people power – how to improve your performance and practice of project management

www.teamanimation.co.uk

PMI UK Chapter Webinar People power – how to improve your personal / team performance and adoption / practice of project management

Presented by Donnie MacNicol

28 September 2016

©Team Animation Ltd

Session overview

People are different – the way we reason, communicate, involve others, produce

materials, etc. Surprisingly these differences are not always taken into account in how

we work with others and practice project management. This presentation will

introduce:

• How to adapt your personal communication style to improve your effectiveness

• How to apply these insights to improving stakeholder engagement and team

performance

• Building on this, how to improve the design, adoption and use of PM processes on

different types of projects and organisational cultures.

If you plan to attend please complete the iMA Diagnostic in advance at www.ima-

pm.co.uk (it is free and takes only 3 minutes).

http://www.ima-pm.co.uk/




Learning objectives for the session

Learn how to quickly

and easily identify

peoples communication

style and how this can

be used to build more

effective relationships

Increase the adoption of

project, programme and

portfolio management

structures and processes

by better understanding

the motivations of those

who must use them

.

Maximise your own

value and that of your

team members by

playing to your

strengths and working

more effectively as a

team

.


The Project Leadership Compass™

What individuals and organisations need to know about developing their project leadership capacity and capability to deliver in challenging times.

The Project Leadership Compass™

The role of the project

leader during the key phases of

the project lifecycle

Project leadership and

the project leader

The 3 key competencies

of a project leader

Building personal and organisational

capability

© Sarah Coleman and Donnie MacNicol


Based on …

• Series of business Case Studies

• Dash of theory

• A mention of our book!

A broad structure of today’s session Cover…

• Personal insight

• Relationships

• Teams

• Impact on adoption and use of Project Management et al (P3CM™)

• Follow on actions

and possibly a little on…

• Impact of the project

• Organisational Culture

Groupings (Functions /

Organisations)

Teams

Relationships

Understanding of Self


We are as unique as the cross section of a tree

iMA

Personality


iMA - Understanding your style

• The results and descriptions seem similar to MBTI types, but with less detail - an interesting, simple and effective introduction to the ideas of personal distinction.

• iMA – identify, Modify and Adapt

• As a High Yellow, I am Enthusiastic, Outgoing, Talkative, Emotional and Friendly. (No surprises there)

• To get to know me better, you should strive to: Be flexible, quick paced, positive, open, generous with your praise, supportive of my ideas and have fun! (Hmm, that works for me!)

• To try the questionnaire yourself, go to: www.ima-pm.co.uk

• In addition to understanding yourself and others e.g. Belbin and Myers-Briggs, there is a new one, free to use

• This is a colour-based model. A simple questionnaire identifies you as predominantly one of four styles or colours.





Thinking - Right Brain

Orientation - Relationship

Open

Thinking - Left Brain

Orientation - Task

Self-contained / Guarded

Openness is the readiness and willingness to:

•Share and show feelings

•Enter into and initiate relationships

•Accept others when they share and show feelings

• Wear their heart on their sleeves

• Read like an open book

• Share things about themselves

• Focus on the needs of people

• Make decisions based on

intuition

• Don’t readily share and show

their feelings

• Take longer for them to warm

up

• Like to keep a mental and

physical distance

• Make decisions based on logic


Assertive

Fast

Non-Assertive

Slow Assertiveness

is a person’s

need to

move forward

• The way a person

deals with

information and

the situation.

• The degree of

directness,

forcefulness,

expressing thoughts,

feeling and emotions.

• Move at a fast pace

• Are outspoken

• Dominant

• Talkative

• Extrovert

• Speak forcefully

• Move at a slower pace

• Approach risk, change,

decision slowly and

deliberately

• Compliant

• Co-operative

• Supportive

• Soft spoken




Open

Assertive

Fast

Non-Assertive

Slow


Orientation - Task


• Most people are a

blend of colours

• Everyone has a

dominant (High) colour

where they are most

comfortable

• This is our “Comfort

Zone”

iMA If you Respond to people

in her/his iMA dialect you

will reduce tension and

increase communication,

co-operation and trust.


iMA colour styles

Description Tips on how to get to know me

better … are warm, supportive and nurturing individuals who develop strong

networks of people who are willing to be mutually supportive and

reliable. They are excellent team players, courteous, friendly, good

planners; persistent workers and good with follow through.

