Innovation and Project Management - Part 2 of 3

This is a continuation of Part 1, and shows how Tom Kelley's The Ten Faces of Innovation is living proof that innovation and project management are not mutually-exclusive, and in fact, must coexist for true success.

In part 1, we talked about the book's three Learning Personas; The Anthropologist, The Experimentor, and The Cross-Pollinator. Now we'll talk about The Organizing Personas, again adapted from Kelley's book.

The Organizing Personas

4) The Hurdler – Bends the rules to get around roadblocks. Hurdlers tend to be street smart and can cleverly work around the system, undeterred by adversity. Seemingly stubborn at times, they listen to experts, but don’t let them have the final word.

5) The Collaborator – Brings diverse groups together, even if leading from the middle of the pack. Wins over skeptics and creates solutions that cross boundaries. Breaks through silos by being the glue that holds the diverse group together. Works “with” the client instead of “at” them. Prefers to coach rather than direct, coaching behind the scenes and letting the team run with the ball and have the glory. Doesn’t second-guess people from the sidelines.

6) The Director – Assembles the right people and gives them an environment that will allow their creativity to flourish. Has good strategic vision and sets the right theme. There’s no one style that works best. Some lead with calmness and others are bundles of energy. But they all give center stage to others, love sparking new ideas and projects, aim high, and embrace the unexpected with a variety of techniques, strategies, and resources. This role can be on a specific team and does not necessarily have to have a position of “director” authority in the corporation.

Just as an ideal project team should have the learning personas in order to position their project for success, these organizing personas can help turn chaos into order, and failure into success. As Tom Kelly mentions in his book, not every team must have every persona accounted for (and some people can adapt multiple personas), but like any toolbox, we need to know the available tools and use them when they're needed.

Up next in part 3, TheBuilding Personas...