Project LeadershipEbook

We are Talsom, the sum of talents.

— 1st edition

Executive Summary —

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The purpose of this eBook is to be a catalyst for your thought process and decision-making best practices when it comes to your project leadership and portfolio leadership. Furthermore, it will help answer pressing questions regarding current and future trends within the project leadership and digital transformation industry.

For this first edition of Talsom’s project leadership eBook, we’ll run through our project leadership maturity scale and how to navigate its different steps, the impacts of technological change on project management, as well as the project leader’s evolving responsibilities within the digital shift.

The project leadership eBook provides guidance on :

• Reaching an optimal level of project leadership maturity,

• Building a medium-term vision of project leadership,

• Managing change brought on by new technologies, with respect to novel approaches in project management, and

• Considering new ideas and thought processes which can benefit project management, such as techniques derived from Design Thinking.

Throughout this work, you’ll find a more defined vision of what we can expect in the project mana-gement realm for the near future, and which parts of it could be applicable to your business and your project leadership. On the one hand, we’ll bring you up to speed on current and upcoming trends, and on the other we’ll identify concrete solution tracks to help you face upcoming changes head-on and proactively.

1 : Turner, J. R. and R. Müller (2005). The project manager’s leadership style as a success factor on projects : A literature review. Project Management Institute, 49-61. p. 2

Project Leadership Maturity —The project leader guides, influences and inspires all the key players throughout the various phases of the project. In fact, they play a key role throughout the entire project cycle up until the desired results are achieved. Nowadays, project management has become critical for any organization looking to implement new enterprise solutions or enhance their in-house capacity. However, not all project managers are leaders - that’s why we’ll focus on what help makes a manager become a leader.

The many faces of Project LeadershipThe project leader plays a key role in keeping the team motivated as well as in creating an efficient and dynamic work environment. Although planning, follow-up and performance measurements are quantifiable priorities for the leader, they mustn’t neglect their teams’ well-being and morale. Indeed, among the important intellectual competencies for the leadership role, emotional intelli-gence stands out as having the greatest impact - 36 % - in the success of a project 1.

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Figure 1. Project Leadership Maturity Scale

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A Path to Growth —Let’s bear in mind that this growth towards project leadership is not an end in itself, but rather that it should be taken as a frame of reference. In fact, this categorization aims to provide a bird’s-eye-view of various styles of project managers and the required skillset necessary at each level. Visually, the trajectory taken by project leadership can appear to be quite linear and defined, but in reality, it is far more nuanced. The goal here is to understand the distinctions between the layers of maturity, roles and responsibilities of each stakeholder to help guide you in identifying your current situation.

Project ControlThe first level of maturity is that of the project controller, whose primary tasks involve budget, schedule and deliverable oversight and follow-up. This is mainly a support and operational role.

Project ManagementDemonstrating a more advanced understanding of the base concepts and by acquiring relevant practical experience, the project controller can evolve towards the second layer of maturity; that is, the project manager. This level and also be defined by a professional title, such as PMP or Prince2. The project manager, able to leverage industry-standard tools and methodologies, brings with them a deep understanding of what we call the triple constraint. This is represented by the requirements tied to any project and is categorized under quality, cost and timetable components. At this second level of maturity, the manager is further empowered, allowing them additional auto-nomy in supporting a multidisciplinary project team and bringing them towards successful project completion.

2 : Giles, Sunny (2016). The Most Important Leadership Competencies, According to Leaders Around the World, Harvard Business Review. Sourced from https://hbr.org/2016/03/the-most-important-leadership-competencies-according-to-leaders-around-the-world

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Integrated Project ManagementBy demonstrating proactivity, critical thinking, and a strategic outlook, the manager evolves towar-ds the third maturity layer, that of integrated project management. At this level, the project ma-nager can better comprehend the operational challenges of their project type, fully understand the organization’s value chain and make key decisions at a level that impacts future planning within the organization. They’re able to help improve internal processes and methodologies to bring them further inline with company goals and those of the industry related to the project. At this level, the project manager has a more holistic viewpoint on the project, its context and its key stakeholders, becoming a stronger reference point for the other members of the team.

Project LeadershipThe biggest and most important differentiator between the maturity levels is the one between layers 3 and 4, that is, the project leadership layer. At this level, there’s a synergy between the tech-nical competency - “hard skills” - and individual competency - “soft skills” - of the project manager. Furthermore, the project leader sets themselves apart through their knowledge, behavior and es-pecially their capacity to mobilize their team.

