Team Dynamics and Successful Interactions

Team Dynamics and Successful Interactions

The organization functions of the project managers job extend well beyond developing the team, allocating resources, estimating costs, and providing documentation. The project manager also needs to set up the elements for facilitating team dynamicsin other words, making it all work. This includes setting up a project office, holding regular meetings, making presentations, and using people skills to encourage team members to reach the project goal.

Set Up the Project Office

Since his project is comparatively large and has high visibility, Perry sets up a project office. Despite employing a Web site and other computer technologies for communications, hell need a central location to manage the efforts.

Perrys ideal office has telephones, fax, and other communications equipment, as well as storage space for hard-copy forms, the history files, and the project library. Since the project office will also be a meeting place for team members, it has cubicles for working and conference rooms to hold meetings, training sessions, and other project-related activities. There is equipment such as easel stands, overhead projector with extra bulbs, screen, whiteboards, and tables with a sufficient number of chairs. In addition, the project office has tape, writing instruments, paper, viewfoils, sticky notes, paper clips, easel pads, and the like.

While this all sounds like common sense, the reality is that many projects, even those with a project office, lack such simple resources. Some advance planning in this regard can make managing the project much smoother.

Often overlooked, too, is the realization that the project office is a communications center. It is like a computer network control center where all information flows in and out. In this communications center is a very important tool, called a visibility wall or visibility room. This wall or room is where all project documentation is showcased. Perry puts on the walls of his visibility room his bar charts, maps, minutes of key meetings, network diagrams, organization charts, photographs (e.g., recognition awards), process flows, responsibility matrices, statements of work, technical drawings, and work breakdown structures. Essentially, what goes on the walls depends on what Perry deems important for everyone to see.

When setting up a visibility room, Perry remembers the following points.

Plan in advance. On a sheet of paper, Perry draws a picture of what goes on which wall. This prevents rework and reduces costs, especially if he is using high-quality graphics.

Keep the walls current. This way people have a reason to review the walls. The walls serve no purpose if no one looks at them.

Use the walls. Perry will hold meetings in the room and refer to the items posted; his actions enforce the importance of the information on the walls.

Conduct Meetings

There will be meetings frequently, and they will consume a large percentage of everyones time. These meetings are usually one of three basic types: checkpoint reviews, status reviews, and staff meetings. In addition, there are occasional ad hoc meetings.

The checkpoint review is held at specific points in time, usually after a red-letter day or significant event (e.g., completion of a major milestone). Its purpose is to determine what has been done and decide whether to proceed or cancel the project. Exhibit 14-1 is an agenda from one of Perrys checkpoint reviews.

The purpose of the status review is to collect information to determine progress in satisfying cost, schedule, and quality criteria. The status review is held regularly (e.g., weekly or biweekly). Exhibit 14-2 is an agenda from one of Perrys status reviews.

Like the status review, the staff meeting is held regularly. All team members receive information from the project manager and share additional data and insights. Exhibit 14-3 is an agenda from one of Perrys staff meetings.

The ad hoc meeting is held irregularly, often spontaneously by team members. The idea is to resolve an issue or communicate information. Exhibit 14-4 is an agenda from one of the Smythe Projects many ad hoc meetings.

Whether conducting a staff meeting, status review, checkpoint review, or ad hoc meeting, Perry applies five rules to ensure efficient and effective meetings.

Exhibit 14-1 Checkpoint review agenda.

Exhibit 14-2 Status review agenda.

Exhibit 14-3 Staff meeting agenda.

Prepare an agenda. He will follow an agenda like the ones in Exhibits 14-1 through 14-4. An agenda is a logical listing of topics to cover. It keeps the meeting focused and ensures that it is productive.

Announce the meeting. He notifies attendees about the meeting in advance. Even if it is an ad hoc meeting, he informs people about the purpose of the meeting.

Be prepared. He comes with the right supplies, equipment, and copies of documents to distribute. This way theres no last-minute searches for equipment or extra copies.

Encourage participation. He gives everyone the opportunity to contribute, but avoids letting anyone dominate the meeting. He makes sure the meeting doesnt become a platform for someones pontification, including himself.

Take notes and distribute the minutes afterwards. By taking notes and converting them into minutes, he communicates the importance of the meeting and increases the likelihood of people honoring their commitments.

Give Effective Presentations

Perry and his team will be giving presentations, either among themselves, to senior management, or to the customer. These presentations require more than standing in front of people and talking. They involve communicating.

Exhibit 14-4 Ad hoc meeting agenda.

Perry will likely have to give three fundamental types of presentations. The first is a presentation to persuade. He will, for example, probably have to convince senior management to provide more resources. The second type of presentation is to inform. He will probably have to communicate information, for example, to senior managers about cost and schedule performance. And the third type is to explain. For example, he might have to instruct people on project management tools and techniques.

