Shoshin: A Beginner's Mindset

About a month ago, I was asked to present on the topic of "Benefits of Project Management." Thankfully, the organizers provided latitude to take the requested topic in any direction I wanted. As a result, I was able to discuss that project management can offer great benefit as well as proffer opinion on what gets in the way of achieving those benefits.

In my research for that talk, I found some startling statistics. According to sources like PM Solutions and Standish Group's CHAOS report, only 20% of project succeed. In fact, the CHAOS data has consistently shown ~20% success since the early 90's (not counting a weird inversion in 1996). Even in attempts to show one method is better than another, success metrics show that more projects fail than succeed.

Not all of the numbers were bad, though. Benefits of PM range from efficiency, legitimacy, power, and satisfaction. Studies have shown numbers like using project management corresponds to a 54% improvement in financial performance, 36% improvement in customer satisfaction, 30% improvement in employee satisfaction. In fact, it doesn't really matter if you look at performance, finances, customer or employee satisfaction, using project management correlates with delivering value.

Trying to synthesize this academic, empirical information with my own professional experience lead to some interesting conclusions. As a good ole southern baptist, I structured my talk like any country preacher with the requisite three bullet points. People. Process. Technology. Organizational dynamics, executive support, training, governance, work methods, and poor system selection & integration all contribute to challenged projects.

But then something interesting happened. I realized a theme of arrogance running through the issues I was addressing. Not just my own (in this one case), but of those involved with the failed project statistics. Optimistically, project managers, sponsors, and team members should focus on delivering the project successfully. But what really happens is a mixture of politics and arrogance at David Logan's Stage 3 of tribal culture. Knowledge is power and so people hoard it. They view themselves as great and value "winning" - whatever that really means.

I teach my students about a few business laws, like Brook's Law, Parkinson's Law, and Scott Adams' Dilbert Principle. But the one that sticks out on this subject was the Dunning-Kruger Effect. In essence, the Dunning-Kruger effect recognizes that a little experience in something corresponds to an inflated level of confidence. I've used learning to snowboard as an example. When I was on the bunny hill learning to snowboard, I thought I was doing pretty well. I fell less than the guy next to me (but more than the lady on the other side). I was able to slide down fairly efficiently. This gave me confidence to try a real trail. Upon disembarking the ski left at an "easy" green trail, my lack of experience and over confidence became immediately apparently. The empirical evidence of the Dunning-Kruger effect was me repeatedly falling on my face, and dozens of lift passengers overhead getting a chuckle. Interestingly (and apropos to my snowboard example), the peak of this overconfidence level has earned the name "Mount Stupid".

Synthesizing all of this info, a little bit of knowledge and experience within project management corresponds to an abundance of overconfidence which displays as arrogance. This arrogance has project members competing to demonstrate how great they are and hoarding knowledge to demonstrate value or power, and the results are detrimental to project success.

The solution to this, in my opinion, is shoshin. I prefer the definition of "a beginner's mindset". It is often accompanied with a statement like "in the expert's mind, there are but few solutions; to the beginner's mind, many". Everyone should admit that they can learn something from someone, and should look for opportunities to do so. I like to say, if you're the smartest person in the room, you're in the wrong room. Initially, my students take this as the opportunity to find a new room. Eventually, I hope they realize that instead it's about attitude and assumption. You should never be the smartest person in any room, as you have the opportunity to learn something from everyone.

To foster shoshin, I would echo the research and talks from Brené Brown. Practice vulnerability. "There is no innovation and creativity without failure." I would echo the Christian belief, as launched by Greenleaf, of servant leadership. "We rise by lifting others." (Ingersoll). And I would encourage humility. "Humility is concerned with what is right." (Benson)

If teams could see that "I am great" is the wrong mindset, foster shoshin via humilty, servant leadership, vulnerability, we could raise up to "We are great" mindset. And when we are great, those project failure statistics should start changing for the better.