The recent spate of train, bus and plane crashes in Western Europe, Canada and the US has, understandably, precipitated a series of articles by reporters, journalists and others. Some have reported the facts, while others have sensationalised the events, provided a human view, or speculated the causes of these disasters.
Amongst the articles I have seen, one stood out because it raised some interesting bigger questions—of jumping to conclusions in some deterministic sense; of shoddy reporting; and, dare I say it, of cultural prejudices. I commend the article to you—perhaps to stimulate your mind as you take time out to enjoy a coffee—because it highlights the power of the written word to influence the way we perceive reality.
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A couple of weeks ago, I posted some thoughts about long service on Boards. My conclusion then was that ten to twelve years was a reasonable upper limit on service, beyond which the value of one's contribution starts to fall away.
While the context of that post was corporate boards, the value question also needs to be asked of elected local body officials—Mayors and Councillors—for they hold a governance mandate. I raise this because an article published in the Dominion Post today highlighted the issues of long service and the need for 'fresh blood' in the Wellington City Council. The average length of service is twelve years. One Councillor has spent 27 years on Council. While some of the longer-serving Councillors were quick to defend their long stints, I couldn't help but get the feeling that occupancy in the role and advocacy of single issues (not to mention fees earned), had become more important than performance and public good in a number of cases (click here and here for examples). This latest example reinforces the opinion I expressed two weeks ago. Performance and contribution should always prevail over longevity and status. I hope the candidates and voters bear this in mind in the run-up to the local body elections this October. Many years ago, when I was just a few years out of university, I heard an alarming statistic: that most projects (70% or more) were delivered late, cost more and provided less than originally planned. Some were never completed at all. I recall discussing this with my then colleagues and associates, because it seemed like an important problem that needed to be solved. My colleagues said that new systems and processes were being developed, and that this would alleviate the problem.
Fast forward a generation... Many systems and processes have been introduced—including MS-Project, PMP, Prince2, PMO and others—but have the expected gains been achieved? Sadly, they have not. As a recently published KPMG report indicates, most projects are still late, cost more, provide less or fail outright. On this evidence, little has changed. Much time and effort has been spent developing and promoting new systems—and millions of dollars are still being wasted. So, what's gone wrong, and why haven't things improved? In my view, most project management systems and processes have failed to deliver any material gains, because they do not address the vagaries of the most crucial factor: people. A more holistic approach is required. Rather than spend more effort refining systems and introducing yet more processes, attention needs to turn to the people factors. The research literature is replete with information to guide a new generation of people-focussed effort. However, until someone takes up the challenge—to deal with the motivational, behavioural and other psycho-social factors—I suspect the wastage will continue. |
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