We talk about organizational culture a lot. We recognize that there are ways of working that are unique to individual organizations. That we need to learn those ways, and to understand “how things are done here.” We learn—sometimes the hard way—that we need to respect culture as we manage change. But what, exactly, is culture?…
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Ask virtually anyone in the field of project management about the role of project sponsor, and they’ll tell you the role is vital to project success. Ask them what that role actually does, however, and you’ll get an astonishing array of answers. Ask them for great examples of project sponsorship and—sadly—you’ll like come up empty-handed….
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As we become better at managing people, and especially when managing change, a question arises: Are we manipulating people? A simple, honest and immediate answer is “Yes! Management is about manipulating people to get the results we want.” If that answer raises hairs on the back of your neck, it’s because ‘being manipulated’ carries with…
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For those that have in any way spent time with me, they know that my favourite answer to most questions is, “It depends.” Particularly if you’ve seen my speak, attended a workshop or have experienced me in consulting mode, you’ll have quickly realized that I utter that phrase more than any other. What that quickly…
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This is our sixth annual ‘Book Review’ webinar as we begin the year. Peter and Mark are both presenting. As before, we will take a read on the year that has passed, discussing the best business books we have each read this year. These may live between the covers of our normal themes of project…
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Change models serve a critical function when thinking about change: They help us avoid false assumptions, and validate concepts that we suspect are true. And yet? There’s a gap between the ideas within the models and how exactly we bring those ideas to the specific change initiative we’re facing. In this webinar – Peter will…
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Projects are about how organizations deliver change. The quality of our project management practices fundamentally shapes our ability to manage change successfully. The challenge is that not all practices work for all organizations. The idea of “best practices” is appealing, but at the same time it is impractical and inappropriate. Building project management approaches that…
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“Why?” Answer that, and you explain everything. It’s a simple question to ask. It’s also an incredibly difficult and challenging one to answer. It’s particularly difficult to answer honestly, in that we are frequently forced to challenge uncomfortable truths that we would prefer to leave unaddressed. At the same time, not confronting the question frequently…
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Process is an essential dimension of project management. Its the essence of our standards. It’s the basis of how we think about building organizational capabilities. An essential belief underlying project management maturity is that better process leads to better results. And yet, the way process is implemented is often… less than optimal. That’s why project…
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“Fake it until you make it.” So the saying goes, and so goes so much management wisdom. From some perspectives, this would seem like a viable strategy. Current insights into leadership development suggest that we act ourselves into new ways of thinking, and not the other way around. That we learn by doing. That means…
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