Photo by Joe Pitz

I was chatting with a former work colleague the other day about her challenges implementing a Project Management Office (PMO). She’d come to me because I’ve had the experience multiple times in my former life, and it usually comes down to the same dynamic:

Camp A believes very strongly in the value of the PMO.

Camp B believes very strongly that the PMO is nothing but a waste of time and resources that could be devoted to developing a product.

Camp C is completely disengaged and isn’t participating in the discussion but plans to quietly sabotage any change efforts through lethargy.

Camp D can see both sides and refuses to take a stand one way of the other.

And, let’s not leave out the person in a position of power who is insisting that there be a PMO, but leaves the direction about what “it” is to the folks at the mid-levels to “negotiate.”

Does this sound familiar in your organization? Maybe it isn’t a PMO. Maybe your thorny conflict is about outsourcing or hiring a consulting firm or whether having that baby shower for the second baby is a little much to ask.

How much time gets spent in unproductive meetings in which both sides remain intractable and nothing gets done? Can you close your eyes and see the body language of the people around the conference table?

So here is what we have.  We have a two groups that are actively engaging and accomplishing little except for heightening anger, frustration and perhaps even ill-will.  We have two other groups that for all intents and purposes aren’t participating at all.  This has become the norm, and it is likely that upper management (who wants this done, but isn’t actively engaging) thinks that the group will come up with the best solution for them.  They’ve forgotten from back in their day of duking it out in the trenches that the oft-vaunted out-of-the-ballpark solution which everyone buys into and can own (and which will be reported to them later and which they will naively believe) usually gets sacrificed for the solution of the person or group that can out-bully or outlast the competition.  Sound familiar?

Coaching and Facilitation provides you with a better process.  How about getting into a room and collaboratively working towards a solution that benefits all parties?  That’s what we do with our clients.

How?

Step 1.  We start with setting the bar higher, with getting the agreement that we are going to come up with a solution that is better than either or any of the solutions set forth to date.  This doesn’t mean giving something important up in the name of compromise.  Coaches work in the environment of possibility, and as such, we want expansive thinking.  We want our clients to use their brains to build better products, solve bigger problems as opposed to closing down.

Stay tuned for tomorrow, when I reveal the rest of the process.

Cheers,

Carolann

p.s.- you’ve probably already noticed that this process works best with a neutral party directing traffic.  It is almost impossible to get complete and honest participation in the room when the person at the front has an opinion about the outcome.  This has to do with people’s natural desire to please.  It also may be impacted by the organizational hierarchy.  If your group needs a trained facilitator to guide you though this process, Vivid Epiphany can help.  Contact us today for a complimentary consultation.