The demarcation between functional conflict and dysfunctional conflict is neither clear nor precise. In one team, members may exchange a diatribe of four-letter expletives and eventually resolve their differences. Yet in another project team, such behavior would create irreconcilable divisions and would prohibit the parties from ever working together productively again. The distinguishing criterion is…
Tag: Management
Manage Dysfunctional Conflict Easily Using This 5 Step Framework
Managing dysfunctional conflict is a much more challenging task than encouraging functional conflict. First, dysfunctional conflict is hard to identify. A manager might have two highly talented professionals who hate each others guts, but in the heat of competition they produce meritorious results. Is this a pleasant situation? No. Is it functional? Yes, as long…
Managing Project Reward Systems
Project managers are responsible for managing the reward systems that encourage team performance and extra effort. One advantage they have is that often project work is inherently satisfying, whether it is manifested in an inspiring vision or simple sense of accomplishment. Projects provide participants with a change in scenery, a chance to learn new skills,…
How to create a Project Shared Vision
Unlike project scope statements, which include specific cost, completion dates, and performance requirements, a project shared vision involves the less tangible aspects of project performance. It refers to an image a project team holds in common about how the project will look upon completion, how they will work together, and/or how customers will accept the…
How to Establish a Team Identity
One of the challenges project managers often face in building a team is the lack of full-time involvement of team members. Specialists work on different phases of the project and spend the majority of their time and energy elsewhere. They are often members of multiple teams, each competing for their time and allegiance. And so,…
Conducting Your First Project Team Meeting
Research on team development confirms what we have heard from project managers: The first project team meeting is critical to the early functioning of the project team. According to one veteran project manager: The first team meeting sets the tone for how the team will work together. If it is disorganized, or becomes bogged down…
I Care About Project Stakeholders, How About You?
First-time project managers are eager to implement their own ideas and manage their people to successfully complete their project. What they soon find out is that project success depends on the cooperation of a wide range of individuals(stakeholders), many of whom do not directly report to them. For example, during the course of a system…
Managing versus Leading a Project
I will begin with a brief discussion on managing versus leading a project. Then in a subsequent article I will move to tackle the importance of managing project stakeholders. I couldn’t wait to be the manager of my own project and run the project the way I thought it should be done. Boy, did I…
ProofHub, Project Management Collaboration Done Right
ProofHub was launched in 2011 and in a market crowded with many project management tools, it has managed to carve a niche of its own. Watch this short ProofHub video to get started then continue below for in depth analysis on this app for project management. ProofHub Main Focus ProofHub is a project management web app…
Huddle Up! Secure Cloud Collaboration for Coworkers and Clients
Huddle is privately owned cloud-based software company founded in London in 2006 by Andy McLoughlin and Alastair Mitchell. It is co-headquartered in San Francisco and London, and they have additional offices in New York City and Washington D.C. In 2014, Team Huddle has raised approximately $51 million in Series D round of funding from Zouk Capital, Hermes GPE…