Difficult SME Resource

Great advice has been provided already by my respected colleagues. Another thing I try in these situations is asking "motivational interviewing" type questions.......such as......on a scale of 1-10 with 1 being low and 10 being high, where would you rank your capacity or ability to complete this assignment on time? If they say anything higher than 1.....for example, if they respond I rank it a 4......I would then ask, why didn't you score it a 3? At this point, the responder flips to the positives or the things that will help them meet the goal. As they are speaking these things you have now switched their mindset to considering how they can meet the goal. Listen carefully and look for anything you can work with or build upon. If they say a 1, this won't really work.....but, if you can find a way to spin this positive and find some common ground you may create some energy and momentum!

Hi Erikka,

If the objectives of your project are not strategically aligned and you work in a disparate enterprise, then these types of behaviors (aggressive or passive-aggressive) are not that unusual. This is where your project sponsor(s) have a role, they should be the ones working behind the scenes and negotiating the alignment in the executive corridors.

It sounds like you have done reasonable due-diligence as the project manager, and if you lack “political clout” in the organization then you need someone who can properly navigate the corporate politic. If your sponsor is not willing to cross that bridge, then get his/her permission to allow you to reach out to other parties that garner influence with your prospective SME’s organization. This is an indirect path, but many times an influential third-party can assist in getting breakthroughs.

Bottom Line: It is completely reasonable and acceptable to use corporate politics to breakthrough corporate politics.