Organizational Climate: Your Project Can Have It Made in the Shade (Part 1 of 2)

Imagine you are watching a TV weather forecaster in Houston, TX. It is mid-August. The forecaster says, "Tomorrow, there will be an additional three feet of snow with high winds." There is a good chance that this report will get your attention no matter how engulfed you are in the most recent project fire.

From the steamy heat of the Amazon jungle to the bitter cold and dry desolation of the arctic tundra, there is just nothing that can be done about climate. Those who live there simply have to adjust to it. So it is for you as a project manager in your organizational climate. When you must determine how to proceed, whether at the beginning of an implementation or determining the agenda of a kick-off meeting, you must act as appropriate to the climate of your organization. 

The climate of the organization within which you work is a combination of influences from corporate culture, supervisory skills, history, business processes, management direction, communication channels, employee morale and more. The climate can be favorable to the success of your project or it can be detrimental to your project. You must adapt by first developing your radar. Great leaders have the ability to realize the climate of the masses and to turn that to …