Project Team Management

MBA-IMC®
Module 4: Consulting Process
Project Team Management
- Dr. Giselher Dombach -

MBA IMC Consulting Process 2007 © Dr. Giselher Dombach
page 1
Objectives of this presentation
• Providing students with the concept of

composing the right project team
• Providing recommendations how to
manage a project team
Training material of a leading consulting firm was partly used in this presentation.

page 2
We will consider four aspects of team management
1 Team Fundamentals 3 Managing Experts
2 Managing Juniors 4 Handling Breakdowns

page 3
Teams are more than the sum of their members
• Teams are associated with performance

• Teams are small groups of dedicated individuals
• All members of a team are committed to the same
and common task
• Teams combine different and complementing
capabilities and potentials of individuals
synergistically
• Team members feel mutual responsible for each
other
• A team feels responsible as a unit for its success
• Teams are an integrative element of companies
dedicated to success

page 4
Teams achieve different results
Performance
• Teams achieve three types of

results based on a certain
setting
Problem
Mutual
• Instead of trying to become a
solving team, groups should focus on
Small group
Technical / results and the necessary
function Individual framework - becoming a team
Interpersonal is a natural outcome of this
process
Specific goals
Working together
Thoughtful goals
Common Personal
results development
Source: Katzenbach, Smith: “Wisdom of teams”

page 5
The case team should be a pyramid – maybe using the
client as a “free” resource
Consulting Team Joint Team
Senior staff Senior staff
Middle staff Middle staff
Low-cost staff Low-cost staff
Pyramiding is often prevented by soloing, duetting and scrapping

page 6
In selecting the case team, the team leader should attempt
integrated case staffing than any other approaches
Each case member will be given clear

Integrated
objectives to reach through his or her work
Soloing „I will do it myself“
Scrapping „I will do it myself and give the dull stuff to others“
Duetting „We‘ll share it“
Duet-scrapping „We‘ll share it and give the dull stuff to others“

page 7
Five different types of group work mode can be identified
High
High Performance
Team
Real team
Working
Groups
Team
performance
Potential
team
Pseudo
Low Team
Low Team efficiency High
Source: Katzenbach, Smith: “Wisdom of teams”

page 8
All five types show specific characteristics
Working Pseudo Potential

group team team
• Group of • The sum is • Group of

individuals less than the individuals
with no potential of all who perceiv
perceived need members performance
for • There is a improvemen
performance potential for as necessar
improvement significant • Lack of
• Interaction performance transparenc
based on improvements concerning
shared • Individuals goal, targets

page 9
What is typical for a high performance team?
• A climate of ease and unconstraint

• A lot of factual discussions
• Goals are clear and defined transparently
• Everybody is listening
• You can express deviating opinions
• Most decisions are the result of a common orientation
• No hidden agendas
• The task is important - not the powerplay
• The team is sensible for its own dynamics, brings background discussions into
the foreground, and solves problems in a constructive way
• Breakdowns are identified early and are solved constructively

page 10
The members of the team form the core of a high
performance team
Across disciplines -
the high performance team is a group of highly motivated
individuals across all necessary disciplines and functions,
working as a high performance team and not as a collection of
egos with individual hidden agendas
Willing to make decisions -
high performance teams consist of decision makers - either
hierarchical or people who are willing to take risks. The
composition of the team is a clear signal to the environment about
the commitment to the task
Highly motivated -
the members of the team peg their career to the results of the team
Dedicated to results -
the members want to be measured by the results of their work

page 11
Various roles and functions determine the team work
The leader - he or she is the constant pushing factor in the team. The leader is highly motivating and helps the other
members of the team to stay committed to the vision and goals. The leaders is leading and not managing the team
The manager - he or she supports the leader by managing the team
The integrator - moderates between various opinions and leads them to a common goal. His or her social skills help to
pursue this task
The analyst - evaluates complex situations methodically. He is bound to logic and is not involved in political games
thereby helping to avoid group think
The motivator - helps to motivate the team even in difficult situations. The motivator does not accept a leading role but
masters complex social skills. The motivator is often the internal trainer for teambuilding
The communicator - helps to communicate results internally and externally. The motivator is involved in drafting and
executing the communication plan of the project
The specialist - provides the team with special expertise and can change frequently
The “out of the box” thinker - does not pursue traditional paths of arguments but brings idea from completely
different points of view
In high performance teams members accept not a single role but are capable to fit into
various roles at the same time

page 12
High performance teams work differently
Traditional teams.....
• Work mostly in team meetings. In the other time, individuals work on their specific tasks in
their department
• Have limited responsibility and take limited risks
• Assign responsibility to the leader or to some members
High performance teams....

