Use a pull vs. push approach PMO leadership style to get team members and stakeholders engaged and on board. People drive adoption! It may seem trivial, but is so often overlooked. Nobody likes to feel like they are being pushed into doing something. But, often we “deploy” a new process or tool with a lack of thoughtful planning on what’s required for long term adoption and success. Ownership supports adoption. Keith Ingels’ article, Push Versus Pull Management describes this theory well:
“Push management hits the ground running. It is likely very effective for short-term gains. Push managers tell people what to do and how, they are in authority and they drive the tasks forward. Progress is often fast and omits the need for discussion. It is a good way to sprint forward. Pull Management is a marathon run, not as fast as a sprinter, but if given a chance to root in the team, it is sustainable. Drawing on your team is more energy and experience from many then from few. If you want long-term success, Pull Management will be initially slower as everyone must develop the ability to participate effectively and add value. This method involves people and they appreciate that in their work. People in my experience want to add value; this method not only allows that, it requires it.” -Keith Ingels, Corporate Training and Quality Mgr at Carolina Handling, LLC
We can apply this same logic when rolling out PMO processes and tools. After all, it’s all about the people. Once we’ve started to provide some simple but beneficial wins, we can garner support organically. Next, it’s a matter of gaining ownership from the teams that will be required to participate. Rather than directing “this is how it is going to work,” facilitate participation to understand the challenges that are faced. Ingels continues: “Pull managers believe the strength of progress lies within the team and must be discovered and made available. Push managers direct the team members on tasks, not develop them.” This means that the PMO, it’s processes and tools are owned by the team and therefore the quality is also a reflection of the team. Avoid the common pitfalls of pushing pre-determined “best practices” or “certified methodologies” onto the organization. Listen more and better understand what is truly needed. Ultimately, the goal is to cultivate an environment where our constituents come to us, knocking on our door to join the effort and reap the value. By “pulling” them in vs. “pushing” it on them– we get the most long term success and partnership.