However, the challenge remains to identify which elements are required to reach the project lea-dership level. A recent study by the Harvard Business Review 2 focused on this very question. After asking about 200 leaders the question “What makes an effective leader ?”, the publication targeted five recurring themes which were identified as elements to prioritize :

Demonstrate an ethical approach and foster feelings of security

Encourage autonomy

Foster a sense of belonging

Demonstrate an openness to innovation and learning

Encourage personal growth among the team members

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p. 63 : Colvin, G. (2016). Humans are underrated : What high achievers know that brilliant machines never will. Penguin. 4 : Ibid.

These elements parallel the vision of a recognized leader, Jeff Bezos, CEO of Amazon. In fact, du-ring the LA17 Summit, he stated that leadership can be traced back to these six aspects :

Regardless of the reference point, these two examples are useful in understanding the concept and components of leadership. More accurately, they identify certain behaviors to encourage or key capacities to reinforce in order to establish a more human approach to management. A ma-nager undertaking this reflection and acting on it will be better positioned to build trustworthy relationships with their team and tailor their management style. In this light, employees will tend to feel empowered and mentored - rather than just managed.

One last ability, not mentioned earlier but which is at the base of any human ability and social re-lationship critical for a leader, is empathy. The most critical roles in the digital age are increasingly social, and this ability will differentiate project managers from project leaders, as they will have additional capacity to mobilize their teams and see their projects to fruition. For example, studies have shown that wait staff who demonstrate considerable empathy make almost 20 % more tips than those who don’t, and that patients of doctors with higher empathy are more likely to follow their doctors’ orders considering medication or other medical care instructions 3. The same pheno-menon applies to project management; the more empathy a leader demonstrates, the more likely team members will be mobilized and show an openness to collaboration. Empathetic leaders are often imbued with a strong sense of emotional intelligence, which isn’t limited to just feeling and understanding the emotions of others, but also recognizing them 4.

At Talsom, the project leader is more than another key player.

They’re a coach, and a captain. Leadership development occurs

through projects and values aligned with the knowledge and

behavior needed in a project leader.

Resilience Autonomy Creativity Drive Presence Harmony

p. 75 : Communiqué de presse : Gartner Survey Shows 42 Percent of CEOs Have Begun Digital Business Transformation. Avril 2017. Sourced of : https://www.gartner.com/newsroom/id/3689017

The Reality of the Leader of The Future —This eBook on project leadership would be incomplete without a section on the digital transforma-tion context so many companies are dealing with today. We’re in the midst of an era defined by transformation and change, driven in large part by current technology such as Cloud Computing, Internet of Things, Big Data, Artificial Intelligence and Virtual / Augmented Reality. All these inno-vations are changing the way we work, whether externally with our clients, or internally within our own organizations. The concept of digital transformation may have been a nebulous one among project managers over the past few years, but today it’s a critical piece of corporate strategy 5. An organization is a sociotechnological environment combining a human, individual aspect with a technical aspect comprised of equipment, material and tools. One small change can have a ripple effect among several sectors, specifically the technical aspect as it pertains to changes in process creating a need to adapt on the human side of things. Change is often accompanied by uncertainty and hesitation - that’s why the role of the project leader is to not only motivate and rally individuals, but to reassure them as well. Therefore, as previously discussed, empathy remains a key compo-nent to be leveraged.

In addition, ensuring that key stakeholders no longer work in isolation allows for a unified approach to collecting feedback and perspective, encouraging an idea economy with ebbs and flows. This allows stakeholders to explore unique - and sometimes unexpected - technological scenarios. With this in mind, it’s crucial to rethink our approach to project leadership and refocus it on people. At Talsom, this thought process has led us to - among other tools - the use of Design Thinking.

p. 86 : https://www.fastcodesign.com/3060197/how-two-industrial-design-titans-are-helping-brands-simplify-tech

A novel approach for the Project Leader

Design Thinking is an empathetic approach to problem-solving and design; it puts the individual at the center of the innovation process and leverages the power of intuition. This approach integrates the needs of individuals, technological opportunities and the organization’s business requirements. There’s a focus on observation, collaboration, rapid learning, ideation and prototyping. The ap-proach is an iterative and collaborative one where client and user experiences are fine-tuned. A number of Design Thinking principles are particularly beneficial to project leadership.

If Design Thinking is so different from more traditional approaches, it’s mainly due to how it focuses initially on carefully defining the problem or challenge rather than attempt to immediately pursue solutions. Indeed, by integrating empathy, the approach allows us to have a greater understanding of the challenges faced by the various stakeholders. Based on this understanding, the design of solutions can be much more closely matched to the identified needs. The following case with Oral B and Braun helps us understand these challenges more intimately.