Of course, team members will likely have to give the same types of presentations. Whether you are a project manager or team member, as a presenter you must follow six fundamental steps:

Know yourself and the audience. Find out about the audience to ascertain your commonalities and differences. You can get useful information, for example, by interviewing people who know audience members. Follow up by making a list of what you share and dont share with the audience. This knowledge will prove useful in preparing the presentation.

Perceive your audience and how it perceives you. Look at ways to influence the audience to see you in a favorable light. This will make it easier to communicate your message. You can win the audience over, for example, by expressing values or experiences you share with its members.

Determine the type and structure of the presentation. Answer all the who, what, when, where, and why questions pertaining to your topic. Determine if your presentation is meant to inform, persuade, or explain. Then formulate your overall strategy to achieve the goal of your presentation, and your tactics for executing that strategy.

Develop the material. Build your presentation. Determine the content and logically arrange it. For example, you can arrange topics chronologically or by level of importance. Also incorporate visual aids, statistics, and other materials.

Rehearse. Practice as if you were actually giving the presentationdo a dry run. Try to improve your delivery. This is also the time to become familiar with the location for the presentationroom size, lighting, sound equipment, and so on. Rehearse there, if you can.

Deliver the presentation. You have polished your delivery, eliminated any poorly designed visual aids and distracting mannerisms (e.g., pacing about with your hands in your pockets or playing with pocket change). You should encourage and be prepared to answer questions. You might elicit questions from a reluctant audience by asking a question yourself.

Apply Interpersonal Skills

Interpersonal skills, also called people skills, play an integral part in the success of every project. Whatever gets accomplished is done by people and their interactions, so interpersonal skills can seriously impact results.

Interpersonal relations embrace three primary skills: being an active listener, reading people, and dealing with conflicts effectively.

Being an Active Listener

One of the best communication tools a project manager can have is active listening. It means listening genuinely to what the speaker is sayingin short, focusing on what is said and how it is said.

Active listeners:

Avoid interrupting the person except to clarify a point.

Give listening cues (e.g., nod the head or use an expression) to indicate involvement in the conversation.

Are not preoccupied with something else during the conversation (e.g., working on documentation while the other person talks).

Do not change the topic abruptly during the conversation.

Do not daydream while the other person talks.

Pay as much attention to body language as to the oral message.

Remove all distractions (e.g., radio playing in the background).

The key is to be active, not passive, by becoming fully engaged in what is being said.

Reading People

It would be nice to know the true motives of people; however, that is impossible, since many people are not open and honest. Project managers, therefore, must identify the real issues and motivations of people.

Fortunately, there are tools to help project managers understand the motivations of people. Unfortunately, these tools do not always work, owing to the vagaries of human nature. Still, many project managers find them useful.

One tool is the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator for personality preferences. This identifies personality types based on a combination of four preferences: extrovert (outward) versus introvert (inward), sensing (actual) versus intuitive (sixth sense), thinking (structuring information) versus feeling (personal), and judging (organized) versus perceiving (spontaneous). These categories are useful, but require a good understanding of the preferences.

This approach does not specify which personality is better or worse or which one is good or bad. It states only that people have a preference that is reflected in the way they deal with reality, their environment, and their relationships. An excellent resource for using this indicator is Please Understand Me: Character and Temperament Types, by David Keirsey and Marilyn Bates.

Another popular tool is Abraham Maslows hierarchy of needs, described in Chapter 4. This model is easier to use, since it identifies peoples needs according to hierarchical order: physiological (food), safety (shelter), social (acceptance), esteem (sense of importance), and self-actualization (becoming). The satisfaction, or lack of earlier needs, dictates the motivations of people.

Another popular, though less widespread, personality tool is Robert

Boltons social style matrix. Bolton divides social styles and personal expectations into two dimensions: assertiveness and responsiveness. Assertiveness is the energy or effort individuals invest in influencing others. Responsiveness is the energy or effort individuals invest in controlling their emotions when dealing with other people. The combination of assertiveness and responsiveness creates social stereotypes: analytical (logical), driver (determined), amiable (diplomatic), and expressive (spontaneous). Boltons topology does not say which social style is better or worse, or which one is good or bad. It simply states that people have to deal with life in general and social environments in particular. For more information, see Social Style/Management Style by Robert and Dorothy Bolton.

There are, of course, a plethora of theories about people and how to understand them, from Sigmund Freud and Carl Jung to B. F. Skinner and Frederick Herzberg. The key is to find a model or tool that works best for you, then apply it in your own circumstances.

An interesting and often reliable side concept about people is their body language. According to motivational experts, our body language reveals more about us than what we say. Some experts estimate that body language makes up 70 to 90 percent of a conversation. This means you need to pay attention to facial expressions, body movements, posture, and eye movements. A mastery of the art of reading body language can help the project manager discern whether people are truly committed to the project or providing honest status information.