Be pleasant

Be non assertive

Be consistent

Be selfless

Be supportive of my feelings

Be sincere

… are serious, analytical, persistent, systematic and task oriented

people who enjoy problem solving, perfecting processes and working

towards tangible results. They do research, make comparisons,

determine risk, calculate margins of error and then take action.

Be time disciplined

Be logical and prepared

Be respectful of rules

Be supportive of my thoughts

Be structured and well organised

Be precise

… are goal oriented go-getters who are most comfortable when they

are in charge of people and situations. They focus on a no-nonsense

approach to bottom-line results. They are fast-paced; task oriented and

work quickly by themselves.

Be practical

Be brief

Be assertive

Be to the point

Be supportive of my goals

Be respectful of my time

… are outgoing, friendly and enthusiastic idea people who excel in

getting others excited about their vision. They are fast paced, high

energy and deal with people in a positive upbeat way; eternal

optimists that can influence people and build alliances to accomplish

their goals.

Be flexible

Be quick paced

Be positive

Be open

Be generous with your praise

Be supportive of my idea


Will make certain

that key details are

covered and the

project is done well

Be Precise

Will keep the

focus and insist

on results

Be to the point

Will generate and

promote ideas,

persuade others to

become involved

Have Fun!

Will make certain

those ideas are

carried out and will

bring stability to

the group

Be Sensitive to

their feelings

Core strength and way to engage


iMA Strengths Under stress

High Blue “Personal warmth and the

ability to build meaningful relationships”

•Submissive, Passive,

Dependant, Hesitant, Indecisive

High Green “Precise, efficient and well

organised”

• Resist change, Slow to

act, Slow to begin work,

Withdrawn, Resentful

High Red “Assertiveness and the ability

to get the job done speedily”

• Restless, Critical, Blunt,

Un-cooperative, Irritable,

Aggressive, Pushy

High Yellow “Enthusiasm, charm and

persuasiveness”

• Manipulative, Over-

eager, Impulsive,

Inconsistent, Unrealistic,

Waste time

iMA Strengths and under stress




Open

Assertive

Fast

Non-Assertive

Slow


Orientation - Task


iMA relationships


Poll No. 1 – interaction between iMA colour styles

Which statements might the High Blue / High Red think or say about each other?

Description

… are warm, supportive and nurturing individuals who develop

strong networks of people who are willing to be mutually

supportive and reliable. They are excellent team players,

courteous, friendly, good planners; persistent workers and good

with follow through.

… are goal oriented go-getters who are most comfortable when

they are in charge of people and situations. They focus on a no-

nonsense approach to bottom-line results. They are fast-paced;

task oriented and work quickly by themselves.

1. Focusing too much on peoples feelings / not

considering people

2. Not making decisions / recklessly proceeding

3. Spending too much time planning / not planning enough


Poll No. 1 – interaction between iMA colour styles

Actually it is all 3 statements.


iMA • If you Respond to people in her/his iMA dialect you will

reduce tension and increase communication, co-operation and trust.

• The benefits of iMA include:

– Free – there is no cost in using the questionnaire

– Fast – takes less that 3 minutes to complete

– Effective – provides immediate insights

– Sustainable – you can invite colleagues and team members to complete (examples later)

• www.ima-pm.co.uk

– Name, email address and company

• iMA colour style immediately communicated to you + an email providing the same information

• Same info emailed to Team Animation





A Project Team structure you recognise?


Case Study: Decision making by the Board of a construction company

1

5

1


Sponsors group within a Bank Sept 2016

2

6

1 Relationship

Orientation / Open

Assertive

Non-Assertive

Task Orientation /

Guarded

7


Poll No. 2 – iMA colour style profile of this group

What iMA colour style are you?

• High Green

• High Blue

• High Red

• High Yellow


Poll No. 2 – iMA colour style profile of this group


The profile of the PMI Webinar group on 28 Sep 2016

30%

25%

33%

13%


Poll No. 3 – iMA colour style profile of your team

Considering the project teams you work in, which colour style do you believe is most common?

• High Green

• High Blue

• High Red

• High Yellow



Considering the project teams you work in, which colour style do you believe is least common?

