Something Must be Done
The project landscape is no stranger to failure. Despite our best intentions and efforts, it is rare for projects to deliver on their promises in full. However, rather than seeing this as an indictment of project management, we should see it as a microcosm of a larger truth about human endeavour. Projects, from building the pyramids to developing software, have always been the conduit through which humans effect change. They are a mirror to our societies, reflecting our ambitions, failures, strengths, and weaknesses.
Prominent project management researcher Bent Flyvbjerg suggests in “How Big Things Get Done” that psychology and power are the drivers of project success and failure. In essence, our understanding of the success and failure of projects comes down to a deeper understanding of human nature itself. This perspective also provides a lens through which we can view our collective failure to adequately respond to the complex, global challenges of our time, such as climate change, biodiversity loss, and growing inequality.
Understanding Human Nature in Projects:
In projects, just as in larger society, misunderstanding the complexity of human cognition and behaviour can lead to oversights and mistakes. We need a better understanding of how people process information, make decisions, and respond to change. Insights from neuroscience can offer valuable lessons in these areas, potentially enabling more effective project management strategies that can result in better project outcomes.
Human Short-Termism:
Our collective short-termism reflects our neurobiology. Our brains are wired to favour immediate rewards over future benefits. By recognizing this bias in our project management practices, we can create mechanisms that counteract our natural short-term focus, and encourage more sustainable, long-term thinking.
Prioritizing Human Factors:
Technical elements of a project often take centre stage, overshadowing the human factors that are critical for project success. Leadership, communication, teamwork, and the ability to manage conflict are all essential elements of any successful project. By understanding human motivations, emotions, and social dynamics, we can foster a more human-centred approach to projects.
Promoting Adaptability and Learning:
Change is a constant in both projects and in life. Neuroscience can offer valuable insights into how we learn and adapt to change, helping to foster resilience and continuous learning in project teams.
Integrating Multiple Disciplines:
Addressing the root causes of project failure requires integrating insights from various disciplines. While neuroscience offers significant insights into our behaviour, understanding projects and their societal context requires insights from sociology, economics, and other fields.
Engaging Diverse Stakeholders:
Just as diverse perspectives are needed to solve complex global challenges, they are also needed in projects. By engaging diverse stakeholders in problem-solving, we can develop more creative and robust solutions.
Conclusion
Our failure to consistently deliver successful projects is a symptom of broader issues in our understanding of human nature and behaviour. By integrating insights from neuroscience and other disciplines, prioritizing human factors, and promoting adaptability and diverse engagement, we can foster a more holistic approach to projects that not only improves project outcomes, but also enhances our ability to respond to complex, global challenges. We need to acknowledge the centrality of human nature in projects and view them not merely as technical endeavours but as deeply human ones.
Terry Cooke-Davies
25 May 2023
Image credit: Shutterstock. This article was created with the assistance of an AI language model developed by OpenAI.
