For The Newcomer

Projects are conducted in a world outside the world of "Production Management" or the "Hierarchical" organization with which you are so familiar.  Thus, at becoming a project leader, you enter a new world.  This transition can be quite difficult and many are unable to successfully navigate it.  The rules in the "Hierarchical" organization, may not apply here.  During your service as a project leader, you need to retain a memory of and ability to work with the hierarchical world, but recognize several significant differences;

1. Risk - in the "Hierarchical" organization, we avoid risk-taking behaviors and even create policies (rules) discouraging it.  In the "Matrixed" organization (your project core team), you need to encourage and reward risk-taking.  You have entered a world of unknowns, and as such, you will be defining things as you go which includes risk-taking.  In the project world, it may be easier to get forgiveness than permission.  Make risk-taking a matter of discussion within your core team and be alert for opportunities to reward it.
2. Rank - in the hierarchical organization, you are expected to recognize and respond appropriately to rank (called "political savvy").  Decisions require approval up through the chain of command.  All of this requires "time" (your most precious resource as a project leader) of which you have very little.  In the project world, core team members must check their rank at the door.  You will be required, most times, to go to where you can get the most authoritative / quickest / most efficient response irrespective of the chain of command.  You will need to heighten communication with the hierarchical organization to minimize negative consequences associated with rapid response.
3. Rules - the hierarchical organization is replete with policies, procedures and rules. These have been refined over time into "best practices" and become institutionalized. By definition, a project is to produce a "new" product / service or process. "New" suggests that rules are defined as you go. Unlike the hierarchical organization, these rules facilitate the effective / efficient execution of a prototypical product / service / process and may thus only work in your unique project environment. The most efficient path in one world may not work in the other.  Here again, heightened communication efforts are necessary to minimize negative consequences for core team members.
4. Results - in the hierarchical organization we tend to focus on bottom line impacts.  In the project environment there is a distinction between means -vs- ends.  Means are the resources used to produce the desired ends.  Our focus must be on developing the means (in project work this is the team) to produce our desired ends (the desired results or deliverables / tangibles) and provide our team the freedom to create.  As project leader, your responsibility is singular; to protect the means or your core team. The core team has the responsibility is to produce the results.  When your focus slips to the ends, the team typically suffers, thus negatively impacting the resulting ends.

This is by no means meant to be an exhaustive list of differences, but by paying attention to these four critical distinctions, a leader in the hierarchical organization can survive and even thrive in the project environment.  We'd love to hear your comments.