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- planning; action planning, project management, and following up
- flexibility to adjust plans as needed (we noted a tension with planning, and discussed that there is probably a dynamic balance at play here, rather than a single ideal combination. We also noted that it's important to be prepared, with data and notes, for the times when the team chooses a more flexible approach)
- conflict resolution skills to address the demotivating, and often unaddressed, conflicts that undermine commitment and action
- team norms and practices that support raising appropriate concerns and that draw in the input and perspective of key stakeholders
- listening and inquiry as part of the last three items
To this, I'd add - a systems perspective and dialog skills that enable the team to understand their project, and the demands it places on the organization, in the context of everything else that's happening.
Some project management resources
Here are a few pointers relevant to the first two skills we discussed: planning and flexibility. We'll cover more in class, of course, but you may want to look at some of this. Information on project management abounds on the web, and many people have already chosen a tool or approach that works for them. If you'd like to explore a few starting points, here are my suggestions:
Scott Berkun's book,
He posted a useful excerpt: How to figure out what to do
Repenning on the persistence of firefighting
Repenning, Nelson P. 2001. Understanding fire fighting in new product development. _Journal of Product Innovation Management_18(5): 285-300.
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