Paul PelletierProject management key note speaker, author, corporate lawyer, and executive| Paul Pelletier Consulting Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Bullying in Project Management is a serious problem and a hot topic.
About.com picked up an article about bullying in PM. It may help project managers deal with bullies on your projects.
Eric LamySenior Project Manager| Keurig Green MountainNewbury, Ma, United States
Paul,
Great article and some nice process steps. Can you talk at all to interorganizational project bullying? Saving Changes...
Paul PelletierProject management key note speaker, author, corporate lawyer, and executive| Paul Pelletier Consulting Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Hi Eric,
Inter-organizational bullying most often occurs in PM in relation to clients/customers and vendors. Once again, the most important components of the behaviour to assess are whether it is a pattern of repeated, disrespectful and deliberate action that is designed to benefit the bully. Bullies can work anywhere and impact anyone they decide to target. If you are lead on a project that is important to the bully and you are perceived as a threat by him/her, it's critical to understand what is going on and what are your coping skills available.
There is a big difference between a "difficult" client or "tough" negotiator (who you can reason with and resolve conflicts through rational conversation) and a bully (who you can't do either with).
I'd be happy to have an off-line conversation about this with you. Each situation requires careful evaluation but no situation is hopeless. There are always options for dealing with any kind of bullying. Saving Changes...
Paul PelletierProject management key note speaker, author, corporate lawyer, and executive| Paul Pelletier Consulting Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Thanks Pravin. I appreciate the feedback. Saving Changes...
