Working with Organizational Politics and Influences

In nearly all cases, the project exists within a larger organization. Some group or organization creates each project, and the project team must operate within the larger organization's environment. Several factors impact the extent to which the project is affected.

First, the extent to which the initiating organization derives revenue from projects affects how projects are regarded. In an organization where the primary stream of revenue comes from various projects, the project manager generally enjoys more authority and access to resources. On the other hand, organizations that create projects only due to outside demands will likely make it more difficult for the project manager to acquire resources. If a particular resource is needed to perform both operational and project work, many functional managers will resist requests to assign that resource to a project.

Another factor that influences how projects operate with respect to sponsoring organizations is the level of sponsorship from the project's origin. A project that has a sponsor who is at the director level will typically enjoy far less resistance than one with a sponsor who is a functional manager. The reason for this is simple: Many managers tend to protect their own resources and are not willing to share them without sufficient motivation. The more authority a project sponsor possesses, the easier time the project manager will have when requesting resources from various sources.

In addition to the previous issues, the sponsoring organization's maturity and project orientation can have a substantial effect on each project. More mature organizations tend to have more general management practices in place and allow projects to operate in a stable environment. Projects in less mature organizations might find that they must compete for resources and management attention due to fewer established policies. There can also be many issues related to the culture of an organization, such as values, beliefs, and expectations that can affect projects.

The last major factor that has a material impact on how projects exist within the larger organization is the management style of the organization itself. The next section introduces the main types of project management organizations and their relative strengths and weaknesses.