BEHAVIOURAL SCIENCE AND PROJECT MANAGEMENT

P. D. Agarwal B. E., AMIMA, MSEG, FIE (India)

Introduction

Expectations from a manager

Concept of human relations

Motivating forces

Better human relationship practices

Manager's Conduct

Psycho-techniques in management

Sixth Sense

Summary

On the basis of research work done in the field of human behavioral science, following outcome has been reported in various literatures. Although these points have already been covered to some extent in the text above but it shall be worthwhile to summarize them. These salient highlights are given below.

i) Project Management is a human process and the objectives of any project can be met with successfully if there is determined will in the team.

ii) For a successful manager his vocation should not be just a means of livelihood but a way of living.

iii) Human relations may be described as understanding others, perceiving inner feeling, appreciating and valuing emotions of other people. To be capable to work with the emotional and social forces in the group of people, keep their hostile feelings under restrain and keep anxiety to a minimum possible level.

iv) Discipline is the acceptance of the necessary rules for a regulated society, it does not lead to but results from high morale. Thus special provisions for the maintenance of discipline or codes of conduct are an indication that morale is not satisfactory in the organization .

v) It is universally recognized that a manager should lead rather than drive his team to achieve the best results. In other words “management by objective” is most effective tool of working.

vi) Lasting motivators are sense of achievement, interesting work, and the feeling that the accumulation of professional achievements will lead to appreciation , recognition and subsequent growth.

vii) A manager must be scrupulously fair, consistent and genuine in all his dealings. Integrity of character and personal honesty is very important aspects of the conduct of a manager.

viii) An effective management is a sequence of decision, small or big; and success of management depends how satisfying these decisions are. Better quality decisions can be produced by careful and critical examination of one’s own personal style of decision making.

ix) Better decisions can be arrived at by adopting “Steeping” theory in which one retires to steep within and makes up his or her mind. When all the relevant details, facts and figures are fed to the mind.

x) It shall be unreasonable to expect that a good decision shall remove all uncertainties which future might be holding. Before getting disappointed with a decision one should see if there was any better alternative choice.

xi) For clear understanding about intuition, perception and concept development, subtle or sub-conscious dimensions to the thought-process are very necessary. These will help in arriving at a good decision.

xii) Under certain situations one will have to rely on pre-logical or sub-conscious faculties like intuition or haunch or sixth sense to arriving at a managerial decision. At many a times it may be unwise to blindly follow the principles of management science and altogether ignore the subliminal forces.

xiii) Better management is not a popularity contest. It has been observed that for high performance some displeasure of certain group is bound to emerge.

xiv) In the words of B. C. Forbes, to achieve your maximum potential, move forward to progressively greater fulfillment. You need never be incompetent through becoming the best human being that your potential, your creative mind, and circumstances will allow. There’s more credit and satisfaction in being a first-rate truck-driver than a tenth-rate executive.

xv) To be happy (and successful) one should remember as indicated by D. Harold that unhappiness is not knowing what we want, and killing ourselves to get it.