pmi ® global congress 2011—north america from ostrich to canary: declaring trouble before it’s...
TRANSCRIPT
PMI® Global Congress 2011—North America
From Ostrich to Canary: Declaring
Trouble Before It’s Too Late
Brian H. Munroe, PMP
Senior Trainer & ConsultantCorporate Education Group
Quotes to Ponder
“It isn’t that they can’t see the
solution; it’s that they can’t see the
problem.” – G.K. Chesterton
(1874 - 1936)
Turning an Ostrich into a Canary - MTI Learning Inc. 2011
Suppression Factors
Hide true project status Prevent timely identification of a situation needing
corrective action Deprive management of critical information Decisions are not made with accurate input
Conditions that cause project team members to either knowingly or unknowingly ignore signs that a project is
troubled and avoid bringing the issues to the attention of management, stakeholders and other key decision makers.
Turning an Ostrich into a Canary - MTI Learning Inc. 2011
Quotes to Ponder
“Bad news isn’t wine. It doesn’t
improve with age.” – General Colin
Powell (b. 1937)
Turning an Ostrich into a Canary - MTI Learning Inc. 2011
Suppression Factor Categories
DenialCognitive dissonanceGroup mentality
Belief System
Apathy
Lack of responsibility
Lack of accountability
Commitment
Unwillingness to admit mistakes
Reluctance to ask for help
Personality Based
Blame or judgment
Job security
Personal safety
Past experiences
Fear
Incentives
Promotions
Performance ratings
Performance Based
Turning an Ostrich into a Canary - MTI Learning Inc. 2011
Questions For You…
What suppression factors do you think are most influential at your organization?
Are there different suppression factors at play on your projects?
Take a moment and consider what suppression factors you personally are susceptible to.
Turning an Ostrich into a Canary - MTI Learning Inc. 2011
What Can Be Done?
Create a culture that encourages team members
to raise issues and concerns as soon as they
become evident.
Know yourself; know your
team.
Don’t just solve problems; actively find
them.
Turning an Ostrich into a Canary - MTI Learning Inc. 2011
Belief Systems
Foundation of everything we do
Beliefs will govern reaction to signs of trouble
Greatest impact of belief systems on troubled projects
is denial Cognitive dissonance
Group mentality
A belief system is the knowledge and experiences that directly influence our perceptions, motivations,
actions, and reactions.
Turning an Ostrich into a Canary - MTI Learning Inc. 2011
Fear
Range of fear responses – mild anxiety to terror Many sources of fear:
Blame, judgment Job security Personal safety (physical or emotional) Past personal experiences
Fear of negative repercussions motivates people to hide problems
Fear: A distressing emotion arising from impending danger, evil, pain or other negative state, whether the threat is real
or imagined.
Turning an Ostrich into a Canary - MTI Learning Inc. 2011
Quotes to Ponder
“In NASA, we never punish error.
We only punish concealment of
error.” – Al Siepert
(b. 1915)
Turning an Ostrich into a Canary - MTI Learning Inc. 2011
Summary
Problems won’t go away by themselves; they need to
be identified and actively resolved
Be aware of suppression factors in team members as
well as yourself
Proactively work to remove those factors: Create an environment that encourages and expects early admission of
problems
Establish a committed team
Make people feel safe and trusting
Turning an Ostrich into a Canary - MTI Learning Inc. 2011
Thank You!Brian H. Munroe, PMP
1.800.288.7246 (US only) or
+1.978.649.8200
www.corpedgroup.com