Organizational Culture Implications on Projects

organizational culture implications

Project managers must be aware that their actions will have some organizational culture implications. First, they have to interact with the culture of their parent organization as well as the subcultures of various departments (e.g., marketing, accounting). Second, they have to interact with the project’s client or customer organizations. Finally, they have to interact in…

Organizational Culture, How to Define, Implement and Nurture

organizational structure

The decision for combining a discussion of project management structures (you can read it here) and organizational culture can be traced to a conversation I had with two project managers who work for a medium-sized IT firm. They were developing a new operating platform that would be critical to the future success of their company.…

Functional Organizational Structure

Functional Organizational Structure

One approach to organizing projects is to simply manage them within the existing functional organizational structure hierarchy of the organization. Once management decides to implement a project, the different segments of the project are delegated to the respective functional units with each unit responsible for completing its segment of the project (see figure below). Coordination…

How to Organize Projects Within A Matrix Organizational Structure

Matrix Organizational Structure

One of the biggest management innovations to emerge in the past 30 years has been the matrix organizational structure. Matrix management is a hybrid organizational structure in which a horizontal project management structure is “overlaid” on the normal functional hierarchy. The matrix organizational structure In a matrix system, there are usually two chains of command,…

Organizational Structure: Do You Belong?

organizational structure

Once management approves a project then the question becomes, how will the project be implemented. This article examines three different organizational structure mechanics used by firms to implement projects: functional organization, dedicated project teams, and matrix structure. Although not exhaustive, these organizational structures and their variant forms represent the major approaches for organizing projects. The advantages…

How to Survive Your Organizational Structure

organizational structure

Understanding organizational styles is more than an academic exercise because choosing the right structure could provide a competitive advantage for a firm. But how does the organizational structure affect you as a project manager? Consider the following: Authority. Clearly, the difference between the organizational styles is that some favor projects while others favor ongoing operations.…

What is Your Organizational Style? Here Are Some Examples

organizational style

Certain firms perform nothing but project work; large construction companies fit this model. The majority of their organization is devoted to specific projects. On the other end of the spectrum, utilities are operations-oriented. The majority of companies, however, conduct ongoing operations and projects. Choosing an organizational style that supports projects has never been easy. After…

The Project Environment

project environment

Understanding project management begins with understanding the project environment. This environment is different from that of a traditional organizational environment. This series looks at the ways in which managing projects differs from managing ongoing operations and shows how the discipline of project management has evolved to address the challenges that are unique to projects. The…