Hello PMI fellows,
I have worked on a project that faced difficulties in developing a roadmap for effective governance. The organization has several branches, each with different political dynamics and concentrations of power. The company has several (strategic) projects underway, and there is evident change saturation. Most of the committee members, selected by a project sponsor through consensus, are apprehensive about the project due to negative past experiences. They resist change and have varying expectations regarding the project's outcomes. The committee members should be aware of their scope of responsibilities.
Any recommendation on motivating the steering committee members to focus on the project's and organization's needs?
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Thomas WalentaGlobal Project Economy ExpertHackenheim, Germany
Decision-making, risk attitudes, (individual) commitment and other behaviors of steerco members depend very much on culture. Western-style rational, individualistic, short-term, transaction-based thinking will clash with Asian-style thinking, which is more holistic, harmonious, relationship-based, and face-preserving. Your framing of the problem seems to follow the Western style.
I worked for 12 years for a Japanese company client, and what worked for me was (Japanese) mentorship, trust building, and patience. Once, I asked an executive who is responsible for a system, and he replied that all employees are responsible.
Could you get two mentors?
One from the Western world with experience and one native.
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1 reply by Maria Hrabikova
Dec 31, 2024 3:30 PM
Maria Hrabikova
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Hello Thomas,
Thank you for sharing your knowledge and experience!
You are correct; I presented the problem from a Western perspective, but it pertains to a project in Asia.
You made an important point when you mentioned that, "Once, I asked an executive who is responsible for a system, and he replied that all employees are responsible."
Thank you!
Maria
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Sergio Luis ConteHelping to create solutions for everyone| Worldwide based OrganizationsBuenos Aires, Argentina
When you think about a project/program/portfolio process framework you need to think in terms of enterprise architecture. Just to comment, you will find about this inside the PMI´s business analysis related documentation. I was in charge to create this type of things from more than 30 years ago. I am writting this just to put on the table about it is not academic only. Writting about my previous work we have a layer architecture where governance process was on top of approaches, life cycles, methods, tools. Including it we need to consider SOX controls. So, this is about governance. About change, the thing is simple if a business analyst (just to put it in terms of the PMI again) work on demonstrate that with the initiative all people will be more rich with the initiative than without the initiative, where rich does not mean more money only. This is "the magic" of the role of business analyst. And this magic must be applied mainly with steering committee members.
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1 reply by Maria Hrabikova
Dec 31, 2024 3:32 PM
Maria Hrabikova
...
Hello Sergio,
Thank you for your valuable comment about the business analysis mindset! From this perspective, I appreciate your contribution to the other post.
It’s high time for me to start thinking differently!
Decision-making, risk attitudes, (individual) commitment and other behaviors of steerco members depend very much on culture. Western-style rational, individualistic, short-term, transaction-based thinking will clash with Asian-style thinking, which is more holistic, harmonious, relationship-based, and face-preserving. Your framing of the problem seems to follow the Western style.
I worked for 12 years for a Japanese company client, and what worked for me was (Japanese) mentorship, trust building, and patience. Once, I asked an executive who is responsible for a system, and he replied that all employees are responsible.
Could you get two mentors?
One from the Western world with experience and one native.
Hello Thomas,
Thank you for sharing your knowledge and experience!
You are correct; I presented the problem from a Western perspective, but it pertains to a project in Asia.
You made an important point when you mentioned that, "Once, I asked an executive who is responsible for a system, and he replied that all employees are responsible."
Thank you!
When you think about a project/program/portfolio process framework you need to think in terms of enterprise architecture. Just to comment, you will find about this inside the PMI´s business analysis related documentation. I was in charge to create this type of things from more than 30 years ago. I am writting this just to put on the table about it is not academic only. Writting about my previous work we have a layer architecture where governance process was on top of approaches, life cycles, methods, tools. Including it we need to consider SOX controls. So, this is about governance. About change, the thing is simple if a business analyst (just to put it in terms of the PMI again) work on demonstrate that with the initiative all people will be more rich with the initiative than without the initiative, where rich does not mean more money only. This is "the magic" of the role of business analyst. And this magic must be applied mainly with steering committee members.
Hello Sergio,
Thank you for your valuable comment about the business analysis mindset! From this perspective, I appreciate your contribution to the other post.
It’s high time for me to start thinking differently!
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