholder Has a Stake
         Interest
         Rights
         Ownership
         Contribution of Knowledge (or Experience)
         Contribution of Support
    Stakeholder Engagement
         Implications for Successful Stakeholder Engagement in Projects
    Expectations
         Asking
         Research
         Surveys
    Stakeholder Theory
         Approaches to Stakeholder Relationships
         Dimension 1: Political Perspectives of Stakeholders
         Dimension 2: Purpose and Objectives of Considering Stakeholders
         Dimension 3: Value of Considering Stakeholders
         Dimension 4: Consideration of the Stakeholder Intervention level
         Dimension 5: Consideration of the Degree of Stakeholder Enforcement
    Organization Activities and Stakeholder Communities
         How Many Stakeholders?
    Analyzing the Stakeholder Community with the Stakeholder Circle
         Managing Stakeholder Relationships
         Step 1: Identify
         Step 2: Prioritize: How to Understand Who Is Important
              Power
              Proximity
              Urgency
              The Prioritization Process
         Step 3: Visualization: Presentation of Complex Data
         Step 4: Engage
              Application of Attitude in Organizations Today
              Examples of Engagement Profiles
         Step 5: Monitor the Effectiveness of the Communication
    The Value of Effective Stakeholder Engagement
         Zero Cost of Quality
         Value to the Organization
         On Time/On Budget Delivery
         Value to Stakeholders
         Value to the Project or the Organization
         Value to the Team
    Conclusion

    Focus on Leadership: Theories for Leading and Managing
    Introduction
    What Is a Team?
    A History of Management
         Henri Fayol: Functions of Management
         Scientific Management (Frederick Taylor)
         The Hawthorne Experiments and Their Findings
         Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs
         Herzberg’s Hygiene Theory
         McGregor’s Theory X and Theory Y
    Theories of Leadership
         The Leadership of Ernest Shackleton
         Goleman’s Leadership Styles
         Trait Theory
         Transactional Leadership
         Charismatic Leadership
         Transformational Leadership
         Situational Leadership
         Authentic Leadership
         Vroom’s Expectancy Theory and Decision Model
    Making Decisions
         Define the Problem
         The Decision-Making Process: Who Should Be Involved?
         How Can We Minimize the Effect of Personal Preference and Bias?
         Alternatives: How Do You Prioritize Alternatives?
         Reduce Uncertainty?
         Implement the Solution and Review the Effectiveness of the Implementation
    Conclusion

    Focus on Downwards: The Practicalities of Leading the Project Team
    Introduction
    Emotional Intelligence
    The Nature of Teams
    Team Formation and Construction
         Agile Teams
         The Leaders’ Role in Successful Agile Projects
         Virtual Teams
    Theories of Team Development
         Tuckman’s Model of Team Formation
              Forming
              Storming
              Norming
              Performing
              Adjourning
              How This Model Is Useful
              How Good Is This Model?
         Swift Trust
              Swift Trust Works When
    The Tool Kit of a Leader
         Motivation
              Counteracting Social Loafing
              Other Demotivators
              Delegation and Motivation
              Delegation
              The Benefits of Delegation
         Feedback
              Giving Negative Feedback
              Preparing to Give Feedback
         Managing Conflict
              Blake and Mouton’s Approach
              Interventions to Minimize Potential Conflict
              Coaching
    Conclusion

    Focus on Managing Upwards
    Introduction
    The Managers’ Dilemma
         Making the Transition to the Executive Level
         Five Levels of Leadership
    The Sponsor
         Three Important Rules for Sponsor Engagement
         Power within Organizations
         Dealing with Difficult Stakeholders
         Helping the Sponsor Help You (and Your Project)
         When the Sponsor Leaves the Project
    Managing Relations with Senior Stakeholders
         Building Trust
         Dealing with Difficult Bosses
         The Incompetent Boss
         Micromanager
         Gives Unclear Instruction, Is Disorganized
         Blames Others or Takes Undue Credit
         Acts Like a Tyrant or a "Game Player" Saying No
         Intelligent Disobedience
    Conclusion

