Today, probably more than ever before, speaking truth to those in power is vitally necessary.  While those subject to governmental politics could also benefit from topics covered in this post, leaders in organizations doing project-based work are the prime target.

Since organizations by their nature are political, effective leaders become politically sensitive.  That means to be aware of how things get done in an organization but not get dragged into negative political battles.  Identify your sources of power.  Beware of ambivalence towards power and politics.  Take a stance where motivation is to create a win-win situation that is out in the open.  The alternative is to become a political victim of a win-lose situation that is conducted not in the open but in a back room or out of sight of full disclosure.  History is replete with scenarios where growth is limited or curtailed by dictators, mob controls, or special interests.  Free markets or open organizations accomplish far more in shorter time periods.  It becomes necessary to develop a political plan, design an approach, look for examples and insights that turn potential victim scenarios into win-win political victories.

Project leaders are closest to the action in most organizations which makes them most knowledgeable about what is going on—the truth—and what should be done to achieve success.  Unfortunately, they often do not possess the resources or approval to do those things.  And the people in power are not always open to hearing the truth.  This happens for any number of reasons, such as pressure from shareholders, a drive to meet an out-of-alignment measurement system, a personal agenda, desire for more power, or insufficient knowledge about the project management process.  Even worse, the messenger may get proverbially “shot” for delivering the “truth” (bad news) to those in “power.”

Peak performing people use potent processes, positive politics, and pragmatic power to achieve sufficient profit and keep organizations on a path towards a purpose.   A Political Plan addresses the power structure in an organization, identifying critical stakeholder levels of impact and support, building a guiding coalition, and determining areas of focus for maximum impact.  Creating an environment for project success means leading with power and becoming proficient in speaking truth to power.  By applying these concepts to difficult situations, leaders become better equipped to implement change, develop skills that achieve greater impact, and advance maturity in their organizations.

Taming Organizational Chaos

Most changes and ongoing prosperity within organizations derive from successful projects.  One of the challenges of moving to a project-based organization is the time and processes necessary to change behavior within the culture or the culture itself.  A revitalization model helps to understand the stages that naturally exist.  It describes a society moving through a series of temporary overlapping but distinct stages of change until the majority of its members are ready for change.  Few believe in the benefits of change until they actually experience them.

The revitalization model depicted below carries a full description in Creating an Environment for Successful Projects.  Inevitably an organization’s steady state (1.) get interrupted by some change, such as competitive action, a customer request, or a market disruption.  This creates stress within individuals (2.), some of whom see the need for making a change to adopt project management or achieve higher maturity in the processes employed.  Some who voice the need for change wind up exiting the organization, either voluntarily or not.  Since this is usually not a desired movement, many choose to remain loyal, not speak up or rock the boat.  So, things get worse until the resulting cultural distortion (3.) is so bad that drastic change is required.  This gets the organization moving toward revitalization (4.).  Then the pattern repeats.  Steps 2. and 3. are painful and often protracted over time.  Most problems and mistakes surface during this time.

One answer (albeit not a preferred one) for people questioning how to deal with a difficult situation or manager is to wait until things get so bad or the person retires.  This cultural distortion stage is so onerous that change happens.  The model is consistent with chaos theory, which says there is disorder before order.  While the stress and distortion are uncomfortable to experience, patterns exist, and boundaries limit the chaos.  With shared purpose and meaning, together with skilled and motivated people, an organization unleashes creativity and energy that forms new order and life.

Exhibit:  Stages of a Revitalization Process

 A leader who wants to minimize the disruptions seeks to follow the path through the middle of the exhibit and implement voice with power. During stressful times and cultural distortions, put effort into creating value with new products or services, and/or developing new skills, and be ready for the revitalization uptick. This model serves as “brain food” to better understand, be patient, and serves to “tame the chaos.”

The following steps describe how to do this. 

The Political Jungle

One element of a political plan that can help turn potential victim scenarios into win-win political victories is to assess and negotiate the political landscape.  An organic approach to project management means to observe the world we live in and utilize or apply natural systems to organizational challenges.  Especially when implementing any change in organizations, resistance arises.  A metaphor of the political jungle describes this resistance as someone new entering the jungle.  Resident animals react to this invasion in different ways, most often by attacking the invader.  These reactions can be noted and then used to guide the interloper.  Desired behavior is to apply different actions that ensure survival and enable the creation of something new. 

Leading with power in a political jungle starts with identifying, naming, and characterizing the “animals” that occupy the territory.  This important step helps predict resistance to changes in the status quo.

Speaking Truth to Power

Surviving the political jungle requires specific skills from a leader.  Identifying the players equips you to next apply a speaking truth to power process.  The essence of this process is to prepare yourself with a detailed understanding of the current situation, reality, and history of the people and organization that addresses why people believe and behave the way they do.  Then define all the facts and data about the truth of the situation.  Mere opinions are not sufficient.

Delivering the truth may require help from other sources as well as keeping discussion founded on evidence, much as depicted in American television on crime scene investigations (CSI).  Draw courage from acting on your convictions, passion, and commitment to do the right thing.  Getting the job done means you clearly describe the pain of the current reality plus share a vision for a future state that is different.  Your credibility and transparent motivation make people want to listen to what you say.  Apply empathy and curiosity.  A key point is to speak in the language of the persons needing to receive the message, such as in upper management speak or in engineer speak.  For example, too many technical details do not interest upper managers who want to know how the project will create revenue, increase market share, or solve particular problems.  An effective sender matches the style and content of the language used with the preferred means of communicating used by the receiver of the message.

Summary

Leading with power is a learned skill.  It involves assessment, identification, skill-building, planning, and application.  Like all learning it involves movement between reflection and action.

A revitalization model describes typical stages that happen within all organizations.  Understanding its natural flow invokes understanding and possibly patience about dealing with current realities.  It depicts alternatives in whether to voice, exit, or be loyal to the organization.  It also points to a step that can accelerate revitalization, and that is to voice with power and speak truth to power.  Speaking truth has its risks.  However, there are discrete practices and skills that can be applied not only to survive the process but to prosper and achieve greater impact.

The political process is always at work in organizations.  The political jungle is a chaotic environment.  Success comes to those who identify the “animals” in the jungle and recognize that they exhibit certain traits and patterns.  Each is driven by a purpose.  Being effective with these “animals” involves working in their preferred operating modes, speaking their language, and aligning common purposes.

An overlay to the project management process is to prepare a political plan.  Address the power structure in your organization, levels of stakeholder impact and support, who forms a supporting or guiding coalition to make the vision become reality, and what are the areas of focus that constitute a strategic plan. This plan involves observing how an organization gets work done and performing stakeholder analysis.  It further incorporates creative human dynamics to encourage proactive thinking about how to respond to and influence other people in the organization.  Since power is the capacity to translate intention into reality and sustain it, and organizational politics is the exercise or use of power, leading with power means embracing the political environment as a means to achieve success.

Randall L Englund and the Englund Project Management Consultancy discuss these topics and more during in-person seminars, online graduate courses, business management books, and facilitated sessions with executives and their teams.