• High Green

• High Blue

• High Red

• High Yellow


Case Study: Making a change in the way of working

1

5 4

1

2


Lead British Designer

3

11

6 5 2

8

3 3

5

19

9 8

Case Study: Very large

international Transport

Design Team

European Designer


Case Study: QS / Construction Consultancy – focus on the style of their Leadership

14

6 4

3


EXERCISE - Team dynamics

• How are our colours dispersed? What are the implications?

• What (if any) colours are missing? How might this affect the way we work together?

• What does the team need at this stage? How can we rectify / provide this?

• Is there anyone who may feel isolated in the team?

• How can we include them more and benefit from their different colour style?

• How can we ensure that each team member is fully motivated?


• High “Red” - who will keep the focus and insist on results

• High “Yellow” - who will generate and promote ideas,

persuade others to become involved

• High “Blue” - who will make certain those ideas are carried

out and will bring stability to the group

• High “Green” - who will make certain that key details are

covered and the project is done well

The Ideal Project Team?


“Our aim is to enhance your ability to implement and benefit from project / programme / portfolio / change management (P3CM™) by understanding how to adapt it to, not only to the context of your project or programme, but also the people you

work with.”

People + Process = Success


People + Process = Success • Effective collaboration and teamworking are a key to success in project,

programme and portfolio management (P3M). However, teams are made up of individuals, each of whom have their own communication and working style. Having awareness of personal styles provides insights that improve cohesion and performance.

• The P3M frameworks currently available take a 'one size fits all' approach. They provide good practice in knowledge and process but make no allowance for the different ways that different people perceive, understand and implement that practice.

• Looking to address this vital aspect of implementing P3M through teams of individuals with diverse communication and working styles.

• “Our aim is to enhance your ability to implement and benefit from project / programme / portfolio / change management (P3CM™) by understanding how to adapt it to, not only to the context of your project or programme, but also the people you work with.”


key implications of the different ways in which people impact P3CM™:

• Perceive – the element, see the value collectively and individually of each element

• Design – the structures, processes, etc that go to make up the function

• Adopt – way they wish it to be communicated and provided to the team with the opportunity to apply

• Deploy on the project – options and level of flexibility they have in application

• Use – how they use on a daily, weekly, etc basis

• Involve others – who do they involve, when and for how long

• Adapt – as necessary on the project

• Sustain its use – motivated personally to continue to use effectively

• Learn from – options to learn from sources of reference and one other

• Share knowledge – preferred means of capturing and communicating insights and experience.


How different people view, value, implement and

deliver


iMA impact on adoption and use of process

Impact on the adoption and use of processes

Readily adopt and apply the way of working Desire to involve others in the process May not readily make decisions Supportive of others in using the approach Good planners – commit the time necessary

Adopt and apply if they perceive the way of working as logical and robust May have a tendency to work in isolation on processes such as planning and risk management Require time to plan Produce detailed and comprehensive plans Will challenge the output if it is not thought to have been robustly thought through Will not make decisions unless provided with sufficient quantity and quality of information

May be a potential to see rigorous processes as bureaucratic May wish to adapt to suit the situation Will be happy making decisions, often with all information being available Typically wish to lead the process and decision making

May wish to adapt to suit the situation and then work in a flexible manner May not always apply the processes in full Wish to involve others through group discussion and workshops May make decisions based on gut feel and then look to back up based on the data available Can act a champion for new ways of working and engage others Good at getting other people’s input to the processes.


iMA and Risk Management in the Praxis Framework


Group Exercises • Insights into Risk Management. Some suggested questions to consider:

1. Why (Value) – Why do it? What value does it add? What is its purpose?

2. Who and where (Engagement) – Who should be involved? Should they be involved

as a one-off or continuously? Where should it take place?

3. How (Process) – How should it be carried out? Should formalised techniques and

processes be used?

4. When (Time) – When is it best to plan – early or a little later? Should it be continuous

or one off?

5. What (Output) – What level of detail is appropriate? How should it be presented?

• Strengths, weaknesses and development

– What are the strengths of each colour wrt risk management?

– What are the weaknesses (think of a weakness as an overdone or misapplied strengths) of each colour wrt risk management?

– How do you make use of the strengths and best develop the latter?