    Focus on Sidewards and Outwards Stakeholders
    Introduction
    Sidewards and Outwards Stakeholders
         Sidewards Stakeholders
         Outwards Stakeholders
    Networks
         Definitions
         Different Types of Networks
         Degrees of Separation
         The Power of Networks
         Emotions and Networks
         Applying the Theories of Networks to Managing the Expectations of Stakeholders
         Social Media
              Using Social Media Effectively in Projects
              LinkedIn and Social Distance 
         Finding Influence Networks around the Project
         Stakeholder Community
         Traps in Building Networks
         Avoiding the Traps
    Negotiation
         What Is Negotiation?
         Four Concepts of Negotiation
              BATNA: Best Alternative to a Negotiated Agreement
              Reservation Price
              ZOPA: Zone of Possible Agreement
         Value Creation through Trade-offs
         The Negotiation Process
    Conclusion

    Culture and Other Factors that Influence Communication
    Introduction
    Perception and "Reality"
         The Role of the Brain
         The Brain Hardwires Everything It Can
         "You Create Your Own Reality"
         How Do We Know These Things?
    Personality
    Culture
         In-Group/Out-Group
    Dimensions of Culture
         Power Distance
         Individualism/Collectivism
         Masculinity/Femininity
         Uncertainty Avoidance
         Indulgent/Restrained
    Generational Culture
         Professional Culture
    Gender
         The Social Context of Gender
         Gender Stereotypes
         Gender Priming
         Workplace Discrimination
         Gender Differences
         Discourse: The Sharing of Information
         Organizational Culture
         Meetings
         Planning and Control
         Theories of Motivation
    Conclusion

    Communication
    Introduction
    Types of Stakeholder Communication
         Communication Competence
    What Is Communication?
    Aspects of Successful Communication: The Power of Words
         Metaphors
         Persuasion
    Active Listening
    Communication Essentials
         Defining the Purpose
         Understanding the Recipient of the Communication
         Monitoring Implementation and Measuring Effectiveness
    Aristotelian Communication
    Preparing for Effective Communication
         The Message: Format and Content
    In Conclusion: Putting It All Together

    References

    Index

    Biography

    Dr Lynda Bourne FAIM, FACS, PMP is a senior management consultant, professional speaker, trainer, and award-winning project manager with 30+ years’ professional industry experience. She is the CEO and managing director of Stakeholder Management Pty Ltd focusing on the delivery of stakeholder management and other project and organization related consultancy, mentoring, and training for clients worldwide. Her career has combined practical project experience with business management roles and academic research to deliver successful projects that meet stakeholders’ expectations.

    She is a member of the international faculty at EAN University, Columbia, teaching in the Masters of Project Management course. She is also visiting international professor in the master’s program at the Faculty of Exact Sciences and Innovative Technologies, Sholokhov Moscow State. The modules Lynda teaches are focused on stakeholder engagement, communication, and leadership.

    Dr Bourne is a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Management and a Fellow of the Australian Computer Society. She was awarded PMI Australia’s "Project Manager of the Year," and was included in PMI’s inaugural list of "25 Influential Women in Project Management."

    Lynda is a recognised international author, seminar leader, and speaker on the topic of stakeholder engagement and the stakeholder circle visualization tool; her book Stakeholder Relationship Management: A Maturity Model for Organisational Implementation (Gower, 2009, 2011) defines the SRMM® model for stakeholder relationship management maturity.

    She has presented at conferences and seminars in Europe, Russia, Asia, Australasia, South America, and the Middle East to audiences in the IT, construction, defence, and mining industries and has been key speaker on stakeholder engagement practices at meetings, workshops, and conferences. She edited the book Advising Upwards (Gower, 2011) containing practical advice for those seeking to influence their senior stakeholders. She presents workshops regularly in the government sector on stakeholder engagement and project governance.