In the opening chapter of my new book, A Project Manager’s Guide to Influence, I suggest that the purpose of a project is to:
“Alter the structure and balance of power within an organisation, often under the guise of legitimate activity.”
To be honest, I don’t much mind if this is true or not. The purpose of saying it is to stimulate new thinking and new ideas. It reminds me of Po, an Edward de Bono creative thinking process. Po is a word de Bono created to signal a provocation — a statement that should be imagined to be true. If it is true, what then?
If you are running a project and finding things difficult, pause for a moment and consider it from a political perspective:
- When your project succeeds, who will become more powerful?
- How will resources such as people, knowledge, information and assets be redistributed among powerful people?
- Who will lose some of the control/authority that they currently enjoy?
- How will decision-making processes be changed?
- When you succeed with your project, who will become less powerful?
Another way of thinking about it is — whose political agenda is best served by the success of your project, or most damaged by the success of your project?
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Now, turn for a moment to your recent experiences on the project:
- Who is advocating and supporting your project? Why?
- Who is opposing, resisting, or sabotaging your progress? Why?
- To what extent are the challenges, problems and issues you are facing explained by the politics surrounding your project?
When you think about your project like this, it is important to take note of the ideas and thoughts that come to mind. While some of them will be outlandish and nonsensical, others may strike a nerve and be highly plausible. These are the ones that need to be attended to.
Once you’ve thought it through from this perspective:
- Decide what action needs to be taken to test out some of your theories.
- Keep these ideas in mind as you go about your work over the next few weeks.
- Remain vigilant for evidence that could back up your theories.
- As your insight grows, consult with trusted advisors about what to do to remove any political obstacles that you find.
As I said at the beginning, the purpose of taking a political perspective towards your project is to generate new ideas for action. There are several other perspectives discussed in A Project Manager’s Guide to Influence, and they can all yield the potential for the right way forward. Diligent project managers should be making full use of all perspectives as they work out how to make the progress that is expected of them.
Heavy stuff — absolutely.
Real stuff — quite possibly.
And if it is real, what are you going to do about it?
The Gautrey Influence Blog
Ever felt overlooked, unheard, or stuck in office politics? You’re not alone. The Gautrey Influence Blog breaks down the real-world strategies behind leadership, influence, and power—giving you the tools to be heard, respected, and successful. Join 35,000+ professionals getting ahead the smart way—subscribe now..
💡 Benchmark your Influence: Take the Master of Influence Assessment (Free for Subscribers!)
👉 [Subscribe & Take the Assessment]