Changes are enviable in organizations and projects. Project managers often encounter a resistance to change that causes tensions and stress. Pressures for change stem from many sources, including globalization, changing technology, rapid product obsolescence, cultural issues, and changing nature and priorities of workforce.

Most project managers have enormous responsibility but not enough formal authority. Ignoring the internal and external politics pose additional challenges in implementing the required changes and can derail many projects by slowing down the progress.

In this highly interactive workshop, you will understand the dynamics of power, influence, and politics, and develop strategies to increase your power and learn practical guidelines to influence successfully by minimizing the resistance to change. Participants will understand eight forms of power, evaluate their own power level, develop strategies to increase their total power, and learn practical guidelines to influence successfully in a matrix environment without formal authority. They will be able to analyze the political landscape in their organizations and learn how to convert their adversaries and opponents into allies and manage politics at the project level and upper management level.

The techniques and reminders covered in this highly interactive and unique 2-day workshop will give students many practical tips that they can use immediately to understand the dynamics of power, influence, and politics and learn how to effectively manage changes by using influencing skills in their organizations. Participants will focus on strategies to obtain more support for their projects and learn skills to help them become more politically sensible.

Learning Objectives

Participants will gain practical skills to:

• Recognize the importance of Human factors in Project Management
• Understand the dynamics of change and enhance their skills to overcome resistance to change.
• Learn the importance of influencing in managing change without formal authority
• Identify eight sources of power and evaluate your own power level.
• Develop strategies to increase your influencing skills by increasing total power and using it effectively.
• Recognize the importance and dynamics of politics in managing the change successfully
• Analyze the political landscape in your organization and identify political behaviours of stakeholders.
• Develop strategies to convert your adversaries and opponents into your allies.
• Implement change through your influencing skills and managing power and politics at various levels.

Who Should Attend

This seminar is appropriate for anyone — at all experience levels — who needs to lead projects, manage stakeholders, build relationships, negotiate successfully and work with others to achieve results while minimizing unwanted surprises.

Prerequisite

There is no prerequisite for this course.

Materials

You will receive a course binder containing copies of presentation slides, case studies, exercises, and suggested solutions.

What You Will Learn