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Are often surprised when projects, especially complex ones, run into trouble. Program participants may be overconfident, always putting a positive spin on anything they report, or even have a cultural tendency to remain silent in the face of bad news. But complex projects don't fail overnight; they fail one day at a time, and often only after numerous warning signs. That's the view of MIT Sloan, D.C., and MIT Sloan Management Review, authors of "The Pitfalls of Project Status Reports," in the spring issue of MIT Sloan Management Review. The authors write that they identified specific Ways leaders can avoid being caught off guard when project launches run into trouble.
The first step for leaders is to understand five truths about human nature, project processes, and workflow that the authors call inconvenient truths. They argue that leaders who Job Function Email List recognize these facts ahead of time can be better prepared for how to obtain more realistic and accurate information. Five truths leaders need to realize: Managers cannot rely on project staff and other employees to accurately report project status information and speak up when problems are discovered. There are a number of reasons why people may misreport project status; personal personality traits, work climate, and cultural norms all come into play.

Aggressive audit teams are unable to deal with the impact of project staff misreporting project status and withholding information. Putting a senior executive in charge of a project may increase the likelihood of false positives. Executives tend to ignore bad news when they receive it. Throughout the article, the authors outline specific recommendations for each point. For example, regarding the first point, the authors urge a trust-but-verify policy and a healthy dose of skepticism. Tags: Collaboration Human Psychology More Webinars like this : How to Understand Irrational Competitors Five Ways Leaders Can Turn Resistance into Progress How to Leverage.
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