2018-02-04

Leadership in Project Management -

Leading People and Projects to Success
[Second Edition]

Chapter 9 -
Communication
Management

“The higher you go, the wider spreads the

network of communication that will make or
break you. It extends not only to more people
below, but to new levels above. And it extends
all around, to endless other departments and
interests interacting with yours.”
- Donald Walton

© Arora and Baronikian, 2013 [Link] 2E – August, 2013

1. Communication and Leadership

Go Hand in Hand
2. Great Leaders are Great Communicators:
Honing Your Most Critical Skill
3. Managing Communication Complexity in
Virtual Teams

*Please refer to the textbook for references and

sources for all information and exhibits

© Arora and Baronikian, 2013

1
 2018-02-04

 Explain the relationship between Communication

and Leadership
 Define communication types, models and
categories
 Understand the communication barriers and
challenges in international projects
 Explain the leadership competencies that relate
to effective communication
 Gain techniques related to holding difficult
conversations
 Describe ways to keep virtual teams constantly
engaged and productive

© Arora and Baronikian, 2013

 Communication Management…
 Arora and Baronikian,
Leadership in Project Management, Second Edition
Chapter 9: Communication Management

© Arora and Baronikian, 2013

2
 2018-02-04

“Project teams were asked what makes (one)

project succeed. Over 95% of team members
said that good communication was the reason
for their success. Over 95% said that poor
communication was the reason for their failures.
Clearly communication appears to be the key to
project success.”
Sue Dyer

© Arora and Baronikian, 2013

 Communication covers all ways in which two

or more people can interact, including oral,
written, and nonverbal methods
 It is the process of converting ideas, data
and information into knowledge,
understanding and influence
 Communication skills are important to
running any endeavour, but they are
absolutely crucial for leadership and project
management
 To say you don’t have time to communicate
is to admit that you don’t have time to lead

© Arora and Baronikian, 2013

3
 2018-02-04

 Two broad types of methods:

 Active
Active Passive
 Passive
Face-to-face meetings Blogs
 Active methods are used for
communication and Video-conference meeting
– one-on-one or group
Document
sharing
interaction in the ‘here and Telephone conference or E-mail
now’ voice-only web conference

 Passive methods permit Live webinars Recordings of

videoconferences
recipients to review the
Telephone Intranet bulletin
information on their boards

own time; they involve less In-person, stand-up Project

interaction presentations newsletter

© Arora and Baronikian, 2013

 Communication is more of an art than a

science
 Good communication requires leaders to
integrate the efforts of all project
participants
 PMs should consider the effect of culture on
the perceptions of those with whom they
communicate
 Two principal categories of communication:
 Formal vs. Informal
 Internal vs. External

© Arora and Baronikian, 2013

4
 2018-02-04

Types of Level of Speed of

Mode Use for…
Media Interaction Transmission

Print  Memos One-way Varies –  Quick, broad

 Newsletters depends on distribution of
 Booklets receiver news or for
other
 Manuals information
sharing
 Various modes of  When
documentation
communication 
is needed
Follow-up

are available
reinforcement
of message
Face-to-  One-on- Two-way Immediate  Recognition
 Communication Face

one
Small group
 Performance
feedback/

is more than just 


Large group
Video
negative and
positive
 Salary news
pitching
conference
 Web  Influence
conference behaviour/
attitude
 Check for
understanding
Voice-  Group One-way Immediate  Urgent requests
mail  Individual  Data snippets
 Action items

E-mail  Group One-way Varies –  Similar to print

 Individual depends on the – but generally
receiver speedier
preparation and
transmission
 Efficient sharing
of information
across a group
© Arora and Baronikian, 2013

10

Types of Level of Speed of

Mode Use for…
Media Interaction Transmission

Intranet  Push One-way Varies –  Similar to print

 Pull depends on (unless “chat”
 Interactive receiver capability is
available)
 Streaming
 Q&A
Communication
video
  Text  To check for
understanding
messages
is a two-way Video  Videotape One-way Varies by usage  Reinforcement
 Slide shows for face-to-face
street  Tone setting
Online  Skype Two-way Immediate  Informational:
 Without some Chat 