Not long ago, the companies Oral B and Braun wanted to develop a new electric toothbrush connected to the Internet Of Things. This would allow for the collection of data on how users used their toothbrush, on gum sensitivity and even allow for music playback. However, these ideas were not inline with the experience that users expect when brushing their teeth; they didn’t consider it a toothbrush so much as a physical data collection tool. Evidently, they associated feelings of guilt with regards to not brushing their teeth well enough or for long enough periods of time. Therefore, the new proposed design actually increased levels of frustration when brushing. Keeping this in mind, the design team turned their attention to two other key challenges; battery charging and toothbrush head replacement.

By focusing on these two elements, the designers created, at first, a USB charger allowing for the use of the toothbrush away from home. Then, they connected it to a mobile app via Bluetooth. This allowed the user, upon realization that the brush head needed to be changed, to send a notification to the mobile application with a touch of a button on the toothbrush, reminding the user to pur-chase a replacement head 6.

The integration of Design Thinking within an organization depends on the creation of multidiscipli-nary teams and the implementation of a company culture based on collaboration and innovation. To drive this approach, the team needs a dedicated leader. Empathy and experience work hand-in-hand as tools to not only drive innovative solutions, but also to guide, encourage and motivate team members to share their ideas, their opinions and their reasoning. Being focused on indivi-duals and on an analysis and understanding of their feelings and needs, a leader with substantive emotional intelligence will be successful is seeing this sort of project to completion.

p. 97 : Mahmoud-Jouini, S. B., Midler, C., & Silberzahn, P. (2016). Contributions of Design Thinking to Project Management in an Innovation Context. Project Management Journal, 144-156.

Even if the co-creation strategy is not commonly implemented in project management, this sphere can benefit greatly from the principles of this approach stemming for the design industry. Because Design Thinking focuses on a learning process to articulate a number of ideas - ideas which will then undergo thorough testing - this approach can serve to greatly enhance project management, especially within projects of an exploratory nature. In fact, these sorts of projects are often accom-panied by a high level of uncertainty, so a certain amount of flexibility and learning capacity during the course of the project can be beneficial; problems are not identified from the get-go, before the project start date, but rather during the course of the project, following an observation and learning period. This allows the team to determine the problem that needs to be addressed in a more exact fashion, thus avoiding the need for a complete rethinking halfway through the project. In addition, this user-centric approach, which takes into account iterative ideation from the various internal and external stakeholders, allows for a greater comprehension among the different parties. Thus, interactions between these parties are better tailored to the problem. Design Thinking allows for improved stakeholder management.

Design Thinking transforms the way projects are managed. It’s a more creative approach to mana-gement : instead of simply implementing a project strategy, it’s organically defined throughout the course of the project. Design Thinking stems primarily from the art of understanding people - with projects being composed of increasingly creative components, we can expect to see the popularity of this approach rise quickly within the world of project management 7.

Creative Thinking

Thinking creatively means to look at something from a new perspective ; taking the road less travelled, so to speak. Creativity is often a capacity for discerning hidden opportunities 8. Creative thinking can be generated by both an unstructured process, such as brainstorming, as well as by a structured process, such as lateral thinking.

Design Thinking

“This is an approach to innovation and innovation management combining analytical thought with intuition.

It relies on a co-creation process with feedback from the end-user” 9. This iterative approach allows

for redefining and solving strategic challenges.

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8 : Doyle, A. (2018). Why Employers Value Creative Thinking. The Balance. Sourced of : https://www.thebalance.com/creative-thinking-definition-with-examples-2063744

9 : Leac, J. (2018). [leçon] Qu’est-ce-que le design thinking ? - Les cahiers de l’innovation. Les cahiers de l’innovation. Sourced of : https://www.lescahiersdelinnovation.com/2016/02/qu-est-ce-que-le-design-thinking/

The Evolution of the Project Manager’s role

Rapid technological changes and the ripples these cause increase the need for solid leadership and create a requirement for uncertainty management. This compels leaders to learn how to use new tools and novel work methods, as well as to review and rethink traditional leadership. The leaders of the future will be further focused on individuals and on mastering these new tools. Leaders will need to bring people together, and know how to motivate their team members while continuously addressing obstacles to the project.

In order to set themselves apart as project leaders and ensure future success, three key competen-cies are of particular import : creativity, social skills and emotional intelligence.

p. 1110 : Rezvani, A., Chang, A., Wiewiora, A., Ashkanasy, N. M., Jordan, P. J., & Zolin, R. (2016). Manager emotional intelligence andproject success : The mediating role of job satisfaction and trust. International Journal of Project Management, 1112-1122.

