Motivation forces in Project Team from POME by Gautam Koppala
Motivation forces in Project Team
Motivation forces in Project Team
Understanding people is important for the effective team management of today's challenging projects. The breed of managers that succeeds within these often unstructured work environments faces many challenges. Internally, they must be able to deal effectively with a variety of interfaces and support personnel over whom they often have little or no control. Externally, managers have to cope with constant and rapid change regarding technology, markets, regulations, and socioeconomic factors. Moreover, traditional methods of authority-based direction, performance measures, and control are virtually impractical in such contemporary environments.
Sixteen specific professional needs of project team personnel are listed below. Research studies show that the fulfillment of these professional needs can drive project personnel to higher performance; conversely, the inability to fulfill these needs may become a barrier to teamwork and high project performance. The rationale for this important correlation is found in the complex interaction of organizational and behavioral elements.
Effective team management involves three primary issues:
(1) people skills,
(2) organizational structure, and
(3) management style.
All three issues are influenced by the specific task to be performed and the surrounding environment. That is, the degree of satisfaction of any of the needs is a function of
(1) having the right mix of people with appropriate skills and traits,
(2) organizing the people and resources according to the tasks to be performed, and
(3) adopting the right leadership style.
The sixteen specific professional needs of team personnel are as follows:
Interesting and challenging work. Interesting and challenging work satisfies various professional esteem needs. It is oriented toward intrinsic motivation of the individual and helps to integrate personal goals with the objectives of the organization.
Professionally stimulating work environment. This leads to professional involvement, creativity, and interdisciplinary support. It also fosters team building and is conducive to effective communication, conflict resolution, and commitment toward organizational goals. The quality of this work environment is defined through its organizational structure, facilities, and management style.
Professional growth. Professional growth is measured by promotional opportunities, salary advances, the learning of new skills and techniques, and professional recognition. A particular challenge exists for management in limited-growth or zero-growth businesses to compensate for the lack of promotional opportunities by offering more intrinsic professional growth in terms of job satisfaction.
Overall leadership. This involves dealing effectively with individual contributors, managers, and support personnel within a specific functional discipline as well as across organizational lines. It involves technical expertise, information-processing skills, effective communications, and decision-making skills. Taken together, leadership means satisfying the need for clear direction and unified guidance toward established objectives.
Tangible records. These include salary increases, bonuses, and incentives, as well as promotions, recognition, better offices, and educational opportunities. Although extrinsic, these financial rewards are necessary to sustain strong long-term efforts and motivation. Furthermore, they validate more intrinsic rewards such as recognition and praise and reassure people that higher goals are attainable.
Technical expertise. Personnel need to have all necessary interdisciplinary skills and expertise available within the project team to perform the required tasks. Technical expertise includes understanding the technicalities of the work, the technology and underlying concepts, theories and principles, design methods and techniques, and functioning and interrelationship of the various components that make up the total system.
Assisting in problem solving. Assisting in problem solving, such as facilitating solutions to technical, administrative, and personal problems, is a very important need. If not satisfied, it often leads to frustration, conflict, and poor quality work.
Clearly defined objectives. Goals, objectives, and outcomes of an effort must be clearly communicated to all affected personnel. Conflict can develop over ambiguities or missing information.
Management control. Management control is important for effective team performance. Managers must understand the interaction of organizational and behavior variables in order to exert the direction, leadership, and control required to steer the project effort toward established organizational goals without stifling innovation and creativity.
10. Job security. This is one of the very fundamental needs that must be satisfied before people consider higher-order growth needs.
11. Senior management support. Senior management support should be provided in four major areas: (1) financial resources, (2) effective operating charter, (3) cooperation from support departments, and (4) provision of necessary facilities and equipment. It is particularly crucial to larger, more complex undertakings.
12. Good interpersonal relations. These are required for effective teamwork sincethey foster a stimulating work environment with low conflict, high productivity, and involved, motivated personnel.
13. Proper planning. Proper planning is absolutely essential for the successful management of multidisciplinary activities. It requires communications and information-processing skills to define the actual resource requirements and administrative support necessary. It also requires the ability to negotiate resources and commitment from key personnel in various support groups across organizational lines.
14. Clear role definition. This helps to minimize role conflict and power struggles among team members and/or supporting organizations. Clear charters, plans, and good management direction are some of the powerful tools used to facilitate clear role definitions.
15. Open communications. This satisfies the need for a free flow of information both horizontally and vertically. It keeps personnel informed and functions as a pervasive integrator of the overall project effort.
16. Minimizing changes. Although project managers have to live with constant change, their team members often see change as an unnecessary condition that impedes their creativity and productivity. Advanced planning and proper communications can help to minimize changes and lessen their negative impact.
Gautam Koppala,
POME Author
Motivation forces in Project Team from POME by Gautam Koppala
By: GAUTAM KOPPALA
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