If power is the capacity to influence…

 

Projects need power to be delegated to them so that the project manager can influence the successful completion of the project, for the good of the organisation.

For example, a group of people with more money than they know what to do with may decide to pool their money (power) and ask some clever person (like a CEO) to do something with it. They, the shareholders (stakeholders), will lay down some conditions, like what type of product or business to form. They will certainly want something in return (profit) at some point in the future. They have delegated their power (money) to the CEO and are trusting the CEO to do a good job for them.

The clever CEO then decides on a strategy and plan and realises he/she cannot do it all alone, so hires in various chiefs and gives them all a pot of money (budget) and some objectives (roles). Thus, the CEO has delegated power into a traditional hierarchical structure.

Then things can get a little confused (messy). Ambition, ego, rivalry begin to play their part, and roles are rarely mutually exclusive. So, the clever CEO decides to kick off a project that will benefit all stakeholders. To do so, the previously agreed power delegation needs to be revised, and a little power is taken from each stakeholder and given to the project, otherwise, how will it ever deliver benefit to all stakeholders?

A question or two, for you:

• In your current project, how has power shifted?
• Do you have the power (capacity to influence) to deliver?
• If you are about to pick up a new project, does it come with sufficient power?

A final thought: All projects deliver a change to the power structures of the host organisation.