Motivation and negotiation are important skills for a project manager to be able to master. Work can become repetitive and mundane. The project manager must be able to motivate stakeholders and keep them on the right track. If your team becomes burned out, the project could suffer.
In addition to motivation, the project manager may have to negotiate to get what the project needs. One example could be that your vendor is refusing to work because of the weather. What do you do as the project manager to motivate the vendors to work? What if motivation isn’t the factor? How could you use your negotiation skills to get what you want, perhaps allowing for an inclement weather bonus or an extra day off? But where do project managers learn these skills? According to the PMBOK (2017), project managers often take multiple classes at various levels to learn different ways to negotiate. Of course, in order to become an expert negotiator, classes aren’t enough. It takes experience and a lot of it! Of all the things that a project manager does on a given day, negotiation is probably the most common.
This week, you will explore motivation and negotiation. In addition to these elements, you will also learn the project manager role as well as what the project manager can do to proactively manage the motivation and negotiations and what constraints that they may have. Remember, a project by definition is unique, and so are each of the aspects, including the team, vendors, or stakeholders. What may have worked on one project may not work with another. For example, on the last project, the climate wasn’t an issue because you worked indoors. However, your new project may be outdoors, in Canada, in January. How do you motivate your team or negotiate an agreed-upon working condition? Every person and every team is different. Remember, you may be working with people that you may have never worked with before. How do you develop the rapport that you have with others that you have worked with for years? From last week, you learned that starting with listening is a good way. Allow the people to talk, take in what they say, and respond to it with empathy and compassion. How do you motivate them to get the job done? You will learn more about this in this week’s readings. As a final thought, consider what the PMBOX says, motivation is different for each individual.
References
Project Management Institute. (2017). A guide to the project management body of knowledge (PMBOK® Guide)–Sixth Edition: Vol. Sixth edition. Project Management Institute.
Weekly Resources and Assignments
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Week 4 – Assignment: Analyze Ways to Motivate and Negotiate in Project Management
Assignment
Due March 20 at 11:59 PM
Project managers need to be able to motivate stakeholders. Sometimes motivation isn’t enough, and project managers need to rely on negotiation skills to get or keep the project on track. This week, you will explore your motivation and negotiation abilities. In a video using Kaltura, give a motivational speech and then switch to negotiations (because your motivation didn’t work). The topic could be anything; for instance, imagine that you had two subject matter experts come to you wanting to move the project in a different direction. How could you motivate them to be on the same page with you? How would you negotiate a common agreement amongst everyone? Be creative and use your imagination! Be clear, concise, and of course, motivational. Make sure you rehearse and take your time, don’t rush it!
Length: 3 to 5-minute video using Kaltura
References: Include a minimum of 5 scholarly resources.
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