Project Management

Strategic Issues
Politics, Power and Influence
Andrew Brown
EC2.15

PM Power Politics &

Influence

Further reading for this subject:

Peter Morris:

The management of projects

projects,, Thomas Telford.
Chapter 8.
8.

Peter Fewings:

Construction Project Management

Management-- An
integrated approach,
approach, Taylor and Francis:
Chapter 6

Hans Themhain et al: Influence styles of Project Managers: Some

project performance correlates. (available at:
http://www.jstor.org/view/00014273/ap010008/01a
00020/0

Problems with project

and PM performance

Revision-- where I left things several weeks ago..

Revision

PM Politics, Power and

Influence
This afternoon

Politics !!!!- Good or Bad?

The nature of project organisation and organisational strategy.

Project Management authority and the relationship with project

organisation.

The need to lead the team and pay attention to all those involved.

Good PM depends on Excellent Leadership.

Leadership.

Politics-- Good or Bad?

Politics
Discussion Question:Question:Debate these questions in small
groups.

Why might the discipline of PM be

concerned with the subject of politics?
politics?

How important is the role of politics in

effective project management?

Politics in PMPM- Good or Bad?

When the politics word is mentioned, the tendency is to think of Government and
political partiesparties- at present, these dont necessarily conjure strongly positive
reactions. Alternatively, you might associate the term with office politics.

Thinking of Politics in connection with PM, the focus is not on Government or

political affiliation or belief, or on corruption! But rather on how leaders must seek
to influence individuals and organisations and win support for their goals.

There are very strong parallels that can be drawn between, Prime Ministers (or
Presidents) and/or Military Leaders (ie. Generals etc.) and Project Managers.

For example, in a very true sense, Gordon Brown is a Project Manager..

The project he leads is immensely complex

Whether he is a good PM or a bad PM is an entirely different matter!!

In construction, the project may be less extensive and overwhelming than in a

Government scenario and the PMs sphere of influence may be drastically smaller
than that of a Prime Minister (even if both titles shorten to PM!) BUT, to be
effective, the PM must be the President, Prime Minister and Leader of their
project..

Politics in PM

When we think of politics in PM, we are concerned with the

techniques and skills that the PM must draw upon to:to:-

Influence
Motivate
Persuade
Manipulate
Drive; and

LEAD..
LEAD
..

.. all project participants (and others who can interfere with the
project) towards the successful realisation of project outcomes.
In a very real sense, an effective project manager must be a skilled
politician in terms of influence and relational skills with others.

Organisational design

We all know that the construction project depends upon a

highly specialised and differentiated set of skills and
professions.

While there is such a high degree of specialisation and

differentiation amongst project contributors, the Project
depends on all of them to do what is expected of them and in
many instances there are complex interdependencies between
project participants.

Therefore, there is a need for Project Management to allow a

project organisation to integrate all participants.

BUT, to do this, the project manager needs to be in a position

of authority in the project hierarchy.

Organisational Design

Classical organisational theory (with which you are

all familiar) provides a number of set approaches:approaches:

Functional, divisional or specialisation orientated

organisations..
(vertical, span of
control orientated)

Matrix structures.

(flat or horizontal)

Project structures..

(focused on projects, not

on corporate goals)

Organisational Structures

Matrix

Functional
Specialised or
Divisional

Project

Organisation

Problems:-Problems:
Functional: Prevents effective communication and integration
integration-essential for effective PM
Matrix: Ideal PM structure but span of control can become
impossibly large.
Conventional Procurement structures and the traditional culture
of the construction industry bring their own organisational
designs and IMPOSE them on the project meaning that the PM
may end up with little actual direct influence on the
organisational structure that is in fact used.

Organisational Design

The most typical form of organisational approach that is imposed on

projects carried out in the construction industry is that of the

seconded matrix organisation

Client

Design
team

Consultants

Staff

Directors

Directors

Main

Specialist

Contractor

Contractor

Staff

Staff

PM

Organisational Design

So, the problem that PM faces, in organisational design,

concerns the source of their authority.
Full Authority

No Authority
Functional

Matrix

Pure Project

Levels of PM Authority
Functional

Matrix

Seconded Matrix

Pure Project

0-25%

15-60%

50-90%

85-100%

Subservient

Subservient

Leadership &

Executive

or equal

Direction

Role
of
PM

Organisational Design

The level of authority afforded to the PM will play a major role in defining the
scope of their leadership.

Authority and Responsibility must correspond

The project organisation diffuses or distributes authority and plays a critical role in
either centralising (say in a Main Contractor or Architect) or decentralising
authority (to the Project and to the Project Manager).

Authority provides the power to directly instruct resources to be committed to

complete necessary activities.

