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3 reasons why project teams need a common purpose

“Thanks. It was great working with you. Everyone got along and worked as a team. It was good to be around a group of people with a common purpose. Keep Well.”

I received the above message last month after leading a community activity, and it stuck in my mind - particularly the bit about “people with a common purpose”. This particular project wasn’t all sunshine and unicorns… it was an arduous day - a minimum of 16 hours on site, with people who we didn’t know before the day began. I’ve been reflecting on how project teams that are unified behind a common purpose can rise above the day to day challenges to achieve, and I’ve identified three attributes of project teams that have a common purpose: Focus, Culture & Passion.

Focus

Projects can be arduous, they can be mundane, they can be buffeted by “well meaning” stakeholders. In this environment it can be hard to concentrate on the task at hand instead of getting caught up in the details, or being distracted by shiny new ideas. With a common purpose, a good project manager can keep the team focussed on project, so that the team stays focused on the jobs they need to do, and thus the project remains on track. 

Culture

In this context, “Culture” means the interpersonal atmosphere that the Project Manager creates. In 2021, the Association for Project Management identified the creation of an appropriate atmosphere between the project team and stakeholders as one of the dynamic conditions for project success. The Project Management Institute notes that a strong culture shapes an organisation's decision patterns, guides actions, and drives individual behavior of all members. A common purpose is the centre of culture and embedded into how the project makes decisions. Consistent and predictable decision making allows a project to move forward at speed, avoiding bottlenecks when decisions are required.

Passion

When Project Managers can unify a project team around a shared purpose they can create emotion - passion for improvement, for success and for change. Passionate team members are enthusiastic team members and combined with empowerment can deliver more than those turning up to do their time.

Unifying a project team around a common purpose takes time. It will likely be a conversation between the team and the project manager, as well as the organisation - it is not a top down edict. Formulating a common purpose is not something the Project Manager is doing to the team, its something the Project Manager is facilitating the team doing with each other. Once done, it will improve the project’s likelihood of success. 

 

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