• Work together continuously in an intensive climate over weeks which results in high social
stress
• Have high responsibility and visibility. They usually report to a high ranked steering
committee
• Share the responsibility of their work and are of mutual support for each other. That needs a
high degree of social skills
Appointing the right members for the high performance team becomes crucial for the
success

page 13
Empowerment is a critical success factor for high
performance teams
May the force be with you

Yoda, Jedi-Knight
High performance teams should be empowered to reach their goals, because....

• Teams need power to compete with the hierarchy
• Power speeds up decisions
• Empowerment is a clear signal to the rest of the organization about the importance of the
team
• Empowerment is a sign of trust in the team
• Empowerment strengthens the Esprit dé Corps
Two rules guide empowerment

#1 As much power as possible - high performance team are responsible in using power.
Empowerment increases the flexibility of the teams
#2 Sponsorship - the direct access to top management and the personal sponsorship of
managers is an effective way to empower teams

page 14
High performance teams are formed by joint work and
shared learning
High
Performance
High Team
Real team
Working
Groups
Team
performance
Potential
team
Pseudo
Low Team
Low Team efficiency High

page 15

page 16
Let’s look at three tips for managing juniors
• Motivate by establishing objectives and reviewing at

the end
• As far as possible, let juniors plan and do while you
only counsel and decide
• Set up the appropriate control and review
mechanisms

page 17
Motivate by establishing objectives and reviewing at the end
Ex
am
p le

page 18
As far as possible, let juniors plan and do while you only
counsel and decide
Does it pay to delegate to a junior of level?
Task Junior
BA Junior Consultant Consultant Pre-Senior
Proposal writing No NO Draft Yes
Case planning No Hardly Yes Yes
Issue analysis No Hardly Yes Yes
Data search Yes Yes Yes Yes
Data crunching Yes Yes Yes Yes
Interview (easy) Yes Yes Yes Yes
Interview (complicated) No No Hardly Yes
Review meetings No Hardly Yes Yes
Presentation writing No No Yes Yes
Oral presentation No No Yes Yes
Budget review No No Yes Yes

page 19
Decide when and what to control
Junior level
BA Junior consultant Consultant Pre-Senior
Timing Daily Daily Weekly Bi-weekly or

monthly
Depth All written pieces All written pieces Only key Only issue analysis
All interviews and reports /
presentations
Client relationship All contacts with theAll contacts with theWeekly report When she / he feels
client client appropriate

page 20
Decide how to control
Junior is typically What you should do
Self starter – „I can do it alone“ Insist on formal writing plus some meetings
Always worried Be open and listen

Reassure that there are always problems
„Let‘s take it easy“ List and probe, probe, probe
Insist on competent writing
Little Manager Let him decide
Wants to shine Let him shine, but insist on value of transmitting bad
news
Poet of problem solving Insist on getting news of what was done versus what
was planned

page 21
Make it explicit (1)
• Discuss team successes and shortcomings openly

 Critique interviews and meetings afterwards
 Ask for impressions and suggestions for next time
• Make frequent, constructive small criticisms and suggestions immediately
after the fact
 Handle in a friendly manner
 Do not exaggerate their importance
 Keep encouraging the team member
• Be generous with compliments when warranted
 „Try to catch the consultant doing something right“
 Watch for and recognise even slight improvements in problem areas

page 22
Make it explicit (2)
• Do not abandon the consultant

 Keep posted on progress
 Remain available to guide and counsel
 Offer to help whenever necessary with client contacts and introduction
• Do not do the work for the consultant – you must delegate!
 Agree on objectives and limits
 Allow consultant to do work and gain credit
• Do not cover up for the consultant
 If a collegue is falling short, everyone should recognise and help
 Short-term silence only postpones and amplifies longer-term problems
 Performances of other team members are frequently downgraded
unnecessarily
page 23

page 24
Your relationships with experts are bound to be like a
blind man with his dog
• You don‘t understand what he is talking about

