Most project managers have observed in everyday life, which of the high ranking office employees demonstrate their power and authority by making use of the office space that they have been provided with. So, like our body and facial expressions reveal a lot about what we want to communicate; our office space and décor also communicates a lot about who we are- our rank and overall personality. As a project manager you are required to have critical organizational skills, so your office should also reflect a certain extent of organization!
Let’s understand this by a simple analogy, if you enter in someone’s office or work room and the office has a well defined and decorated conversation area- with chairs, couches, and bookshelves set up to build engagement and foster teamwork, you will assume that the person working here offers welcoming and warm attitude towards their team. This person’s environment or the décor or arrangement of furniture and space usage has made you aware of the possible collaborative and open nature of the person.
If you walk into an office that has no conversation area, no comfortable chairs and little décor, you can assume that the person sitting behind the desk may be less willing to work with a team and foster the ever important collaboration skills of a good project manager.
Now not everyone in your office will be a project manager, and not every single office room allows much choice of alterations. So, what can be done in a restrictive office environment? Well, you may want to slightly alter the furniture direction and make them look less imposing and more inviting to your team/clients. Wise leaders or project managers are well aware of which office environment works like a magic spell for team collaboration.
It has been for this reason that several prestigious professionals, specifically project managers, have opted not to talk with their customers or clients or even subordinates from behind the desk! This particular change holds the key importance and is often one of the most successful ways to motivate team members.
Usually project managers that have been recently hired by a company, make use of this more inviting conversation format, in order to gain an indirect hold over their staff and to understand them more precisely. This method has been useful in earning the trust and cooperation of the team. While you sit with the other team members in more egalitarian fashion, it boosts up the team work morale. In this regard PMCAMPUS offers a 15 PDU leadership and motivation bundle may help you in setting up the most effective environment for successful project management. Your relationship with your team can make or break a project.
Where do you meet with your team the most? How is your office set up? Come and tell us on our Project Management Facebook Page or leave a comment!
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