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Project Politics!

3 replies [Last post]
Wed, 2006-11-01 04:58
Christian Adrian ...
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In projects, politics is likely inevetable.. it can be internal or external. Can anybody share their insights on how their projects manage the politics or how they had dealt with it?
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Replies

Fri, 2006-11-03 05:44
#1
James Griffiths
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Could you expand a little further on what you mean by "project politics". To me, they are almost the same thing. Serving the project politics also serves one’s own interest.

James
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Thu, 2006-11-02 13:42
#2
Christian Adrian ...
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Yes James, I agree.. it goes back to Ethics and Interest. In a highly political project or environment the former always gets dropped out.. Fudging a report, creating a versions of truth, making gentleman’s agreement, hiring your relatives, be a pet to your boss.. correct me if I’m wrong but the way I’ve seen it this are just some of the ingredients in project politics all for the sake of interests :-)

How about the other... what’s your ingredients for project politics?
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Thu, 2006-11-02 05:19
#3
James Griffiths
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Hi Christian,

I’m sure that we all could write a thesis on Project Politics, so: Once upon a time....

Seriously, though: The most frequently encountered political elements are that of reporting progress. Without putting too-fine-a-point, LIES. They might only be little white lies and could perhaps be explained by errors in programme and activity codings, or extreme stretching of the truth by taking a slightly different viewpoint. There is always the need to put a positive spin on the situation, and this includes our client’s client.

Personally, I try and stay away from any politics, mainly because my job is to deal in facts, quantification and interpretational analyses. I have no shame in saying that, several years ago, I was removed from a project because "..we had to do something..". Yes, I was made the political scapegoat. However, two years later, my analyses were proven to be correct. This is why I let the data speak for itself. As long as I have confidence in that data, all I can do is present it, make the recommendations and then just leave them to do what they wish.

Ultimately, I’m sure that we have all had the opportunity to do something purely for reasons of political expediency. The question is: Can you live with yourself? It all comes back to Ethics and Interest (see this topic in PP).

In general, if I know that the situation is politically precarious, and I’m being asked to lie, I’ll take them through the spiel of reputation, honesty, integrity, and that it is far easier to manage the truth than to manage the lie. It works surprisingly well and also gets me out of the hole without having to directly tell them that I’m unwilling to deliberately tell lies. Sometimes, though, the lies are so minimal that, relative to the hassle that you’d get if you told the whole truth, it might just be worth it. However, I try to put in writing that I’m being asked to lie, just so that there is some form of reference should the poo hit the fan. Is that being politcal or what?

James.

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