Sametime
BBM 
Overview
Follow-up

give-and-take,  IM reinforcement
of a message

you cannot Online

Bulletin


Blogs
Wikis
Two-way Varies by usage 

News
General
Board
communicate  Interactive information
websites updates
 Follow-up
reinforcement
of a message
Webcast  Websites Two-way Varies by usage  Follow-up
(live event or reinforcement
taped) of message,
informational
education
Audio  Web One-way Varies  For sales force
recorded and travelers –
 Phone replacement for
message/ print, video
Voicemail  Emergency
announcements
© Arora and Baronikian, 2013

5
 2018-02-04

11

A basic model of communication describes

how information is sent and received
between two parties
 Communication models
usually include the
following components: Noise can break-up a message or
change the intended interpretation

 Encoding
 Decoding
 Noise
 Message
 Medium
 Sender
 Receiver
© Arora and Baronikian, 2013

12

 Communication barriers can have a negative

impact on both the sender’s and the
receiver’s ability to communicate
 Some communication barriers include:
 Physical
 Cultural
 Perceptual
 Experiential
 Emotional
 Linguistic
 Gestural and non-verbal
 Slang, jargon, colloquialisms

© Arora and Baronikian, 2013

6
 2018-02-04

13

 Please review the Case Study in Chapter 9

and answer the following questions:
 What are the likely effects of leaving break-downs
in team communication unattended? Explain with an
example
 What challenges will Canadian corporations have to
address in order to achieve successful partnerships?

© Arora and Baronikian, 2013

14

Communication is often referred to as the

backbone of project management, and there
is a great deal of truth to the old maxim that
“communication is 90% of a Project
Manager’s job”.

© Arora and Baronikian, 2013

7
 2018-02-04

15

 To succeed as communicators and as leaders,

project managers must engage in a number of
best practices with
their project
team

© Arora and Baronikian, 2013

16

 Providingadequate feedback requires honesty,

patience, sensitivity and receptiveness
 When delivering feedback:
 Focus on behaviours
 Be timely
 Relate the message to a business goal

© Arora and Baronikian, 2013

8
 2018-02-04

17

 As a PM, you are always

being observed and
monitored, in relation to
what you say and what you
do
 Your “do” has more impact
than your “say” – but there
must also be consistency
between the two
 Don’t wait to communicate:
 It is better to provide
explanations or updates
as early as possible
 Best practice is to engage in
both a high level of action
and communication
© Arora and Baronikian, 2013

18

 Meetings are a
frequently used way
of communicating
 The PM should
generally be
very selective with
invitations in order to
have the minimum
impact on project
resources
 Celebrate
accomplishments,
have fun and build
engagement

© Arora and Baronikian, 2013

9
 2018-02-04

19

 Hudson et al identified leadership competencies

to support effective communication
 They are particularly
relevant for PMs
 The four most challenging
types of conversation
were reported to be
those concerning:
 Bad behaviour
 Obnoxious behaviour
 Illegal activity
 Performance reviews

© Arora and Baronikian, 2013

20

 Researchers at VitalSmarts offer some tips and

techniques for handling difficult conversations:
 Talk face-to-face and in private
 Assume the best of others
 Use tentative language
 Share facts not conclusions
 Ask for others’ views
 Use equal treatment
 Engaging in difficult conversations when
necessary, and employing the right approach,
helps to resolve issues before they undermine
project team morale and performance
© Arora and Baronikian, 2013

10
 2018-02-04

21

 Holding people accountable is another kind of

difficult conversation
 Researchers at VitalSmarts provide some
suggestions for project leaders:
 Communicate respect
 Lead with facts
 Share natural consequences
 Invite dialogue
 Hold the boss accountable

© Arora and Baronikian, 2013

22

 Our ways of communicating are linked to our

personal learning and cognitive styles
 Gregorc defines four different learning styles
within his ‘Mind Styles Model’
 The model has two axes:
 ‘Perceptual space duality’ dimension –
contrasts ‘concrete’ and ‘abstract’
characteristics
 ‘Ordering duality’ dimension –
contrasts ‘sequential’ and ‘random’
characteristics

