Project Managers Strive: Your Country Needs You!
That’s at least the message from Dr. Ian Clarkson Who introduced b Project challenge Last month in London. His stated belief that there is a ‘perfect storm’ in the project profession and used research shows that there is a worldwide shortage of project management professionals, the pace of change is increasing, the demand for project managers is high and he will remain high. For a while. You can see his full session from Project Challenge at the bottom of the page.
In fact McKinsey’s report – The future of work: rethinking skills for dealing with the ongoing talent crisis in the UK Projects that will have 5.5 million unskilled project management workers by 2030! (See illustration below)
So there is a big gap that needs to be filled. But according to the statistics of K.PMG and Rec report on jobs Project practitioners already have a shortage (not in all sectors).
So how do we fill this gap?
We need to look for the next generation of project managers to do this, the data from our latest project management report (2020) show an aging profession. When only 13% of respondents are in the age range of 34 and under. We need to capture the attention of this age group so that projects can continue to work with the best talent there is.
Examples of this are e IPMA’s young staff And initiatives like theirs 2021 Days of the World Prime Minister on the Internet, The next of which takes place later this month on 27/28 November with the theme of self-management and self-thinking.
Project management needs a new look
Ian goes on to say that we need a revolution in project management. Demand is high, supply is low and the traditional way of working is not going to attract the next group of project managers. They will want to work in another way:
The new workforce wants their work to have a mission and a deep purpose. They do not want old-fashioned command and control bosses. They want coaches who inspire them, communicate with them and develop their strengths. “- This is the director, Jim Clifton and Jim Harter, Gallup
These are the kind of changes that may need to be made in the entire industry as a whole (not just the individual) in order to maintain relevant project management in the coming years.
So what does the next generation prime minister look like?
The next generation is coming Wants and expects different things From their careers and workplaces compared to most of the current workforce. It’s not all a matter of money! (Although you will not be able to dodge with a low salary in exchange for cultural needs. A balance will have to be made).
Jim Clifton and Jim Harter (As seen above) illustrate what they believe is the project manager of the past and the future (see below)
They emphasize practices and expectations that are very traditional and have been around for a long time that need to change. In particular: annual reviews for ongoing conversations, my boss to my coach, and the one who really stands out is my job – my life.
The intention is to make sure that we secure a future for the project management profession. Building the right project / workforce culture will help us bridge the generation gap and maintain project management as an attractive career choice for years to come.
You can see Dr. Ian Clarkson’s full presentation on the Challenge project below: