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Gladwell Says "Tweakers" Rule
Categories:
PMI Global Congress 2011 - North America
Categories: PMI Global Congress 2011 - North America
| In a business landscape that seemingly puts a premium on originality, it's the borrowers and followers -- those who tweak the ideas -- that thrive. That was the message best-selling author Malcolm Gladwell hammered home in a thought-provoking keynote address at PMI® Global Congress 2011 -- North America. Mr. Gladwell outlined three types of organizational cultures: 1. Intellectual ones come up with big ideas 2. Innovative ones are entrepreneurial and risk-taking 3. Borrower cultures nimbly combine the traits of the first two Paradoxically, the most successful organizations come behind the first wave of originality, adapting and improving the concept. Before Apple became an icon of global innovation, for example, Steve Jobs borrowed and implemented ideas from Xerox to come up with the venerated mouse. Tweakers and followers may not be the first to market, but they benefit from seeing how new technology evolves before they make their own market commitments. "That kind of insight is only the kind of insight that comes to the one that follows," Mr. Gladwell said. Just think of the search engine showdown between AltaVista and Google. (I think we all know how that one turned out.) Of course, sometimes an organization's culture is dictated by its circumstances. In its early days, Apple had no choice but to borrow, follow and be nimble. It was "desperate," Mr. Gladwell said: It simply didn't have the staff or money to be as innovative as its wealthy counterparts. "Resources can stand in the way of that hunger, of making a big difference in the marketplace," Mr. Gladwell said. Organizations can change their culture of innovation -- if they have the courage and ability to admit they're doing something wrong. And that's a characteristic Mr. Gladwell classified as "insanely hard to find" in leaders. He added that almost any professional can become a practical real-world innovator, but only if that person has permission from management. Innovation is a phenomenon of the masses, not of the elite, he said. "Tweakers" are the ones sparking the greatest advances, exponentially raising the power of existing technology by making small changes. Read more posts from congress. |
Olympic Megaproject Unites Canada
Categories:
PMI Global Congress 2011 - North America
Categories: PMI Global Congress 2011 - North America
| John Furlong had a vision: Unite all of Canada behind the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games. Under his leadership as head of the Vancouver Organizing Committee, that vision became the driving force behind the 14-year megaproject. In a moving presentation at PMI® Global Congress 2011 -- North America, Mr. Furlong gave an insider's look at how, with solid risk management, the project team overcame a slew of unexpected obstacles to deliver the biggest project ever staged in Canada. For example, all the team's scientific data -- going back 100 years -- indicated there would be enough snow on the mountain scheduled to host snowboarding and skiing events. There wasn't. The result was a 24/7 effort on the eve of the event to bring in snow from 100 kilometers (62 miles) away. In the end, it was ready for action. Rallying people behind the Olympic vision meant reaching out to every corner of the country -- literally in some cases. Part of the team, for example, was tasked to ensure that every Canadian had the chance to see the Olympic torch. Team members drew and redrew maps, trimmed out rest days from the schedule and ultimately pulled off a 106-day torch relay. The darkest hour of the games came when Georgian luger Nodar Kumaritashvili died during a training run. The outpouring of support across Canada helped Mr. Furlong realize the entire country was behind the organization. That backing helped his own team get through the crisis. Mr. Furlong shared four takeaways from his Olympic experience:
Mr. Furlong finished with this advice for all project managers: "Sometimes you have to get on your hands and knees and claw your success out of the dirt." See more posts from PMI® Global Congress 2011 -- North America. |
"Miracle" Project Wins PMI Project of the Year Award
Categories:
PMI Global Congress 2011 - North America
Categories: PMI Global Congress 2011 - North America
| Shave US$100 million from a project's budget and your stakeholders will likely be thrilled. Shave another US$100 million from the budget and the entire project management profession will likely take notice. The team behind the Prairie Waters project of Aurora, Colorado, USA, did just that. And last night at PMI® Global Congress 2011--North America, it was named 2011 PMI Project of the Year. After a two-year drought in Aurora, the project aimed to provide an added 10,000 acre-feet to the city's water supply. What set this particular project apart from the pack? "Excellent project management" and "a little bit of luck," said Larry Catalano, manager of the capital projects division for the City of Aurora, as he accepted the honor. "Just imagine for a moment: one program management firm, three construction managers, four city project managers, five design engineering firms, seven general contractors, 