© Arora and Baronikian, 2013

11
 2018-02-04

23

 Kolb’s Experiential Learning Model is an alternate

model of learning styles
 Kolb’s model is also constructed using two
continua:
 ‘Active experimentation-reflective observation’
 ‘Abstract conceptualization-concrete experience’

 These two continua leads to four types of learners:

 Converger
 Accommodator
 Assimilator
 Diverger

© Arora and Baronikian, 2013

24

 Presentations allow a PM to exchange

information and project updates, to influence,
to support decision-making, as well as achieve
a variety of other purposes
 To achieve successful presentations:
 Use the three-step rule – Describe, Deliver and Summarize
 Build a narrative
 Pay attention to body
language and voice
 Rehearse

© Arora and Baronikian, 2013

12
 2018-02-04

25

Virtual teams ‘are groups of geographically,

organizationally and/or time dispersed workers
brought together by information technologies to
accomplish one or more organization tasks’

© Arora and Baronikian, 2013

26

 Virtual teams ‘are groups of geographically,

organizationally and/or time dispersed workers
brought together by information technologies to
accomplish one or more organization tasks’
 Virtual teams enable utilization of the best people
anywhere for the given project, without relocation
 Virtual distribution of work provides numerous
benefits to organizations, including:
 Reduced overhead costs
 Accelerated project time-lines
 Lowered environmental impact
 Improved employee morale

© Arora and Baronikian, 2013

13
 2018-02-04

27

 Virtual teams rely

heavily on electronic
media and
information
technology for
communication and
collaboration Virtual
Distance
 A useful framework
Index
for assessing the
composition of a
virtual team is the
‘virtual distance
index’ proposed
by Sobel Lojeski
 It consists of three
major components
and a total of eleven
sub-components
© Arora and Baronikian, 2013

28

Physical Distance Operational Distance Affinity Distance

Factors Factors Factors

 Geographic Distance  Team Size – The  Cultural Distance –

– The degree to number of members The extent to which
which team members the team includes team members share
are separated by cultural values,
physical distance similarities in
communication style,
and attitudes toward
work
 Temporal Distance –  Face-to-Face – The  Interdependence
 The greater the The degree to which
team members are
extent to which the
team meets face-to-
Distance – The extent
to which team
virtual distance separated by time
zone differences or
face rather than
electronically,
members feel
interdependent on one

for a given
work schedule especially at critical another for their own
differences junctures in the success
project or through the
team, the course of the work
 Organizational  Multitasking – The  Relationship Distance
greater the Distance – The
degree to which
extent to which team
members are facing
– The extent to which
team members have
challenge to members of the team
work for the same
competing demands
from multiple
worked together before
or know some of the

perform well
organization or for projects and have same people socially
multiple multiple deliverables
organizations due at the same time
and successfully  Technical Skill and  Social Distance – The
Support – The extent extent to which each
complete the to which team
members are able to
team member’s status
is derived from his or
project use the tools at their
disposal and have
her hierarchical
position in the
access to technical organization and
support in using those contribution to the
tools team or the work effort
© Arora and Baronikian, 2013

14
 2018-02-04

29

 Four categories of team interaction

 Any category may apply at different points in
the life of a given project:
 Same time, same place
 Same time, different place
 Different time, same place
 Different time, different place
 The first two are examples of synchronous
communications
 The latter two are examples of asynchronous
communications

© Arora and Baronikian, 2013

30

 Effective Advantages Disadvantages

 Reducing relocation time and costs;  Lack of regular in-person
communication reduced travel costs interaction
in virtual teams  Reducing time-to-market; shorter  Challenges of matching the right
development times technology to project requirements
requires tasks  Able to tap various resource pools  Developing trust among project
to be around the world, using the best talent
regardless of location
team members can be slower

particularly  Greater productivity; opportunities for  National, cultural and linguistic

well-structured, 24-hour work schedule diversity can lead to more conflict
or misunderstanding
with one person  Increased flexibility and freedom for  Employees might not be
fully responsible team members comfortable or effective with
needed communications or
per task, collaboration technology

reducing  Respond quickly to changing business

circumstances, by shifting resources or
 Difficulties in coordinating
schedules and hand-offs across
coordination mobilizing new resources global teams
 Provide a vehicle for global  Issues due to inter-cultural
demands collaboration and coordination, differences, including
including benefiting from diverse communication styles, power
perspectives and creativity of staff distance, change management,
drawn from around the world ethics, stereotypes, etc.
© Arora and Baronikian, 2013

