three things i learned from mba
TRANSCRIPT
Three Things I Learned From MBAFrom a project management perspectiveSuresh Gopalakrishnan
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NEGOTIATION
Knowing your MDO*, LAA and BATNA at the onset of negotiation is critical
As you progress in a negotiation, BATNA can improve and keeping a close watch is critical
Case in Point: I was asked to save a troubled project• Did not identify improvement in BATNA after few months
• Should have used the improved situation to my advantage
• Ended up writing off few hundred thousand dollars
* MDO-Most Desired Outcome, || LAA-Least Accepted Agreement || BATNA-Best Alternate to Negotiated Agreement
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NEGOTIATION CONTD..Second most important thing • Separate interests from position
Classic example • Two children fighting over an Orange
• After a while they realized one just needed juice and the other only wanted skin!
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TRAITS VS. SKILLS
Traits are innate but skills can be taught
Many organizations give heavier emphasis on skills and not traits
Organizations will be better served by focusing on these traits known as Five Factor Model Conscientiousness, Emotional Stability, Extraversion, Agreeableness, and
Openness to experience
Individuals with the above traits can make stronger contributions and can overcome certain deficiencies in skill set
Case in point: My personal experience at a firm in southern California • While getting interviewed for a PM position I was asked so many technical details
that were irrelevant for PM role
• Individual who took that position was let go after a year due to lack of leadership traits
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TRAITS VS. SKILLS CONTD..
Identifying traits through traditional interview process can be challenging
There is an increasing trend in use of psychometric tests before starting interview process
Two articles published recently have some interesting statistics and opposing viewpoints• http://
hbr.org/2013/11/when-hiring-first-test-and-then-interview
• http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2013/12/theyre-watching-you-at-work/354681/
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INFLUENCING WITHOUT AUTHORITY
Biggest challenge in consulting is getting business users’ acceptance
• Specifically on willingness to share their business processes
Many folks believe that their business is too complex for others to comprehend
• This can lead to reduced participation and delays in getting business scenarios, requirements, test scripts etc.
• Certainly a challenging situation given PM’s lack authority
How to influence people when we lack authority?
• Below equation from “Science of Persuasion” might helpKnowledge + Trust = Authority
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INFLUENCING WITHOUT AUTHORITY CONTD..
To gain business users’ confidence• Spend time learning the business processes
Business knowledge coupled with trust will give a jump start during project initiation
Case in point: In one my project • Business users were hesitant to provide complete business scenarios,
foundation to measure “success”
• Multiple escalations did not persuade business users
• Reflecting on the above equation,Team’s position was weak to influence business usersTeam should have spent more time early on in the project to gain a
thorough understanding of business processes
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PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER
• Start exploring others’ positions and interests while dealing with “conflicting priorities”, one of the biggest challenges a project manager has to deal with
• Offer “Expanding the Pie” options to emphasize you are not focusing on win-lose, but rather on win-win situation
• Explore every situation by separating interest from position and always look for opportunities to expand the pie
• Keep watching your MDO, LAA, and BATNA so that you can gain some advantage on your negotiation
• While there is no perfect science in recruiting, ensure you execute a balanced process that will eliminate outliers
• Focusing on Five Factor model, more than technical know-how will get you a good start on a team that can work well together
• Spend some serious time understanding the business processes so that you have an authoritative position to navigate the project and get it done “faster, better, and cheaper”