The Role of a PMO in Fostering a Project-friendly Culture

It can sometimes be frustrating. Even though a PMO has perfectly organized everything related to the project business, including establishing project management processes, methods, and tools, clarifying roles and responsibilities, and setting up the governance for projects, programs, and project portfolios, projects still fail to be successful. It appears there is a glass ceiling or invisible barriers somewhere. Trying more of the same won’t help. An entirely new perspective is necessary. It often surprises me that those responsible for the PMO do not themselves come up with the idea of dealing with the corporate culture and how it affects projects. One reason may be that culture is a rather vague concept and is difficult to grasp in practice.

Let’s approach this topic step by step. The first question could be about the image projects and project managers have in the respective organizations. In public administration in Germany, we often receive the answer to this question that projects must be completed in addition to the day-to-day work, so the time in projects is “on-top”. It is, therefore, only done when the day-to-day work is completed and is thus not given any priority in practice. From a personal point of view, a project is more likely to cause stress and is not gladly taken on “on top of everything else.” The image of a project manager also says a lot about the project culture. I recently asked about the role of a project manager at a private engineering firm in Kazakhstan and received a very positive image of a captain or a pilot in response. However, this image contrasts with the image we get from project managers in the automotive industry when asked to draw a self-image (see Figure 1). This shows the image of a person who suffers, who does not lead but bears the burden of the project alone on his shoulders and must drag the team through the ups and downs of the project. The project manager receives little recognition and is instead quite alone exposed to criticism from the customer or upper management.

Figure 1: Image of a Project Manager 

It makes a massive difference to a project manager’s performance if they see themselves and are seen by others as captains or pilots. As a result, they are significantly more committed than if they tend to suffer through the project. That is why a PMO must highlight the purpose of projects in the organization and the contribution of projects and project managers to the company’s success. Ideally, a project manager is seen as the “CEO of the project” or an entrepreneur within the organization. This image can emerge through appropriate narratives, success stories, and continual communication from the top management. Internal and external awards for outstanding project performance also promote this positive image and contribute to projects being perceived positively in the long term.

Beyond the general image of projects and project managers, there are many other cultural influences from the project environment. For example, the division-specific culture in an R&D environment is very different from a project-friendly culture. In a project, everything is subordinated to customer-specific requirements regarding quality, costs, and deadlines. However, this often conflicts with the technical staff’s preference for designing a perfect, technically sophisticated solution without risks. Particularly in a matrix project organization, such negotiations are left to the project manager, although a reconciliation of interests can be organized centrally by product or top management. This is where the PMO can use systematic observation to identify the causes of conflicts between the technical departments and the project and make a decisive contribution to a solution by making the cultural differences transparent.

Furthermore, corporate culture and local, regional, and national customs all impact projects. This is most obvious in projects with team members from different countries. Different religions, values, beliefs, and assumptions, among other things, affect aspects of leadership, risk, planning, and control that are highly relevant to projects. For example, in projects, worlds collide when a German project manager, educated in a rather risk-averse and detail-oriented culture, is supposed to work with US colleagues. In such cases, the PMO can ensure that everyone involved in intercultural projects develops awareness and intelligence in dealing with cultural influences. However, this is not limited to the national level; it can vary significantly even within a country at the local and regional levels. This becomes noticeable, for example, when projects are to be implemented in a German automotive supplier company with plants in northern and southern Germany.

Finally, corporate culture also has a significant influence on projects. Are projects addressed from this cultural perspective? Do the corporate culture’s values, beliefs, and assumptions contradict the culture necessary for projects? A good example is the frequently cited “zero-error culture” in companies. This is intended more for routine tasks in the company and is often prioritized in production. In projects, however, achieving unique and innovative results through an agile approach or experimentation is more necessary. Deviations and errors are almost part of the process here. This is where the PMO can also exert its influence to resolve possible contradictions between the project world and the corporate culture.

Therefore, a PMO should take care of cultural intelligence and promote it in a targeted manner within its sphere of influence and across the entire organization. This means 1. acquiring the necessary knowledge about culture and making it transparent, 2. becoming aware of one’s cultural imprint in the respective context and the consequences of this (cultural mindfulness), 3. acquiring the necessary skills for dealing with cultural influences and differences, and 4. promote “cultural willingness,” i.e., the motivation to engage with other cultural influences.  In the long term, this helps ensure that projects can be successfully implemented even in a culturally diverse environment and that those involved enjoy their work and are motivated to engage in it fully.

Further Reading

Livermore, D. (2024). Leading with cultural intelligence: The real secret to success (3rd ed.). HarperCollins Leadership.

Rosario-Maldonado, L. (2023). Becoming the change: The power of cultural intelligence. Manuscripts LLC.

Thomas, D. C., & Inkson, K. (2017). Cultural intelligence: Surviving and thriving in the global village (3rd ed.). Berrett-Koehler Publishers

Zein, O. (2015). Culture and project management: Managing diversity in multicultural projects. Gower Publishing.