Many thanks to Tekrati for flagging up a great paper from the Concours Group. Barbara cites Concours as saying:
“The ability of senior leaders to execute on business strategy depends largely on whether employees are encouraged to speak up about project failures. A simple dynamic — called “organizational silence” — causes 85% of failed business programs and projects, according to a research study by The Concours Group and VitalSmarts. The study points to five key conversations that, if held quickly and effectively, can decrease project management failure rates by 50 to 70 percent.”
This is problem that’s certainly found in some cultures more than others. Yesterday’s IHT (the international daily of the New York Times) carried a great story about Toyota’s challenges in reducing the fear of discussing weaknesses at its US plants. Latondra Newton, general manager at the firm’s Kentucky factory had this to say:
“For Americans and anyone, it can be a shock to the system to be actually expected to make problems visible. Other corporate environments tend to hide problems from bosses.”
Lighthouse’s experience is that this is a major factor in the failure and success of AR managers worldwide: those who avoid giving their VPs can often struggle to win the additional backing they need to ensure AR is effective.