15
 2018-02-04

31

 The role of the Project Manager does not

change depending on whether the team is
virtual or co-located
 PMs need a high level of self-awareness
regarding their own communication style
 The PM can improve communication in a virtual
environment by taking the following steps:
 Start well: Provide in-depth introductions of people
and the project
 Organize frequent communication check-points
 Use the most effective electronic communication tools
for the situation
© Arora and Baronikian, 2013

32

Tool Cost Require- Additional Good Fit Poor Fit Social

ments Features Presence

Face-to-face $$$$ Same Everything Resource High

meeting location use
Desktop and $$$$ Special Posts and Recording, Dealing High
real-time hardware stores brainstorm- with
data and documents, ing, conflicts
conferencing groupware chat room, reviewing.
(multi-point software, whiteboards complex,
multimedia with audio long-term
technology) and video projects
capabilities,
high-speed
internet
Web $$$ Special Video, chat Brainstorm- Complex Moderate
conferencing software, room, ing, analysis, issues,
technical anonymous voting, sketches,
facilitator feedback drafting and negotiating
(this is reviewing conflicts
becoming
simpler and
more
reliable)
Electronic $$$ Groupware Can add Brainstorm- Voting, Moderate
display product, no audio, video ing, drafting obtaining
special and chat and consensus,
equipment rooms, easy reviewing analysis,
to use negotiating
conflicts
Video $$ Good Document Solving Brainstorm High
conferencing bandwidth, sharing problems -ing,
video negotiating
camera, conflicts
micro-
phone,
speakers,
video card
Audio $ Telephone Can easily Solving Brainstorm Moderate
conferencing or internet add other problems -ing,
tools negotiating
conflicts
© Arora and Baronikian, 2013

16
 2018-02-04

33

 Sobel Lojeski proposes a “virtual distance

leadership model”, consisting of three core
leadership competencies (example below):
 Bring context
 Focus on creating community
 Share leadership with others

Practice/Tool Trust Innovation Leadership

Developing Set expectations around Establish group Develop a

a Project or norms and call for values norms and “superculture”—
Organizational that reinforce integrity values that one that leaves the
and create expectations stress openness, existing culture
Culture
that innovation, and intact and builds
people will behave in a collaborative upon it. Stress
trustworthy and solutions empowerment and
benevolent manner shared leadership

© Arora and Baronikian, 2013

34

 The Project Manager must assess each

person’s level of comfort or willingness to be
in a virtual setting and look for behaviour
that may signal that a virtual team member is
suffering from disconnection
 In order to keep virtual team workers
engaged and motivated, the PM should:
 Ensure communication channels are open
 Trust virtual team members
 Be an active moderator
 Understand and be aware of cultural
differences in praise and criticism

© Arora and Baronikian, 2013

17
 2018-02-04

35

 Communication is vital for project teams and strong

competence in communications is essential for the
project leader
 Communication may be classified into active,
passive, internal, external, formal or informal
categories
 There are a range of possible communication barriers
 Best practices for project team communications
include: providing adequate and timely feedback;
having your ‘say’ match your ‘do’ (and vice versa)
 Key techniques for handling difficult conversations
are: talk face-to-face and in private; assume the best
of others; use tentative language; share facts not
conclusions; ask for others’ views; use equal treatment

© Arora and Baronikian, 2013

36

 Our ways of communicating are linked to our personal

learning and cognitive styles
 For successful presentations: use the three-step rule
– Describe, Deliver and Summarize; build a narrative;
pay attention to body language and voice; rehearse
 Virtual leadership and working with virtual project
teams is quite different from leading co-located
teams
 The ‘virtual distance index’ provides a useful
framework for understanding and responding to the
communications needs of virtual teams
 The ‘virtual distance leadership model’ highlights key
leadership competencies for virtual project teams

© Arora and Baronikian, 2013

18