There are two caveats about relying on body language. The first is to look at body language in totalitythat is, avoid relying on one body movement alone. The other is that cultural differences can mislead in the interpretation of true motivations. In some cultures, for instance, it is acceptable behavior to stand closer together or to maintain eye contact while in others it is not. A misinterpretation can result in real problems. Perry keeps this thought in mind, since the Smythe wedding will occur in Italy; body language in Italy can have entirely different meanings from that in the United States.

Deal With Conflict Effectively

Conflict is a way of life and it can surface anytime during the project cycle. Conflict can arise over sharing people, equipment, supplies, or money; over goals and specifications; between personalities; over differences of opinion; and even over power.

The potential for conflict is highest, however, at the beginning, when a project manager competes for resources or when difficulties arise over contractual requirements. And conflict at the beginning can lead to even more difficulties later if it is not addressed properly. The potential for conflict is high, too, at the end of the cycle, when participants face schedule pressures. Conflict in and of itself is not bad. It can alert project managers to problems that must be addressed. The challenge is to manage the conflict in a manner that leads to project success rather than failure.

Project managers, like all people, deal with conflict differently. Some project managers avoid it, letting it smolder. Some project managers give up every time a conflict surfaces. Other project managers deny that conflict exists at all. And some masterfully blame others. These are all defense mechanisms. Nevertheless, they do not deal with the conflict. All these mechanisms manage to do is avoid conflict or push it into the background.

The question, then, is how to deal with conflict constructively. Since it really centers on people, it makes sense to view conflict as primarily a people issue. Perry takes several actions to respond to conflict.

He diffuses the charged emotion within himself. If he has to, he will do something as simple as count to ten before doing anything.

He diffuses the charged emotions in other people. He will calm down people by calling for a cooling-off period, especially when emotions run high.

He identifies the facts of the situation to determine the cause of the conflict. He avoids comments that can be viewed as taking sides or being accusational.

He applies active listening. He listens for the facts to acquire an objective assessment of the situation. Active listening helps to avoid being pulled into the conflict.

He acknowledges any anger that may be present, while focusing on the merits of the conflict. If anger is justified, he acknowledges it.

He keeps everyone focused on the cause of the conflict. He avoids the tendency to blame someone or to rationalize it away.

He keeps the big picture in focus. He asks himself what the best way is to resolve the conflict so as to achieve the project goal.

He sets a plan for resolving the conflict. He also remains objective.

He seeks participation in the resolution. Unless an impasse occurs, he lets the people decide on a mutually agreeable solution. That builds bridges and commitment to the solution.

He encourages a win-win solution, not a win-lose or lose-lose. With a win-win solution, emotions will subside and there will be little or no room for bitterness.

Getting Teamwork to Work

How people on a team interact can influence the results of a project. Setting up an adequate project office contributes to effective teamwork in any project-oriented team. In addition, good communication and interpersonal skills, and effective use of conflict management techniques can go a long way toward producing positive results for a project. Perry realizes, however, that the responsibility lies with everyone to exercise positive team dynamics throughout the life of the project.

Questions for Getting Started

If setting up a project office, did you:

Develop a layout?

Determine the contents?

Determine the location?

Determine who will work there?

Determine the necessary equipment and supplies?

If setting up a visibility wall or room, did you:

Develop a layout?

Determine the contents?

Determine its purpose?

If holding checkpoint review meetings, did you:

Decide to have agendas?

Determine the locations?

Determine how to notify attendees?

Decide to have minutes taken?

Determine the necessary equipment and supplies?

Make an effort to get everyones participation?

Determine length of the meetings?

If holding status review meetings, did you:

Decide to have agendas?

Determine the locations?

Determine how to notify attendees?

Decide to have minutes taken?

Determine the necessary equipment and supplies?

Make an effort to get everyones participation?

Determine length of the meetings?

If holding staff meetings, did you:

Decide to have agendas?

Determine the locations?

Determine how to notify attendees?

Decide to have minutes taken?

Determine the necessary equipment and supplies?

Make an effort to get everyones participation?

Determine length of the meetings?

If holding ad hoc meetings, did you:

Decide to have agendas?

Determine the locations?

Determine how to notify attendees?

Decide to have minutes taken?

Determine the necessary equipment and supplies?

Make an effort to get everyones participation?

Determine length of the meetings?

If giving presentations, did you:

Determine the types to give?

Determine your audience?

Recognize the key perceptions?

Prepare the logical structure?

Develop clean, meaningful material?

Rehearse?

Give a successful delivery?

Are you an active listener?

Can you read people? Do you need a way to do that? What is that way?

How well do you deal with conflict? What approach do you take to deal with it? On an individual basis? On a team basis?