Personal and Organizational Growth
Developing Yourself and Your Organization
The word "development" is widely used in business to refer to a process of transformation. In "product development" it refers to the transformation of an idea into a new product. In "real estate development" it refers to the transformation of a piece of property into something of greater value by constructing buildings, creating roads, and so on. Personal and organizational development are also processes of transformation - change that makes a person a more effective project manager, change that makes an organization a more successful company.
Throughout these lessons, you have read about the many ways that dynamic, ever-changing living order affects the work of project managers. Now we'll consider how these agile, resourceful thinkers embrace the change required to advance their own personal development, as well as the development of their organizations. We'll also focus on the concept of project management maturity and the maturity models used to measure it. Then we will explore the many ways that learning can make you a better project manager, and the cultural and organizational barriers to effective learning.
Learning and Mindfulness
Researchers have discovered a lot about the effects of mindfulness, a state of nonjudgemental awareness, on an individual's ability to learn. Here are a few topics that you might want to explore on your own:
- Jon Kabat-Zinn, author and founder of the Stress Reduction Clinic and the Center for Mindfulness in Medicine, explains his definition of mindfuless in this short, 1.5-minute: video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gWaK2mI_rZw
- In his research on well-being and neuropolasticity, neuroscientist Richard Davidson has shown that the human brain can be transformed through meditation and other mindfulness practices. He describes the brain as the "organ which is built to change in response to experience, more than any other organ in our body". In this hour-long video he discusses his latest research: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7tRdDqXgsJ0
- This article by Kiron Bondale offers suggestions on how to be a mindful project manager: https://www.projecttimes.com/kiron-bondale/be-a-mindful-project-manager.html
- Beware of cognitive biases that can affect your decision-making abilities. This article lists 20 common biases to watch out for: http://www.businessinsider.com/cognitive-biases-that-affect-decisions-2015-8