The Top 3 Differences Between Project Work And Work Routines
A company needs projects to survive, but it needs strong work routines to thrive
In today’s business world, everything is a project, everything is a sprint. ASAP, please, Thomas. As per my last email. If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to ask. The completion of a project within the scope of time, cost and quality are what determines the quality of the company. It is the main metric of any business unit’s success. Large projects can change companies. They can turn them upside down, sink them, or float them to the very top. This is perhaps why many companies are completely devoid of personality, culture, and individuality. They do their projects well, but their business culture is a carbon copy of the global business culture, with all its annoying buzzwords that interns will try to impress you with.
And yet, it is the companies with the strongest individual cultures — startups — that succeed and conquer new markets, suggesting that managing work routines, workplace culture, behaviour and behavioural change is just as important as managing projects in the modern workplace. It is not perhaps easier, but it is more relevant. You cannot succeed in modern markets by doing exactly the same as everyone else. When we say workplace culture, we do not mean blocking Facebook on company computers. We mean positive behaviour by individual persons changing the behaviour of the company as a whole. Behavioural change in the company and employees alike, in order to promote the positive development of both of them.
Here are the 3 top differences between project work and work routines, and how you can utilise them to benefit your company’s bottom line.
Difference №1: EFFORT
Projects require a dedicated structure, people in charge, milestones, tasks, and deadlines. They are always defined by time, budget and resources. They follow one clear goal: To get the job done. When you are racing to get the job done, other things can fall by the wayside. When you are working to get the job done, you could lose sight of the goals of the company. Is the project one of the goals of the company? Sure it is. The company needs projects to survive. But it needs positive work routines and strong behaviour to thrive.
Work routines in the workplace require less concerted effort. Projects require intensive effort of the few, which is common sense when dealing with a specialised topic within an established framework. Conversely, workplace culture requires a small effort from all. The success of it does not depend on the size of the effort from one individual, but on how many individuals make that effort. It is inspired by a few, followed by others, and establishes itself. It is the same with any movement in politics, society or science. Culture requires a pioneer, improvement requires solid role models. If you ever wondered how to start a movement, here is a 2 minute instructional!
In short, projects are about getting the job done, workplace culture is about working in the best possible, most efficient manner, continuously.
Difference №2: EFFECT
As we established, projects are about getting the job done. They generally have one major purpose in mind, and provide one major solution or effect. For many companies that provide services, that major solution or effect doesn’t even belong to them, it belongs to the client — they are the ones that can benefit from it. Once it’s done, it’s done. We may have learned something new while on the project, but does that influence the way we work as a company? We didn’t have improving as a company in mind, only finishing the job, so we cannot really expect it.
Workplace culture on the other hand, at its core, is mindfulness about how we work, and what effects that can create for everyone. This is not just about benefiting the company. It is also about making it a more pleasant and productive place to work. It has a lot of minor and major effects. It serves as inspiration and empowerment of others — it could be anything from making sure the employees know what they are meant to be doing and what’s the best way to do it, to actively encouraging expression of creativity and new ideas. Different scenarios require different approaches. This has positive impacts on motivation and employee engagement, how much of themselves they contribute in the long run.
Difference №3: Engagement
Projects are run by the few, many people in the company do not even know what the other teams are doing. The incentive to get involved in something that doesn’t clearly benefit you is always tricky to find. The project could be the most exciting ever, but it will still remain somebody else’s thing. My behaviour is my behaviour. It is always my thing. Behavioural trends engage people organically, when they see someone acting in a certain way and benefiting from it, they mimic that behaviour. This is a concept so basic it is not only present in human psychology, but also in most animals.
By creating and promoting patterns of behaviour that will benefit not only the company but also the employee, you are creating fertile ground for development. By allowing employees the freedom and supplying the tools to share what and how they take actions, share their ideas and most effective ways to do the work, you are benefiting the company: you gain new ideas for development, and you can scale the most effective methods of your employees to everyone. At the same time, employees feel respected as valid voices, and that they can make a real influence on the company. They start thinking about the next idea, the next thing they can do. They develop, and so does the company. In the case of projects, most thoughts they are having can be summed up by ‘Can it be over already?’
Both are necessary: Survive & Thrive
A company needs projects to survive, but it needs strong work routines and a positive workplace culture to thrive. Inspirational behavioural will have long-term, pronounced effects on the quality of projects and overall work your company produces. It is about meta-work: How we work, not what we do. Companies are never going to not do projects. But many of them, are also never going to worry about what their employees think, feel, and have to say. Every other company that does pay attention to this properly, will certainly thrive. We live in the age of information. We have been through the age of manufacturing. The next age is the age of creativity. Let’s start changing the way we work right now, so we are ready to unleash when the time comes.
About weffect
weffect is an employee mobilization app that helps companies make their strategies, corporate values, and mission statements relevant in the daily work of their employees.
weffect supports companies to mobilize their employees, keep their concepts present, create awareness, build up a new mindset of personal influence, and inspire employees to contribute with personal actions. Higher engagement, higher motivation, higher participation, and an additional plus in earnings are the key benefits for companies. Practical inspiration, higher transparency and visibility, and recognition are the key benefits for employees.
weffect is a brand of Stratact GmbH, an employee engagement services company.
