Page 127 - Global Project Management Handbook

5-16 STATE OF THE ART OF GLOBAL PROJECT MANAGEMENT

integrated, and unified project team. Such organized team-building efforts should be con-
ducted at the local team level, as well as with the local leaders at the project headquarters.
Intensive team-building efforts may be especially needed during the formation stage of a
new project team; however, they should be continued in some form throughout the proj-
ect life cycle. Although formally organized, these team-building sessions often are
conducted in a very informal and relaxed atmosphere to discuss critical questions such
as (1) How are we working as a team? (2) What is our strength? (3) How can we
improve? (4) What support do we need? (5) What challenges and problems are we likely
to face? (6) What actions should we take? and (7) What process or procedural changes
would be beneficial? Once these issues are diagnosed and discussed properly, specific
training or coaching in such critical emotional intelligence skills such as developing
empathy, active listening, and conflict management can be vital to the overall perfor-
mance of the team.

Provide Proper Direction and Leadership

Project managers and local team leaders can influence the attitude and commitment of
their people to the project objectives by their own actions. Concern for project team
members and enthusiasm for the project can foster a climate of high motivation, involve-
ment with the project and its management, open communications, and willingness to
cooperate with the new requirements and to use them effectively.

Reduce the Complexity of the Management System
Complex projects require robust management systems. While management guidelines
and procedures must be clear and uniform throughout the global project organization,
they also must be simple and robust to allow flexibility to cope with contingencies and
cultural nuances. The management system also must be flexible enough for local man-
agement to establish its own work processes, procedures, and management controls.

Foster a Culture of Continuous Support and Improvement

Successful project management focuses on people behavior and their roles within the proj-
ect itself. Companies that manage complex projects effectively have cultures and support
systems that demand broad participation in their organization developments. Encouraging
team members throughout the project organization to be proactive and aggressive toward
change is not an easy task. Yet such organizational developments must be undertaken on
an ongoing basis to ensure relevancy to today’s global project management challenges. It
is important to establish support systems—such as discussion groups, action teams, and
suggestion systems—to capture and leverage the lessons learned and to identify problems
as part of a continuous improvement process. Tools such as the project maturity model and
the Six Sigma project management process can provide the framework and toolset for ana-
lyzing and fine-tuning team development and its management process.

A FINAL NOTE

In conclusion, building effective global project teams involves the whole spectrum of
management skills and company resources and is the shared responsibility of headquar-
ters management and local project leaders. Managerial leadership at all project levels