In Project Management, Never Go Against Human Nature

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The management guru Peter Drucker once said, "Management is a practice. Its essence lies not in knowledge, but in action; its verification lies not in logic, but in results; and its only authority is achievement." In the field of project management, which is full of challenges and uncertainties, a deep understanding of human nature and the avoidance of going against it are the key paths to success. Project management is not just about controlling the project schedule, cost, and quality. Its core lies in the management of people. Because every link in the project, from the formulation of the plan to its implementation and finally to its delivery, is completed by people. And human nature, which is complex and changeable, is the most important factor that cannot be ignored but is also the most elusive in project management. Truly excellent project managers do not naively believe that human nature will present an idealized state in the project environment. Instead, they choose to respect the characteristics of human nature and conform to its laws to promote the smooth progress of the project.

I. When the project is successful, don't expect all members to cheer sincerely

When the project finally achieves success after going through numerous difficulties and has remarkable results, the project manager may expect team members to happily celebrate this honor together. However, the reality is often not like this. The success of the project means the reallocation of resources and the potential changes in personal roles and status. In this situation, not all team members will cheer purely for the success of the project. Some members may feel pressured due to the increase in their workload after the project's success. They may offer congratulations on the surface, but be worried in their hearts. Some members may be jealous of their colleagues who have stood out in the project, thinking that their own light has been overshadowed. Even if they clap, their applause that lacks genuine emotion. For example, in a large-scale software project, the project team successfully developed a well-received software product, bringing huge profits to the company. The project manager happily organized a celebration, but found that some team members were rather indifferent. Later, it was learned that some members were worried about the heavy follow-up maintenance work, and some members felt that their contributions in the project had not been fully recognized, which greatly reduced their joy for the project's success. Under the halo of the project's success, everyone has their own considerations. The project manager should understand that the cheers after the project's success may not be as pure and enthusiastic as imagined, and should not feel disappointed or confused because of this. It is necessary to realize that the impact of the project's success is multi-faceted, and the reactions of the members are normal manifestations of human nature under different interests and demands.

II. After giving your all, don't be obsessed with gratitude in return

During the progress of the project, project managers often spend a lot of time and energy to ensure the smooth progress of the project. They carefully plan every detail, coordinate various resources, actively look for solutions when facing problems, and even sacrifice their own rest time. However, don’t expect gratitude in return for your effort. From the perspective of human nature, when the project manager continuously provides support and help to the team, the team members may gradually take this effort for granted. Once the project manager is unable to meet their needs as usual for some reason, the members may feel dissatisfied and even complain. In a construction project, the project manager has long been solving various logistical support problems for the team members, from the allocation of construction equipment to the accommodation arrangements for the workers, and has handled everything in an orderly manner. But once, due to problems with external suppliers, the construction materials did not arrive on time. The project manager made every effort to coordinate, but still could not avoid a one-day delay in the construction period. At this time, some team members began to blame the project manager, completely ignoring the many efforts he had made for the project before. This is the manifestation of the " Berger's Law" in psychology in project management. The excessive efforts of the project manager for the team may lead to a decrease in the sensitivity of the members to this effort, and even make them regard it as the norm. Once this effort decreases or stops, the members will have negative emotions. Therefore, when making efforts, the project manager should not be obsessed with obtaining the gratitude of the team members, but should regard it as a necessary action to promote the progress of the project. At the same time, it is also necessary to reasonably control the degree of effort to avoid making the team members form excessive dependence.

III. In the project dilemma, don't fantasize about others taking the initiative to help

During the life cycle of a project, it is inevitable to fall into various dilemmas, such as budget overruns, schedule delays, and technical problems that cannot be solved. In these difficult times, the project manager may expect senior leaders, other departments, or partners to take the initiative to lend a helping hand and help the project get out of the dilemma. But the reality is often less optimistic. When the project is at a low point, there are very few people who will take the initiative to provide substantial help. Senior leaders may not be able to provide sufficient support for the project in trouble due to their focus on multiple projects and limited resources. Other departments may choose to wait and see out of consideration for their own interests, worrying that excessive participation will affect the work of their own department. Partners may be cautious about further investment due to the increased project risks. In a cross-industry cooperation project, due to sudden changes in the market environment, the project cost has increased significantly, and there is a risk of the capital chain breaking. When the project manager asks the partners and superior departments for help, the partners refused to increase the investment on the grounds of the contract terms, and the superior department said that it needed to re-evaluate the feasibility of the project and could not provide additional funds for the time being. At this time, the project manager cannot place all hopes on the help of others. When the project is at a low point, the project manager should rely on his own wisdom and team’s resilience to actively find solutions to the problems. It is necessary to calmly analyze the causes of the project dilemma, readjust the project plan, optimize the resource allocation, and lead the team to strive to get out of the dilemma.

IV. Under the conflict of interests, don't simply rely on personal relationships to maintain relationships

In project management, conflicts of interests are everywhere. Different project stakeholders, such as customers, team members, senior leaders, and partners, all have their own interests and demands. When these interests and demands conflict, simply relying on feelings to solve problems is often ineffective. Customers hope to obtain the highest quality project results at the lowest cost; team members expect to obtain more personal growth opportunities and reasonable rewards in the project; senior leaders are concerned about the contribution of the project to the overall strategic goals of the company; and partners pursue the maximization of their own economic interests in the project. The project manager must face up to the conflicts of interests and coordinate the relationships among all parties through reasonable negotiations, well-structured mechanisms for interest alignment, and clear rules. When formulating the project plan and contract terms, it is necessary to fully consider the possible conflicts of interests and formulate countermeasures in advance. Only in this way can the smooth progress of the project be ensured in the complex interest relationships.

Project management master Dr. Kerzner once said, "Project management is not just a technology, but also an art, an art of understanding and managing human nature." Human nature has many complex manifestations in project management. If project managers always go against these characteristics of human nature and try to manage the project and the team in an idealized way, they may face setbacks or even jeopardize the project, and the project may also be affected. Project managers should adopt a more open-minded and intelligent attitude, respect human nature, conform to human nature, and skillfully use the characteristics of human nature to promote the success of the project. Only in this way can they advance further in the field of project management and achieve more outstanding achievements.