• You can‘t judge the depth and accurady of his output
• You don‘t even understand how he performs what you ask
him

page 25
Like the blind man’s dog, an expert can be your life
saver or generate nasty accidents
• Dolce vita
 An expert who gave in two days enough content to shine for six
months
 An expert who is an encyclopedia, but too introvert to convert
knowledge into action
 An expert who is recognised internationally by peers through writing,
publications, etc
• Hell
 An expert who, prior to a presentation, advises you to reject a
client‘s ideas, but changes his mind in the presentation when the
client strongly disagrees
 An expert who is, in fact, only one page ahead of you in the text
book
page 26
Their use is best in certain types of cases
Types of Cases Illu

str
a tive
Joint (with client) Help client make entry
decision (into new area)
 Strategy development
generalist skill content
Consultant company‘s
 Operations planning
High
 Organization structuring
 Management systems
 Implementation
(Hopefully) Expert opinion on specific

Not for us questions
Low Usefull
expert
input
Low High
Consultant company‘s expert content
page 27
The expert role is different from the generalist consultant
Roles of Experts Illu
str
a tive
Lend credibility Help reach entry decision
Aid dialogue with client
Objective review on issues (Partner to Case Leader)
generalist skill content
Consultant company‘s
High
(Team Member)
(Hopefully) Expert opinion

Not for us Challenge client
Play devil‘s advocate
Low
(Lead the Case)
Low High
page 28
It is rare to find expert and generalist skills combined in one
Illu
Levels of Skill str
a tive
Joint (with client) Rare
 Strategy development
 Operations planning
Generalist skill content
 Organization structuring
High
 Management systems
 Implementation
(Hopefully) Expert opinion on specific

Not for us questions
Usefull
Low expert
input
Low High
page 29
Experts have particularly valuable roles to play
Expert Role
Sales issues Identify industry or technical issues
Pricing Advise on what already known / state-of-the-art
Proposal writing Provide technical / industry examples to demonstrate

understanding
Team task planning Provide (careful!) contributions to issue analysis
People management Manage ´technical´ client team members
Budget management Advise on sources, short-cut methods
Quality control Confirm technical / industry wok is state-of-the-art
Communications Clarify technical problems / analyses
Follow-up / Implementation Advise on further technical / industry issues
Client relations Help manage technical cleint members (carefully!)

page 30
You are bound to manage experts under uncertainty, but
there are three tips for protection
• Get information on reputation

• Behave as if you were the client and only accept
conclusions if they are adequately supported
• Have client check findings before presentation

page 31

page 32
Relationships are influenced by breakdowns
Breakdowns are:
• Situations which cause uncertainties, confusion,
and difficulties
• Interruptions on the way to the goals
• Situations and events which collide with our
commitments

page 33
Breakdowns lead to various effects
Breakdowns lead to:

• Playing down problems
• Ignoring problems
• Blaming each other
• Hushing up
• Hope that nobody will recognize it
• Censorship and information control
• Emergency actions

page 34
Breakdowns need a new conceptual framework (1)
• Crises are dependent on our engagement

• The higher the engagement the more frequent and bigger the
crises are
• High performance teams perceive breakdowns as breaks on
their way to reach the goals and focus their creativity to
overcome these performance barriers
• Well managed breakdowns are important milestones on the
way to the breakthrough
Or...
• Breakthroughs are well managed crises

page 35
Breakdowns need a new conceptual framework (2)
• Breakdowns can be multipliers for high performance teams

