Case Study: Trust

The project manager made every attempt to establish credibility with all team members knowing that most business units held a high level of distrust towards headquarters when it instituted company-wide projects. The prevalent suspicion by business units was that headquarters was always trying to impose control or doing so via other business units.

To help break down this wall of suspicion, even the mere appearance of unfairness was avoided by focusing on the overall vision for the project and considering facts and data during decision making. The project manager also strove to be tolerant and receptive to different viewpoints on issues and problems, regardless of whether they supported or opposed his own preferences.

In addition, he strove to appear and act consistent in his approach when dealing with issues and problems. He sought to avoid making exceptions for individuals and did so in the interests of the overall project and communicated his rationale. If necessary, he sought approval from the others. This collaboration encouraged a sense of fairness and buy-in.

The project manager also employed positive confrontation dealing with an issue or problem openly when dealing with issues or problems. That was accomplished by encouraging dialog and avoiding the dangerous charge of operating according to a hidden agenda.

By allowing team members to develop their own portion of the work breakdown structure, estimates, and dates (within the confines of the project charter), the project manager demonstrated his trust in them. He instilled, without them realizing it, a sense of responsibility and accountability. To ensure their commitment, he published the results of all work on the web site.

Finally, he demonstrated ethical behavior throughout the project by reporting negative as well as positive news about cost, schedule, and quality performance. This approach augmented stakeholders' trust in him and his overall leadership of the project. In other words, he avoided "sugar coating" results and did not succumb to pressures, especially from senior managers who had a track record of "shooting the messenger."