Kerzner Lecture 2018/ Jeff Pinto's Presentation | Baldwin ......Normalization of Deviance (NoD)...
Transcript of Kerzner Lecture 2018/ Jeff Pinto's Presentation | Baldwin ......Normalization of Deviance (NoD)...
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WELCOMEtoThe 2018 Kerzner Lecture andInternational Project Management DayNovember 1
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FEATURED SPEAKERProf. Jeffrey Pinto, Ph.D.
u Andrew Morrow and Elizabeth Lee Black Chair in the Management of Technology.
u Lead faculty member for Penn State’s Master of Project Management program.
u Author and editor of over 23 books and 120 scientific papers.
u Two-time recipient of the Distinguished Contribution Award from the PMI (1997, 2001).
u PMI’s Research Achievement Award in 2009 and International Project Management Association’s Research Achievement Award in 2017.
u Consulted widely in the US and Europe on a variety of topics.
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When the UnexpectedBecomes the Expected … Which Becomes the Accepted
Jeffrey Pinto, Ph.D.
Penn State University
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Project Governance
u The use of systems, structures of authority and processes to allocate resources and coordinate or control activity in a project.
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Means of Governance
u Through top-down methods that primarily involve upper management oversight.
u Through market or competitive mechanisms that allow comparison across projects.
u Through professional standards of best practices.
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Dynamic Tension
STANDARDS OF BEST PRACTICE “NORMALIZATION OF DEVIANCE”
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“Normalization of Deviance”
u Space Shuttle Columbia disaster
u First Flight on 12 April, 1981
u 28 Total Flights
u 160 Crew Members
u 4,808 Earth Orbits
u DOZENS OF REPORTED CASES OF FOAM INSULLATION STRIKES AGAINST FUSELAGE
u Columbia Destroyed on Reentry (1 Feb 2003)
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Costa Concordia
u On January 13, 2012, the Carnival cruise ship hit rocks off Giglio Island
u 32 of the 4,252 passengers were killed
u The course was unapproved but tradition allowed for “ship salute” publicity stunts
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Costa Concordia Disaster
“Carnival directors not only approved, but promoted the ship salutes as a convenient, effective marketing tool.”
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The Phenomenon? “Nomalization of Deviance”
u Well-intentioned organizations become desensitized to deviations from the norm.
u “Unexpected becomes the expected which becomes the accepted.”
u In the Columbia example, insulating foam strikes became an accepted phenomenon of launches.
u For Costa Concordia, risky ship salutes were the norm.
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Our Study
u Interviewed 21 Project Managers in 3 Organizations – 1) Multinational EPCM, 2) Computer and IT Contractor, 3) Medical Device Manufacturer
u “Consider examples in your organization of gradual processes through which unacceptable pm practices have become accepted and standardized.”
u Search for Common Themes
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How Does NoD Affect Project Management?
u Project Proposals and Strategic Misrepresentation
u Client/Contractor Relationships
u Planning and Scheduling Dynamics
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Normalization of Deviance (NoD) Effect #1
u Project Proposals and Strategic Misrepresentation
u In public projects, it is the norm to low-ball estimates and bids in order to get a project “on the books”
u Lack of clarity in accountability makes it tough to find a culprit (and, hence, a “fall guy”)
u Use of contractor scapegoating is a common side effect
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Examples
u California High-Speed Rail
u 2008 estimate: $33 billion
u 2018 estimate: $200 billion and climbing
u Honolulu’s Elevated Rail Project
u “Dear Mr. President, please cancel our project!”
u Boston’s Big Dig
u Olympic Games Bidding
u Rome’s response: Thanks, but no thanks
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NoD Effect #2
u Client/Contractor Relationships
u Where did the marriage fail?
u What does “trust” mean to them? To us?
u Getting rich on change orders is not a long-term relationship builder
u One Cause: Sales versus Engineering
u Decoupling sub-group rewards from the project’s “whole” outcomes
u Another Cause: Rival Camps Mentalities
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In Practice, What Does This Dynamic Resemble?
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NoD Effect #3
u Planning and Scheduling Dynamicsu Optimism bias
u Massaging the planu End date-driven schedules
u Superficial risk management
u Undermining Good Faith Efforts to Develop Workable Plans Breeds Cynicism and Demotivationu Telling the bosses what they want to hear
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Implications?
u Up to 200% schedule and budget overruns are viewed as the “norm” in many organizations.
u Our Project Management Practices are Fundamentally Self-Defeating
u Short-term results vs. Long-term relationships
u Cutting corners
u Willful blindness to self-correction (“But it works fine this way!”
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u “Management, at all levels, in many organizations, creates, by their own choice, a world that is contrary to what they say they prefer and contrary to the managerial stewardship they espouse”
u Argyris, 1990
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Three Organizational Failures
u Project underperformance is a function of opportunistic behavior by key interests leading to regular approval of non-viable projects
u Performance problems are the result of misaligned or underdeveloped governance mechanisms
u Performance problems have, at their heart, competing project cultures
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Echoes “Functional Stupidity”
u Incapacity or Disinclination to Critically Reflect on what we are Doing (Reflexivity)
u Refusal to Understand Why We are Doing It (Justification)
u Refusal to Understand the Consequences of Our Activities Beyond the Immediate Task at Hand (Substantive Reasoning)
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So What’s the Good News?
u These NoD Behaviors are Visible!u Remember, these behaviors are not
hidden; they are simply acceptedu We can Usually Link Cause and Effect
u “Doing this is leading to that”u Solutions May be Hard, but They are
Often Clear (and Measurable)
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What is the Role for Governance? (1/3)
u Analyze Standard Operating Procedures
u May require “fresh eyes”
u The Inside View is not our friend!
u Educate Organizational Members
u Remember: NoD has become accepted behavior
u Show why these behaviors are wrong (present evidence)
u Identify gaps between “accepted” and “expected”
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What is the Role for Governance? (2/3)
u Clarify Standards
u Devil is in the details – Who clarifies? What standards?
u E.g., PMI’s Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct
u Push for Transparency
u Remember that NoD is, at the core, a failure of culture
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What is the Role for Governance? (3/3)
u Reward Compliance
u People aren’t stupid; you get what you reinforce
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Fundamental Questions
u First: In the Governance of Projects, where does the “Normalization of Deviance” lead us?
u Second: What Role does the “Politicization” of Project Estimation and Control Play in Failure?
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Fundamental Questions
u Third: How do we Begin Charting a Path from the Present to the Intended Future?u Who has to be on board?u How do we gain buy-in?