Poll No. 5 – iMA Praxis Framework Initiative

Reflecting on what you have heard and the aims of the work (below), do you believe this will be of value to the profession?

• Strongly Agree

• Agree

• Disagree

• Strongly Disagree


Poll No. 5 – iMA Praxis Framework Initiative


Teams

Applying these unique insights to the

work we do


Possible follow on actions 1. You can use the iMA for free:

• www.ima-pm.co.uk

• Description of the 4 iMA profiles -

http://www.slideshare.net/donniemacnicol/iima-colour-

styles-description

• Article on the application of iMA -

http://www.slideshare.net/donniemacnicol/spotlight-

ontraining0615-3839 - many more to follow in the

coming months

2. Discount code for Project Leadership 3rd Edition (slide

following)

3. Taking email addresses is so 2015! Follow me on LinkedIn:

• http://uk.linkedin.com/in/donniemacnicol (or I would be

delighted to connect)

• Publish an article on LinkedIn following this about the

webinar with results of the Polls and analysis

• Share the full set of slides via Slideshare

4. iMA Research Projects (shown to the side>>>)

• Both launched at Project Challenge (PMI attending)

• PMOFlashMob – profile of the community

• Praxis Framework – iMA P3CM™

5. Feedback on Course Conductor?

• Would you be willing to take a few minutes to provide

your feedback (slide follows with details)?




http://www.slideshare.net/donniemacnicol/iima-colour-styles-description







http://www.slideshare.net/donniemacnicol/spotlight-ontraining0615-3839





http://uk.linkedin.com/in/donniemacnicol



To celebrate the publication of “Project

Leadership” 3rd Edition we are offering

a 35% discount using the code in the

leaflet.


Feedback on Course Conductor – can you spare a few minutes?

Following on from this webinar , I wonder if I could ask you a favour. It would be extremely helpful if you were willing to provide a quick Review of the briefing on a new site called Course Conductor. It should take no more than 3 minutes to complete. To do the Review please click on the link and you will be taken directly to the page, add your review and then you will be asked to login in using your LinkedIn account. Please note that after logging into LinkedIn you will be asked again to confirm that you wish to Submit – a few people have missed this and the review has not been posted and therefore lost. If you do not wish your LinkedIn profile to be shown with the review you can choose to have it posted privately.

• Leadership and People Skills Briefing – a condensed version of which I delivered on the 28th September at the PMI UK Chapter webinar - http://courseconductor.com/course/leadership-and-people-skills-briefing/

Many thanks in advance for your help.

http://courseconductor.com/course/leadership-and-people-skills-briefing/










Contact details

Donnie MacNicol

Team Animation

+44 (0)7799 766238

[email protected]

www.teamanimation.co.uk


@donniemacnicol

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Team-

Animation-Ltd/160769337303100

Donnie is an experienced project and programme leader who is

passionate about developing the leadership capabilities of

individuals, teams and organisations to deliver success. He is at

his best when working with senior management teams,

challenged by complex situations and inspiring individuals and

teams to perform.

He leads consultancy and training assignments, specializing in

developing leadership capability, details of which can be found at

www.teamanimation.co.uk. Donnie is currently working with

infrastructure, defence, technology, aerospace and public sector

organisations to improve delivery and leadership capability.

Widely recognized as contributing to the ‘people and

organizational side’ of project management thinking, he is much

in demand as a lecturer, speaker and writer. He is passionate

about delivering value by incorporating the latest organisational,

cultural and behavioural thinking.

Donnie is chair of the PMI UK Chapter Organisational Project

Management (OPM) Forum and previously the APM’s People

SIG for 10 years. He is also a Visiting Teaching Fellow at

Warwick Manufacturing Group (WMG) and has strong

relationships with other prestigious academic bodies. Donnie is a

member of the Acumen7 network of business leaders and has

established an enviable network of leaders across the projects

world. He has had over 30 articles published and contributed to 5

books including Programme and Portfolio Management

Demystified and MSP® Survival Guide for SROs. He has

presented at over 100 events and conferences including for the

MPA, Defence Academy, IOD, APM, PMI, RICS and ICE and a

host of private and public sector organisations.



http://www.facebook.com/pages/Team-Animation-Ltd/160769337303100






http://www.teamanimation.co.uk/

people power – how to improve your performance and practice of project management

Leadership & Management