Discuss Key differences between General Management and Project Management

Discuss Key differences between General Management and Project Management.

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Introduction

Project management can be defined as a short-term undertaking carried out with the aim of fulfilling a specific objective such as creation of a distinct product or service. This definition brings project management as an undertaking that has a clearly marked beginning and end. As divorced from this, general management can be defined as the continuous process of performing all the core management and leadership functions for achievement of a long term organizational objective. While the distinction between project management and general management has caused a rift within the scholarly literature with some scholars seeing no difference between and others discerning a difference, this paper attempts to identify the various factors that make the two aspects of management different.

Operates in environment with structures based on going concern platform vs operates in short-lived environment

As already mentioned in the introductory section, project management is based on the promise that it is supposed to ensure successful completion of an undertaking that has a definite time of existing and this implies that it is conceived based on a clearly marked timeline with a definite beginning and definite end. Project management is as effective and in effect as long as the project for which it is conceived continues to exist.

On another hand, general management exists with the beginning of the organization’s existence and operates within the organization’s structures that are relatively permanent. Every project that comes to existence does so with specific structures set up with the sole purpose of ensuring that the particular project is successful. When the project is completed, the structures that supported are no longer relevant and can be disbanded. General management is opposed to this as it is hinged on structures that ar5e permanent and are so maintained to ensure stability of the entire organization.

Consistent set tasks vs. ever-changing set of tasks

Project management differs from general management from the perspective that project management deals with ever-changing set of tasks while general management is characterized with dealing with tasks that are comparatively consistent. First, projects differ from one project to another as opposed to general management tasks that are generally routine and expected to be predictable in terms of task requirements. Given the unique nature of each project, every project conceived by the organization requires the project manager to be an individual possessing specialized skills that can handle high levels of conflict that project environments are likely to face. The project manager also needs to be an individual possessing other unique abilities and skills specific to the project unlike general management where general management skills are required. This difference also implies that it is highly likely that every project will have a unique project manager based on skills and abilities needed for the project’s completion. The consistency of tasks in general management thus makes it necessary to have an individual permanently placed in the position to improve through routine among other aspects. Since this difference in consistency of the set tasks makes projects to highly differ from organizational activities that are considered non-projects, a project manager needs to highly creative and flexible to effectively deal with the changing nature of the set tasks in projects.

Tasks described as ‘maintenance’ vs. predominantly concerned with innovation

This difference is almost closely linked to the one immediately above. As already mentioned, every project is always unique and distinct from other projects. This implies that every project will require unique ways of accomplishing it and this basically brings in the aspect of innovation in project management. A project manager needs to be highly creative and innovative with respective to underlying factors specific to the project at hand since the project has a limited time of existence and specific measurable objectives to be achieved.

Moreover, general management involves repetitive or every day activities and operations meant to maintain the successful existence of overall organizations together with its operations (Hales 2005). These repetitive operations include aspects such as accounting and financial controls that ensure the organization’s financial health is sound all the time and the activities financed are sustainable financially. It is also easy to notice here that while general management involves activities that can be seen as mere maintenance of the organization for its going concern objective, it is also without doubt that these activities are easily handled by the subordinates such that the general manager only manages them through exception. In the project management side, the project manager is actively involved in the tasks and directly ensures control of the tasks.

Responsible for management of the status quo vs. overseeing change

Organizations develop a specific culture, which they invest in and work to maintain it so that it is past from generation to generation of stakeholders. General management works to ensure that this culture is maintained and strengthened so that individuals can have a common cultural point of reference in terms of established beliefs, shared values and way of doing things in the organizations such as the way people carry out their daily activities. The fact that it is not uncommon for people in organizations to resist change makes the established status quo be the better option as well. Culture is an organisational perspective which must stand to ensure that transformation in the organisation suits the environmental changes but at the same time is well and technically designed to accomplish the objectives for which it exists. Even though Shafritz and Ott (2001) reiterate that organizations have traditionally resisted change and are now beginning to embrace change slowly, Smircich, (2006) and Paulson, (2002) indicate that organizations with their stakeholders work to maintain status quo in terms of culture in order to build identity and this can also be seen as a form brand image positioning that has to be maintained through general management aspects.

When looked from the perspective of project management, it divorces from the daily activities of the organization that work to maintain status quo since projects are an exemplification of change in the organization. Since projects represent a change from normal way of doing things so that a specific objective is achieved within a specified time span, this change will be resisted and therefore the project manager must work to ensure resistance to change is well managed and overcome.

Main task is optimization vs. Main task is conflict resolution

The general manager has an important function of ensuring that the resources availed to him are used optimally to generate the maximum benefit to the stakeholders. Since this understanding is generally integrated early in the various operations of the organization so that every activity works to ensure optimal use of resources to generate maximum benefit, there is a sense of “standardization” that has to be adhered to and the main task of general management is to ensure the outcomes are measured against the established norms of optimization (Hitt et al 2007).

Conversely, projects arise as a detour from the normally established ways of operating and doing things. As such, many conflicts are likely to arise. Without solving these conflicts continually, the project manager cannot achieve the set objectives of the project (Carlopio et al 2005). This means that the project manager will continually be involved in resolving conflicts.

Conclusion

The analysis has shown that while project management is a set within the bigger set of management, it is divorced from general management in the way in which each of them view time, handle change and their respective objectives. General management has long term broad objectives while project management has specific objectives that have to be achieved in the short term. While project management deals with conflict resolution to handle the effect of change, general management is mainly tasked with resource optimization.

Reference

Carlopio, J, Andrewartha, G, Armstrong, H, (2005) Developing Management Skills: A Comprehensive Guide for Leaders, 3rd ed., Pearson Education Australia,

Hales, C, (2005) Rooted in Supervision, Branching into Management: Continuity and Change in the Role of First-Line Manager, Journal of Management Studies, Volume 42, Issue 3, pages 471–506,

Hitt, M, Black, J, Porter, L, Hanson, D. (2007) Management, Pearson Education Australia,

Mantel, S, Meredith, J, Shafer, S, Sutton, M, (2011) Project Management in Practice, 4th Ed., John Wiley and Sons, Kerzner, H, (2013) Project Management: A Systems Approach to Planning, Scheduling, and Controlling, John Wiley and Sons,

Paulson, C., J. 2002. ‘On the “organizational identity” metaphor’, British Journal of Management, 13: 259–268.

Shafritz, J., and Ott, S., (eds.) 2001. “Classics of Organization Theory” Harcourt College Publishers.

Smircich, L., 2006. “Concepts of culture and organizational analysis” Sage Publishing

Terry, J., and Hogg 2001. “Social identity processes in organizational context,” Psychology Press, New York.