Page 119 - Global Project Management Handbook

5-8 STATE OF THE ART OF GLOBAL PROJECT MANAGEMENT

leadership. These factors are perceived as enhancing team effectiveness and therefore
correlate positively with team performance. Barriers are factors that have an unfavor-
able influence, such as unclear objectives and insufficient resources, therefore imped-
ing team performance. Based on field research, 61,62 the strongest drivers and barriers
are listed in Table 5.1. All these factors have been listed alphabetically to avoid too
narrowly drawn conclusions. However, the factors in Table 5.1 represent the strongest
association observed in the field studies, explaining over 85 percent of the variance in
project team performance, such as characterized in Fig. 5.3. It is further interesting to
note that many of the factors in Table 5.1 are, to a large degree, based on the perception
of team members. That is, team members perceive “good personal relations” or “com-
munication problems.” Since this perception is the reality that influences the team
behavior, management must deal with the conditions as seen by the people and foster a
project environment that is conducive to the needs of the team. Table 5.1 also can be
used for examining the organizational environment via benchmarking, as discussed in
Table 5.2, hence providing an important reference point for team self-assessment, man-
agerial audit, or organizational development.

TABLE 5.1 Strongest Drivers and Barriers to Project Team
Performance (Listed Alphabetically)
Drivers
Clear project plans and objectives
Emotional intelligence of team members
Good interpersonal relations and shared values
Good project leadership and credibility
Management involvement and support
Professional growth potential
Professionally interesting and stimulating work
Project visibility, high priority
Proper technical direction and team leadership

Qualified, competent team personnel
Recognition of sense of accomplishment
Barriers
Communication problems
Conflict among team members or between team and support organizations
Different outlooks, objectives, and priorities perceived by team members
Poor qualification of team/project leader
Poor trust, respect, and credibility of team leader
Insufficient resources
Insufficient rewards
Lack of project challenge and interest
Lack of senior management support, interest, and involvement
Lack of team definition, role conflict, and confusion
Lack of team member commitment
Poor project team/personnel selection
Shifting goals and priorities
Unclear team leadership, power struggle
Unstable project environment, poor job security, anxieties