Ideas for Change - Because the right idea can change the world » Reforestation

Project management on the edge of chaos

Invited Contributor — Tue, 13 Apr 2010 10:46:07 +0000

Project management on the edge of chaos

by Arne Vestergaard and Marianne Smedegaard

We have for a number of years taught project managers how to manage people and processes. We have heard stories from many different organisations describing numerous ways to understand and execute projects. It seems that there exists not a single correct way to manage projects, but many possible ways. One thing, though, seems to be characteristic of most of the cases. Top management expects the project manager to have complete control over the project and to have answers to any question anyone might want to ask. In many cases it is also a requirement that the project manager ensures that members of the project group have clear goals and that the development of the project is on schedule.

In this paper we want to explore to what extent the effort to control and direct a project is useful, and to what extent a project can be restricted by tight control. Perhaps there are other concepts for project management that better fit with the complexity and variability that characterise projects in today’s world. Perhaps it is preferable to see projects as a living system rather than strategically and bureaucratically.

A change in perspective of this kind would mean that the project organisation must relinquish the idea of having control over the project all the time and, if they do achieve control, see it as a temporary state of affairs. Some degree of chaos then becomes a necessary (but not exclusive) condition for innovation and for handling complexity and change. In other words, the project manager must place the project on the edge of chaos. In this paper we will try to understand what this means in practice.

Tillsammans för klimatet – vi kan alla bidra!

Daniel Daboczy - Editor in chief — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 20:57:20 +0000

Den 13:e december anordnade PostkodLotteriet seminariet “Fighting Deforestation” under klimatförhandlingarna i Köpenhamn. Enligt FN:s klimatpanel IPCC står den tropiska avskogningen för en femtedel av de globala koldioxidutsläppen. Syftet med seminariet var att öka kunskapen om avskogningen och visa att det finns lösningar som kan leda till ett stopp av exploateringen av regnskogarna.

Här kan du se vad Tony Blair, Mattias Klum, Maria Wetterstrand och andra deltagare i seminariet tänker göra för att bidra till att stoppa avskogningen av världens skogar. Vi måste alla bidra för att få ett stopp på klimatförändringarna – låt dig inspireras av filmen och fundera över vad du kan göra.

Click here to view the embedded video.

The grassroots are the real power

Hank Nokanami — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 19:30:16 +0000

We always believe that we need change to come from above.

But we the grassroots are more powerfull and influential then any of them. Societies are build by us, for us, from us. Therefore change can only come if we believe that we can make a change. Obama and his change is amazing, but still, we expect leaders to change for us. Be aware of being confortable, change comes from us. Obama is one man, Kim Il Jong is one man, we are 6,5 billion.

/dr Hank Nokanami

Carbon footprint

Hank Nokanami — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 22:16:18 +0000

Its easier than you think to be carbon neutral. Reforestation is a simple and effective way to offset the carbon emissions we all produce. Whilst it is better to reduce your emissions at source by adopting CO2 reducing practices it is not always practical or possible.

Click here to view the embedded video.