Diversity in Project Management
I have had discussions in the last week with managers at three different global companies. All mentioned that outsourcing was in their future in one way or another. Their companies are looking for Project Managers to support this outsourcing. I started to think about the skills of the project managers in their organizations. Technically competent, bottom line results oriented, masters of Microsoft Project and documentation.
We like to define the Knowledge, Skills, and Attitudes that are best suited for people performing capabilities. Knowledge is the body of facts and information that a person acquires. Skills are the capacities that people develop through training and experience. Attitudes are beliefs and opinions that support or inhibit behavior.
Attitudes are important. I might not be a good candidate for an administrative support role in a doctor’s office. The attitudes that I have about what I like to work on would make coding insurance forms everyday feel tedious. I would not enjoy that job. Although I am capable of developing the knowledge and skills to do this job, there is no learning or training that can change my attitudes about what I want to do for work. There are people that probably would not enjoy studying organizational journals and management literature all the time or who do not enjoy going into new companies and facing new challenges every month or so. They could develop the knowledge and skills to do what I do, but they do not share my attitudes about what makes work fun.
I believe that the KSA’s for the project manager of today will be different from the KSA’s of the project manager needed where organizations have outsourced overseas. The biggest gap I see is that the attitudes needed to operate as an internal driver and administrator are different from the attitudes needed to facilitate the diversity that arises when organizations outsource. If these project managers fail, it will take a terrible toll on the organizations performance. We can train on the knowledge and develop the skills. However, we need to be selecting project managers that have an attitudes aligned to handle diversity and collaboration needed in an outsourced business model. Has your business thought about this? How is your business addressing this issue?