What Project Management Can Learn From the Arts

Mark Mullaly is president of Interthink Consulting Incorporated, an organizational development and change firm specializing in the creation of effective organizational project management solutions. Since 1990, it has worked with companies throughout North America to develop, enhance and implement effective project management tools, processes, structures and capabilities. Mark was most recently co-lead investigator of the Value of Project Management research project sponsored by PMI. You can read more of his writing at markmullaly.com.

  Leadership   Lessons Learned   Organizational Culture  

It has been long argued that business and art don’t mix. That business is objective and rational and profitable, while the arts are subjective and irrational and—if we’re honest—not where you are going to make your millions. Artists are seen as being emotional and flaky and chaotic, tormented and suffering and striving for their muse. We’ve all heard the stereotypes.

As with all stereotypes, there are elements of truth in these characterizations. You will certainly find struggling and starving artists waxing poetic about their creative struggles. You will also find ambitious and focused and dedicated people working hard on their craft, determined to deliver excellence and caring very much about the process of doing that well.

What most people in business don’t appreciate is the perspective, insights and structures at play in how art actually gets done. There is a great deal that art has to offer to business—and particularly to project management—in terms of learning about how the craft of delivering great art is organized and managed. For it most assuredly is managed.

I learned to be a project manager in the arts. I didn’t call it that, and I didn’t know at the time that project management even existed. That in no way changes the reality. My first degree was in drama and theatre arts, and I spent a number of …

Please log in or sign up below to read the rest of the article.