Sink or Swim: Political Savvy Helps Project Managers Stay Afloat
by Bill Hagerup (August 27, 2001)

Move over elephants and donkeys. When it comes to the politics of IT project management, it's not a jungle out there. It's a rough, scary sea. But it doesn't have to be. Find out how to navigate through the following flounders and self-seeking sharks and become one of the dolphins, who keep hope alive by refusing to deny the positive impact politics can play in project management.

Flounder, shark or dolphin— what's your style? When it comes to managing the politics of projects, most of us could be characterized as one of these creatures.

Flounders stay low, bury themselves in the sand and hope to blend in with the surroundings. They avoid politics at all costs — even at the cost of their own careers.

Sharks move swiftly throughout the deep waters of the organization, looking for easy, defenseless prey to devour. Sharks thrive on politics, but they use their skills only to advance themselves and destroy others.

Dolphins may jump through hoops, but they do it with a smile. Dolphins are superior communicators, they can lead and cooperate and, when they stick together, they can fend off shark attacks. Dolphins understand how to use politics for the common good.

In my 30-year career in information technology and organization effectiveness, most of the project managers I've known have been flounders. They are hard working and committed, but ultimately much less effective than they could be. Research shows that projects slip or fail not because of technology issues, but because of people issues. And where there are people there are politics — that's the reality of the human side of technology. You just can't get around it. Yet so many project managers who are technically competent resist becoming politically competent.

The objections are classic.

• If we just work hard everything will be fine.
Yes, hard work is important, but it is only one ingredient in a successful project. Most of us manage projects that change people's lives, and most of the time, they don't want to change, so they resist us. Inevitably, projects generate conflict, and that results in behavior that could be considered "political" in the worst sense of the word. Flounders think that if they work hard and ignore the change, conflict and politics, things will turn out fine. Flounders are wrong.

• Politics is my boss's job.
Political behavior is common in all kinds of organization, but we observe more of it in the ranks of upper management than at our own level. This observation leads us to believe — incorrectly — that handling politics is our boss's job.

• I don't have time for politics.
And besides, we think, "Politics is a waste of my time and resources. I have real work to do." It's true that project managers are the busiest people on Earth, but they need to schedule time for practicing positive politics.

Underlying this wrong assumption is another falsehood. "If I treat people fairly, they will treat me the same." Sweet souls are the sharks' favorite victims.

• Politics is bad and politicians are worse.
Sure, we've seen some really nasty, predatory political behavior. We have seen the sharks take a bite out of a friend. Eventually we get bitten. No wonder we look down on politics as being distasteful. No wonder we feel reluctant to jump into this stormy sea of corporate life.

A more balanced view of politics
But politics is neither good nor bad; politics is neutral. Politics is a necessary and legitimate activity that project managers can apply to unite a team of people who have different interests and motives to reach a collective purpose and a means for achieving it.

When the political aim is to consider many opinions, to improve the positions of all players, and work toward beneficial outcomes, then politics isn't about one-upmanship. Instead politics can be used to facilitate positive growth and change. That's the dolphins' approach to politics. To dolphins, politics is about investing in long-term relationships so that people will want to work with them now and on the next assignment.

Tim Crothers, who is manager of IT business communications for 3M and has been with the company for 22 years, observed: "I always thought politics was dirty, and a lot of people had the same feeling. Now I realize that political savvy can be positive and I feel good about playing above board and ethically."

Why is politics so prevalent? Simple. It's all about the allocation of scarce resources. Of course, even in the best economic times, there are never enough resources to do everything that everyone wants to do. There are only so many people available; there's only so much money to be spent.

In order for us to be successful project managers, we have to secure some of those scarce resources for our projects and our teams. And to do that, we must learn how to use the power of politics to manage our projects effectively.

Dolphin politics
Politics is best approached from a realistic point of view, recognizing its inevitability and building the skills to turn the political project environment into a positive one. This is the dolphin view. Dolphins are smart, and they are fast learners. They adapt quickly and well to a variety of situations. They are capable of killing sharks.

As a project manager, you know that the job involves responsibility for delivering results without direct authority. So how do you get things done? You achieve results through the use of influence — the most potent political tool at your command.

Influence is the ability to persuade people without the use of force; to get them to cooperate, share resources, lend support and work together to meet common goals. Those who use influence as their primary tool for achieving their objectives are not only successful, but also often the most respected.

Tim Crothers, who is a highly regarded "dolphin" at 3M, knows that you can swim with sharks and not become one. He uses political techniques to guarantee his projects' success and to continually strengthen the long-term relationships he has made. Tim identifies allies and opponents of projects, develops strategies for building and defusing resistance, and charts a course that allows him to leverage existing resources for the benefit of the project.

Dangerous currents
If learning how to use the power of politics as a project manager sounds like a lot of unnecessary work, consider this: There are tangible dangers to spending your career as a flounder — or a shark.

Flounders rarely advance their careers as project managers or beyond. They struggle with every task associated with their work because they lack understanding of how human relationships affect their projects. Their avoidance of politics eventually leads their co-workers and bosses to judge them as people who do not know how to get things done. That perception spells trouble for project managers.

Sharks encounter different dangers. They manipulate others for their own ends, often preying on the many flounders that are easy victims for their con games. Sharks place their personal agendas above all else, which results in conflicts of interest that are usually resolved in sneaky deals that do little to further the organization's goals. These deals advance the careers of the ruthless sharks that are willing to swallow others on their fast track to the top. Along the way, they often hurt others' careers and the organization as a whole.

When people identify sharks as such, they insulate themselves from the predator, making it difficult for the shark to accomplish goals. Sharks need to keep moving to survive, and many shark-like project managers move from company to company, doing a lot of damage until they are caught.

Conclusion
There's something fishy about project managers who behave like flounders or sharks. Denying the importance of politics in the project management life cycle is foolish. Using political skills in an ethical manner is risky. In the end, nobody wants to work with these characters. But project managers who are willing to enhance their political skills are smart. By learning to apply politics in a positive way, they guarantee their berth at the top of the food chain.

Bill Hagerup, a 30-year IT veteran, is a senior consultant with Ouellette & Associates Consulting Inc. He delivers the workshop "The Politics of IT Project Management" and others in the O&A IT Project Management Certificate series at public seminars and private on-site workshops across the United States. He can be reached at bhagerup@ouellette-online.com.