Page 223 - Global Project Management Handbook

10-12 COMPETENCY FACTORS IN PROJECT MANAGEMENT

Furthermore, employees try to make sense of the lack of attention: “This project may
not be that important any more because top management never talks or asks about it.” A
conclusion that can be drawn from the preceding is that “sensemaking” (Weick, 1995) is
also an important task in managing the project-oriented company.

CONCLUDING REMARKS

The purpose of this chapter was to discuss how it is possible to influence employees in a
project-oriented company in ways that make them perform well and enjoy working in the
company at the same time. Traditionally, human resources in projects have been under-
stood and conceptualized as calendar time booked for the projects. However, research has
shown that (a formal) agreement on a certain number of personnel hours in a project may
not be the significant human factor behind successful accomplishment of the project. In
this chapter the concepts of human energy and energy killers and energy creators were
introduced. Human energy is difficult to define and measure, but it relates to such con-
cepts as attention, motivation, commitment, devotion, competencies, and mental capacity.
A big challenge for top management in the project-oriented company is to balance
resource requirements and resource capacity. Sometimes this does not turn out very
well. The result may be that what was meant to be a stimulating pressure (in terms of
amount of projects and tightness of deadlines) turns out to lead to a situation of project
constipation—with frustrated employees and few accomplished projects.
This chapter presented several energy killers and energy creators. The lists are not
exhaustive. Other companies, employees, and top managers may be able to pinpoint other
issues that influence the energy of employees. However, the concepts of killers and cre-
ators are supposed to inspire to a reflection and discussion on how to create energy in the
company in question. An example drawn from the empirical study is that a sense of
urgency concerning task accomplishment can be created by other means than having
many simultaneous projects. Milestones, subdeliveries, frequent follow-ups, and celebra-
tions of accomplishments (even the small ones) may create a more energetic project team
and thus, hopefully, fewer overruns of the project schedule and dissatisfied and stressed
employees. Top management’s timely involvement and persistent attention may be
another way of creating energy.
The empirical study has shown that employees react differently to the issues mentioned

in this chapter. Some need a lot of top-management attention and only a few tasks simulta-
neously, whereas others are happier when they are working in a environment with a lot of
different inputs and shifts. The challenge is to figure out how to manage with respect to the
specific people involved and with respect to the conditions facing the company. No “cook-
book” can be of any help here. However, a reflection on and a discussion of how the con-
ception of time, the conception of pressure, and the conception of importance influence the
people involved may be a way to stimulate the level of energy desired.

REFERENCES

Andersen ES. 2005. Prosjektledelse—et organisasjonsperspektiv. NKI Forlaget (in Norwegian).
Archer JA Jr. 1991. Managing Anxiety and Stress. Muncie, IN: Accelerated Development, Inc.
Blichfeldt BS, Eskerod P. 2005. Project portfolios: There’s more to it than what management
enacts, in Christiansen JK (ed.) Proceedings for the 12th International Product Development
Management Conference, June, Copenhagen Business School, Copenhagen, Denmark.