10 bid packages, 36 regulatory agencies, 140 property easements, 410 permits and 11 city council members representing 330,000 people that weren't too happy about their water bills being increased," he said. "Sprinkle in a few attorneys here and there and add an owner-controlled insurance program and I think it's a miracle we got this project done at all." Mr. Catalano called Prairie Waters "truly a legacy project" for the city. The project required constructing a 34-mile (55-kilometer), 60-inch (1.5-meter) pipeline, four pump stations, a natural purification area and one of the world's most technically advanced water-treatment facilities, which handles 50 million gallons (189 million liters) per day. During the project's design phase, city council members required project leaders to cut US$100 million from the initial estimated budget of US$854 million. In the construction phase, project leaders created incentives for contractors to come up with ways to deliver the project more cost effectively, while maintaining safety and quality standards. Any cost savings were split evenly with the city and the contractors. The project was ultimately delivered for US$653 million -- and two months ahead of schedule. The Prairie Waters project was honored along with two finalists: Oak Grove Steam Electric Station, Franklin, Texas, USA and EMAL Smelter Complex, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. Look for video case studies of all the finalists along with more awards coverage and a full list of winners on PMI.org. |
Gladwell and Watson -- And a Lot More is Coming at Congress
Categories:
PMI Global Congress 2011 - North America
Categories: PMI Global Congress 2011 - North America
| Like any good fan of bleeding-edge business thought, I'm always interested in what author Malcolm Gladwell has to say about innovation. This weekend at PMI® Global Congress 2011 -- North America, Mr. Gladwell is slated to give a keynote on organizational culture and innovation drawing on lessons learned from Xerox, Apple and IBM. He'll also cover how project managers can inspire creative thinking to help drive business growth and, just possibly, change the world. Resident blogger Jim De Piante will lead a session showcasing Watson, IBM's supercomputer that beat out contestants on TV quiz show Jeopardy! Learn about the IBM Grand Challenge that led to Watson, a revolutionary undertaking that required a different sort of project management. John Furlong will discuss his role as the mastermind of the Vancouver 2010 Olympic & Paralympics Winter Games. Teaser: It involved a US$1.76 billion budget, more than 2,600 participants, 82 nations, 86 events and 55,000 volunteers. Intrigued? We'll have more. Congratulations to the Prairie Waters Project, the 2011 PMI Project of the Year recipient. They were awarded last night, along with several other winners. We'll have more on the awards ceremony coming later, plus much more as the event goes on. Follow @PMINAC and use hashtag #pminac to keep up with congress happenings on Twitter. And of course, stay tuned to Voices for more posts from congress through the weekend. If you're going, see you there! |
The Invisible Side of Different Generations in Project Teams
Categories:
Generational PM
Categories: Generational PM
| Generation X represents the majority of members in project teams around the world. (The exact date range of this generation varies, but for the purpose of this post, it is those born in the 1960s through the early 1980s). These team members are potential candidates to transition to higher ranks once their senior project managers and program managers are ready to retire. Veteran project managers and program managers who are close to retirement are looking for the right successor. But that can be challenging because of the divergence of values among generations. Cultural and generational beliefs and behaviors have both "visible" and "invisible" components. Visible elements of beliefs and behaviors are easy to observe and represent the 'what' of cultures and generations. For example, baby boomers are confident, independent and self-reliant, and those from the Silent generation are disciplined and loyal. The invisible part is not easy to observe and represents the 'why' of cultures and generations. It holds values, beliefs, attitudes and assumptions that are a result of shared experiences. During Generation X's childhood years, in the mid 60's and 70's, there was an intense competition between the U.S. and the former Soviet Union. This competition influenced people to strive towards their country goal and fostered teamwork. The competition between countries included fields like economy, politics, science and sports. Generation X was born into, and grew up in this competitive environment. They have taken their culture and spirit to the workplace and positively impact project teams with their pragmatism, competence and technological savvy. In my opinion, project managers and team members of different generations need to look on the invisible side of their beliefs and values to understand each other and avoid stereotyping and creating the wrong perception. As a project manager, what would you say is the main contribution of Gen X team members? What other invisible factors had a positive effect for generations now in the workforce? |