Project Management in a dynamics spiral perspective

Dynamics spiral model

The Dynamics spiral model was first published in 1996 by Prof Beck and C W Graves in "Mastering values, leadership and change". In this model, they introduced by color code the 8 value system, applying to the development of individuals, organizations and societies.

This table here below comes from Wikipedia . Is it the representation of the values system as defined into the Spiral dynamics model. It is divided into 2 tiers. The 4 rows of the table are part of tier 1 and use a different color by row.

Hereunder is a summary of those color codes, with a high level description of the attributes by color code (table 1, extracted from Wikipedia):

This model is based on the assumption that any individual being in a specific layer (a meme), she still uses/"encapsulates" the underlying layers as well.

Such model may also be used at the level of organizations. This area mainly covers our focus. As such, Beige, Purple Organizations are maybe not so found anymore in those days or in our areas as these colors reflected more primitive organizations.

In this essay, our purpose is to apply this model to organizations as a classification model and as such highlight what may be an appropriate approach of project management governance applying to organizations.

As stated in the name of this mode - dynamics -, to move from a meme to another, it implies a transformation process. For further information, refer to Spiral Dynamics references.

To remark, this essay is more on the intuition level, it has not being validated by any further research figures data.

Project Management approaches and their evolutions (based on spiral dynamics)

At the end of the nineties, the trend of "Best Practices" was on the underway. During this period, several frameworks like PMBOK, COBIT, Prince2, CMMI, ITIL, etc matured and deployed in organizations. Those One-Fit-All approaches seem somewhat like the "ultimate truth", so typical for the "blue" organizations (see table 1 here above)

In the years 2000 and later, with the market of consolidated project management tools booming, it was expected also to be notified for any tasks assigned to me integrated into my agenda or other gadgets-like features. This was maybe the start of the "orange" Project management organization, where technology will save everything and lead to efficiency (at least expecting to get gains).

It started more in the IT development world but "agility" and "agile manifesto principles" started to be used in more and more contexts and environments. This seems more to be the "green" period of project management. Funny however, it refers also to some terms more typic o f the purple period (tribes, rituals) but there may be some logic as "purple" and "green" are both focusing on collaboration on one side. On the other side, "green" encapsulates underlying layers, like "purple" for example.

While searching, there are some interesting examples of "system archetypes" application in project management (1). Those ones could refer to the "Yellow" meme.

Surely, it is not as such "black" or "white" as roughly depicted above but the Spiral dynamics model may provide another perspective and make us aware that Project Management approaches - even if quite recent compared with human being - are in a continuous evolution. Those approaches will have also to evolve to consider broader perspectives.

What to apply when ?

During a professional life, everyone encountered some "revolutionary" solutions, which will solve all the problems you are encountering. As from when I started my carrer, to quote a few, RUP, Scrum, TQM ... are such examples. But those "One-Fit-all" approaches, could they be applied in any type of organization, assuming top management knows why she wants to apply those "best practices" in her organization ?

Being a system thinker, my first reflection is: NO !

First of all, Dr Snowden and its Cynefin model explains us the Good Practices could only be applied in complicated contexts.

Secondly, it should also be based on the Spiral Dynamics layer the organization is (see here above). At least, this is my assumption/try but excited to share and discuss it further.

The figure here below shows that PM approaches do not fit on each type of organization.

So, quality assurance, which is an enabler to standardize and to comply with PM methodologies will not fit within green organizations.

On the other side, by being an Orange organization, try to implement a PM approach based on PM methodologies like PMI for example, without having some form of support and quality assurance, the expected outcomes will be limited.

On top of that, in case you are more a blue individual but the organization for which you are working is going to a green approach, either you will need going for a personal transformation, either you will leave/escape the organization.

Other potential case where dynamic spirals could be useful: there are a lot of papers and thinking whether a Project Management Office (PMO) should be a supportive body to the PM community or more a controlling team (2). The answer on this essential (and existential) question is also related on the organization's color. In case you are more in Blue/Orange Organization or Green one, the needs are completely different. You will mostly find a supportive PMO more in Green Organizations. On the other side, the Controlling one is more typic in Blue ones.

As conclusion, the Project Management approach has to be aligned with the organization's value system (which is a component of its culture), the latter has to fit also with all the individual's one, composing the project delivery of the organization.

This example is an illustration here on Project Management but the same grid of reading may be applied also on other domains, like Corporate Governance, Risk Management, Audit, etc.

The author

Laurent JANSSENS , is consultant in risk management and lecturer in this domain. Laurent is also interim manager combining programme management skills with IT, change or process management ones. Beside those activities, he is also busy with (IT) sustainability and promote digital/It savviness inside Boards. He is also founding member of Be Systemic! , a think-tank promoting system thinking.

(1) see PMI Benelux fair 2020 presentation by Laurent Janssens and Alain Grijseels on system archetypes.

(2) See also Laurent's paper : PMO, PSO, the game of 7 differences.