The problem faced by most PMs in almost all construction project organisations is
that they are afforded relatively little formal (OR contractual OR legitimate)
authority..
authority

Therefore, the PM must be a skilled leader so that they can develop the scope of
the informal authority that they can use to motivate and build a team that can
overcome deficiencies in organisational design caused by procurement or industry
culture.

Leadership

The PM must use leadership and political skill in order to

develop an effective power base, perhaps largely dependent
on informal authority (or power), to instruct and direct the
resources needed to get the project done.

Leadership and political skill (or relational or influential skill)

are critical - so that the level of informal authority and
seniority afforded to the PM can be elevated to the status
necessary to override cultural and procurement problems so
the project can be delivered successfully.

Leadership

How important is leadership in

delivering project success?

Extent of literature on the topic.

Research undertaken by Zulu (2007)

ConclusionConclusion- Time, cost and quality performance
are significantly influenced by the quality of PM
leadership

Leadership

Leadership includes:includes:

Giving meaning and purpose to work

Winning and empowering followers

Inspiring and infusing organisations with a value and ideology.

Motivating people, both within and outside the project organisation

to accept a projects goals and to work enthusiastically towards the
achievement of these goals.

Getting others to do what you want!

Motivating people towards getting things done willingly

Leadership

Clearly leadership qualities are going to be determined, at least in

part, by the personality traits, charisma and enthusiasm of those in
the position of a leader (as the PM must be).

This means that, if Leadership is so important to PM and project

success, we need to ask a very serious question:question:-

Discussion Question
Are leaders born..or can leadership traits and skills be

taught?

Leadership requirements

To be an effective leader, the PM

must:-must:

Have a credible and legitimate source of

influence.

Have highly developed Relational Skills

Have highly developed Mobilisation Skills

Sources of influence

How can PMs influence the various

project participants towards the
achievement of project goals.
goals.

Discussion Question
What devices can PMs use in order to control project
participants so that objectives can be realised.
Which of the devices you discuss do you would think to be the
most important for Project Managers.

Sources of Leadership
influence

Formal Authority (Legitimate Power)

Reward Power
Punishment Power (Coercive Power)
Expert Power
Referent Power
(Collectively, the above 5 sources are sometimes referred to
as the 5 power bases and these are well established in
literature)

(Information Power)
(Cognitive Power)
(Emotional Persuasion)
(Personal Power)

Leadership Style

Leadership Style I
(formal authority, reward and punishment
power)

Leadership Style II
(expert and referent power)

Leadership

Who does the PM need to lead?

Three main groups of project contributors need to be led

within the project environment:environment:

The visible team;

The invisible team; and,
The stakeholder team.

All need to be convinced of the project aims and must be led

by the PM; If one group is neglected problems are likely.

Organisations in the projects external environment also

require to be led by the project manager.

Leadership

It has been said that as a Leader, A PM

needs 360o vision.

The PM must lead and manage in 6

dimensions:-dimensions:

Upwards
Outwards
Forwards
Backwards
Downwards
Inwards

Types of project participant that

the PM must pay attention to.

From the visible, invisible, stakeholder teams and

from the external environment AND while managing
most of the 6 dimensions, the PM will encounter:encounter:

Allies
Opponents
Bedfellows
Fence Sitters
Adversaries

Positively influencing different

groups of project participants.
The PM must adopt a different political approach to
each type of participant and must recognise that
participants may change at different points in the
project life cycle.
The aim is always to meet the concerns and needs of
the participant while simultaneously securing the
needs of the project. The PM needs to be highly
skilled and very political about doing this and must
recognise that a very high degree of flexibility will be
required.

Managing Upwards and

Outwards

Visibility

Priority

Accessibility

Credibility

The aim..

The aim of the Project Manager as a leader who draws on

authority that is afforded mostly by informal means, is to build
an integrated project team (IPT).

Characteristics of an Integrated Project Team are:are:

An IPT is a single team focused on a common set of goals and

objectives for the benefit of ALL concerned.

An IPT is so seamless that it appears to operate as if it were a

company in its own right.

An IPT has no apparent boundaries and provides all participants the

same opportunities to contribute and all skills can be used to
maximum effect.

Conclusion

The political management of project contributors is essential for success.

The aim is always to secure support for the project and for its objectives.

The PM must identify the range and extent of the sources of influence
available to them so that they can secure an appropriate leadership position
to drive the project and to direct its resources effectively.

The PM must recognise that the project participants need to be politically

managed (or manipulated!) towards achieving the desired outcomes and that
different approaches are needed dependent on how the contributor sees the
project.

The PM must politically manage the employer (client), the stakeholders and
the external environment of the project, as well as their project peers if the
propensity for success is to be increased.