Managment of Conflicts in Projects

1. CovertoCover
138 March 2009 I Project Management Journal I DOI: 10.1002/pmj
“I
n this world nothing is certain but
death and taxes.” Were Benjamin
Franklin a modern-day project man-
ager he might instead proclaim, “In
projects nothing is certain but the inevitability
of politics and conflict.” Indeed, politics and
conflict are undeniable and inescapable real-
ities in the project environment regardless of
the size or location of the project. Ignoring
them can be hazardous for the project manager
and the project.
In Managing Politics and Conflict in
Projects, author Brian Irwin endeavors to help
project managers uncover ways to manage con-
flict constructively and use political play to
advance their goals by improving their soft skills.
“Usually, it’s not the . . . science of project man-
agement . . . that causes migraines and heart-
burn for project managers.” says Irwin. “Rather,
it’s the need for constant communication, negotiation, political
play, and influence,” or to put it another way, reliance on the soft
skills that are the essence of the art of project management.
Irwin’s book begins with a brief commentary on the art and
science of project management, followed by a straightforward
evaluation of some of the challenges inherent in the project envi-
ronment: communication, competition for resources, unclear
project goals, lack of power, and project globalization. These chal-
lenges are all the result of organizational politics, the cause of
project-related conflicts, or both. By addressing them in the first
chapter, Irwin provides context for the material discussed in the
subsequent chapters. The content here is fairly basic, suggesting
that the book is geared more toward students and novices of
project management than experienced practitioners, and that
Irwin intends to approach his subject matter broadly but not
deeply.
In the second chapter, Irwin makes an important distinction
between “positive” and “negative” politics. He provides broad
overviews of organizational culture, project manager as an agent of
change, and political self-awareness, which includes a couple
of nine-question quizzes enabling the reader to do a quick self-
assessment. Similarly, in the third chapter, Irwin highlights
the difference between “constructive” and “destructive” conflict.
He briefly addresses the necessity of proj-
ect conflict, sources of conflict in project
groups, and conflict resolution modes. Both
chapters contain practical advice—tips and
topic-related techniques—that can be “put
to immediate use.” Although these two
chapters provide only cursory overviews of
organizational politics and conflict, they are
ostensibly the underpinnings for the materi-
al in the rest of the book.
Irwin devotes a chapter each to commu-
nication, negotiation, multidirectional rela-
tionship management, political strategy, and
leadership. These chapters, which focus on
the soft skills pertinent to the particular topic
discussed, have been “written so each can be
read independently as needed.” Here again,
tips and topic-related techniques have been
included in each chapter. These are presum-
ably “best practices” for managing politics and conflict in proj-
ects that Irwin has drawn from his own project management
experiences. Some, while practical, are fairly obvious and are
likely to be techniques that novice project managers are already
doing. Others sound good in theory but might prove impractical,
if not irrelevant, in real-life situations.
To illustrate the topics discussed in each chapter, Irwin has
woven a running fictional case study into the book. The case
study is somewhat contrived and, at times, a bit melodramatic.
But it does focus attention on some of the political issues and
conflicts typically encountered in projects and it shows how
Irwin’s tips and techniques can be used to deal with them. The
real value-add of the case study is that it showcases how benefi-
cial a mentor can be to a project manager. This is a great take-
away for students, novices, and seasoned practitioners alike.
Managing Politics and Conflict in Projects tackles the rather
weighty issues of politics and conflict in the project environ-
ment. It is not the first book to do so, nor does it add to the exist-
ing literature in any unique or compelling way. Given the
author’s basic and sometimes flimsy treatment of the subject
matter, the book is unlikely to appeal widely to experienced
practitioners. However, precisely because it does approach rela-
tively complex topics in an undemanding and uncomplicated
way, the book might be of interest to students and novices.
Reviewed by Risto Gladden, PMP, MSc (Project Management), a project
manager for Finantix, Ltd., in the United Kingdom.
Managing Politics and Conflict in Projects
by Brian Irwin
Management Concepts, 2008, ISBN:
9781567262216, softcover, 210 pp.,
$29.00 list price.
Project Management Journal, Vol. 40, No. 1, 138
© 2009 by the Project Management Institute
Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com)
DOI: 10.1002/pmj.20101