• Breakdowns are bases for breakthroughs
• Breakdowns can be initiated purposely by high performance teams to test
the team and to create breakthroughs
• All members are foucussing their work to overcome the breakdowns and
to create effective and efficient solutions
• Effective and successful management of breakdowns improve:
• Results
• Working as a team
• Trust
• Risk tolerance

page 36
Breakdowns build the basis for breakthroughs
Engagement
Something happens
ALTERNATIVES
Evaluation of facts
Reaction
“Problem” Declaring
(status quo) „breakdowns“
What is wrong What is possible?

with ......
Build possibilities for
Leads to blaming
a breakthrough
each other

page 37
Ten ingredients for a successful high performance team
• #1 Clarity in goals
• #2 Established ground rules
• #3 Selection of team members according to capabilities
• #4 Clear communication and interactions
• #5 Beneficial behavior
• #6 Quick wins
• #7 Continuous information
• #8 Appreciation
• #9 Awareness of group think
• #10 Spending time with each other

page 38
page 39

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MBA-IMC®

Module 4: Consulting Process

Project Team Management

- Dr. Giselher Dombach -

• Providing students with the concept of

MBA IMC Consulting Process 2007 © Dr. Giselher Dombach

1 Team Fundamentals 3 Managing Experts

2 Managing Juniors 4 Handling Breakdowns

MBA IMC Consulting Process 2007 © Dr. Giselher Dombach

• Teams are associated with performance

MBA IMC Consulting Process 2007 © Dr. Giselher Dombach

• Teams achieve three types of

MBA IMC Consulting Process 2007 © Dr. Giselher Dombach

Consulting Team Joint Team

Senior staff Senior staff

Middle staff Middle staff

Low-cost staff Low-cost staff

Pyramiding is often prevented by soloing, duetting and scrapping

MBA IMC Consulting Process 2007 © Dr. Giselher Dombach

Each case member will be given clear

Soloing „I will do it myself“

Scrapping „I will do it myself and give the dull stuff to others“

Duetting „We‘ll share it“

Duet-scrapping „We‘ll share it and give the dull stuff to others“

MBA IMC Consulting Process 2007 © Dr. Giselher Dombach

Low Team efficiency High

Source: Katzenbach, Smith: “Wisdom of teams”

MBA IMC Consulting Process 2007 © Dr. Giselher Dombach

Working Pseudo Potential

• Group of • The sum is • Group of

shared • Individuals goal, targets

• A climate of ease and unconstraint

MBA IMC Consulting Process 2007 © Dr. Giselher Dombach

MBA IMC Consulting Process 2007 © Dr. Giselher Dombach

MBA IMC Consulting Process 2007 © Dr. Giselher Dombach

High performance teams....

MBA IMC Consulting Process 2007 © Dr. Giselher Dombach

May the force be with you

High performance teams should be empowered to reach their goals, because....

Two rules guide empowerment

MBA IMC Consulting Process 2007 © Dr. Giselher Dombach

MBA IMC Consulting Process 2007 © Dr. Giselher Dombach

1 Team Fundamentals 3 Managing Experts

2 Managing Juniors 4 Handling Breakdowns

MBA IMC Consulting Process 2007 © Dr. Giselher Dombach

• Motivate by establishing objectives and reviewing at

MBA IMC Consulting Process 2007 © Dr. Giselher Dombach

MBA IMC Consulting Process 2007 © Dr. Giselher Dombach

MBA IMC Consulting Process 2007 © Dr. Giselher Dombach

BA Junior consultant Consultant Pre-Senior

Timing Daily Daily Weekly Bi-weekly or

MBA IMC Consulting Process 2007 © Dr. Giselher Dombach

Junior is typically What you should do

Always worried Be open and listen

MBA IMC Consulting Process 2007 © Dr. Giselher Dombach

• Discuss team successes and shortcomings openly

MBA IMC Consulting Process 2007 © Dr. Giselher Dombach

• Do not abandon the consultant

1 Team Fundamentals 3 Managing Experts

2 Managing Juniors 4 Handling Breakdowns

MBA IMC Consulting Process 2007 © Dr. Giselher Dombach

• You don‘t understand what he is talking about

MBA IMC Consulting Process 2007 © Dr. Giselher Dombach

Types of Cases Illu