Creativity

A creative leader not only knows how to employ their own creativity, but also how to leverage it to influence, encourage and drive their team’s creativity. They employ creative thinking and Design Thinking, maintaining the capacity to build upon ideas brought to them. In addition, curiosity and new idea proposals are strongly encouraged by the project leader, allowing for the development of new strategies and for improvements in current efforts. That’s why Talsom encourages its leaders to “Say yes instead of no”, to drive the development of novel solutions. Efforts in Design Thinking are also leveraged to improve our own project management, find better ways of doing things, and ensure that the human component is always at the forefront of these strategies.

Social Skills

Social skills and competencies are equally crucial for the leaders of the future, as they are required for networking, coaching and collaboration efforts. These are the skills which allow leaders to as-sist their team members in their personal development. Talsom’s project leaders have a strong focus on collaboration, since they understand how to recognize the value of collaboration and the sum of talents, instead of just a single individual. We also recognize the value in developing oursel-ves as leaders, as well as helping our team members to continue pushing their own boundaries so that they can branch out and develop their own leadership talents.

Emotional Intelligence

Finally, emotional intelligence - defined as the ability to monitor and recognize one’s own feelings and emotions 10, and those of others - is a key aptitude. Leaders who demonstrate strong emotional intelligence generally have a larger capacity for relationship-building, cooperation and ensuring the well-being of their collaborators. Talsom’s leaders demonstrate a high amount of emotional intel-ligence through their listening and their positive attitude, not to mention their capacity to adapt to teams from diverse backgrounds and organizations. All these skills are even more important in a context where teams are increasingly dispersed geographically. In addition, an emotionally-intel-ligent leader benefits from a capacity to share positive emotions and knows how to motivate and recognize members of their team, even remotely. Along with a structured approach from start to delivery and an expertise in management, a Talsom-managed project is an entire leadership expe-rience with multidisciplinary, highly-motivated teams.

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Talsom’s recommendations —In order for today’s project managers to continue to add value to tomorrow’s projects, it will be important to keep developing their leadership abilities, while ensuring that they continue to main-tain a solid base of knowledge in project management to ensure projects move forward. Here are some recommendations to help you improve or tweak your activities and ensure readiness for the coming project management changes :

Educate and train project leaders on new technological tools to aid in project management, improve analysis ca-pabilities and information sharing, and simplify overhead tasks. Being proactive will allow for continued success in project management throughout times of change, as well as for additional attention to your team members.

Foster a culture that favors open-mindedness, new ideas and collaboration. Leaders can then feel free to take initiative and team members will feel more

comfortable in communicating their points of view - leaving room for creativity to benefit all your projects.

Leverage active listening ; don’t just hear - listen. A leader can benefit from time and information from their

team members and develop a greater understanding of their morale and the factors affecting it. Educate

leaders on the tools and techniques available to them to help increase their ability to listen.

Create multidisciplinary teams in order to benefit from a wide variety of experience,

knowledge and competency, making way for development of more holistic and innovative

solutions.

As a project leader, have and use your empathy. Pay attention to the needs and fee-lings of your team members and of the end-users. This will help mobilize team members and enable them to feel more included and

involved, infusing new meaning into the work they’re doing.

Conclusion —In this project leadership eBook, we have covered the technical and human competencies required to achieve maturity in this sphere. We delved deeper into the subject through Talsom’s model, which proposes a project leadership framework across four layers. Let’s remember that reaching the final layer isn’t an end in itself, but requires a unique, introspective thought process at each layer with regards to the skills needed and the impact they have at every level. We then discussed the creative process known as Design Thinking and how it acts as a thought exercise able to greatly enhance the role of the project leader.

Today’s leaders are confronted with a plethora of challenges in such an ever-changing environment that rapid change becomes the only real constant. Digital transformation requires organizations to demonstrate an incredible amount of agility. Therefore, instead of fearing change, managers must instead focus on the myriad possibilities that come with it. Indeed, new technologies bring us clo-ser to previously-unexplored and unimagined solutions and ideas. By rethinking their present role, for example by helping foster a culture of innovation, tomorrow’s leaders will be well-positioned to leverage the best that this new reality has to offer.

Contact usP +1.514.303.0272

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info@talsom.com

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Colvin, G. (2016). Humans are underrated : What high achievers know that brilliant machines never will. Penguin.

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Leac, J. (2018). [leçon] Qu’est-ce-que le design thinking ? - Les cahiers de l’innovation. Les cahiers de l’innovation. Sourced from : https://www.lescahiersdelinnovation.com/2016/02/qu-est-ce-que-le-design-thinking/

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