ONTOLOGY OF THE

PROJECT MANAGER
Leonel Mejía Polanco, PMP
 OBJECTIVE

Obtain tools that can be applied immediately to improve the PM’s

capacity to empathize with, influence and motivate the project team,
based on considering integral aspects of the human condition.
 AGENDA
• Why is this important?
• The Perception – Action – Result (PAR) Model
• Redefining “Listening”
• The Power Exercised When Speaking
• The Role of Emotions
• Conclusion
ONTOLOGY OF LANGUAGE
RAFAEL ECHEVERRÍA
 WHAT IS ONTOLOGY OF
LANGUAGE?
It’s a philosophy based on three postulates:

1. Humans are linguistic beings.

2. Human language is generative (it has the power to modify reality).

3. Human beings create ourselves inside our language, and through it.
 WHY IS THIS IMPORTANT?

Stakeholder satisfaction should be identified and managed as a project

objective. The key to effective stakeholder engagement is a focus on
continuous communication with all stakeholders, including team
members, to understand their needs and expectations, address issues
as they occur, manage conflicting interests, and foster appropriate
stakeholder engagement in project decisions and activities.

PMBoK, 6th edition

 WHY IS THIS IMPORTANT?

Is communication a challenge when managing a

project?

• Why?
THE PERCEPTION – ACTION –
RESULT (PAR) MODEL
 THE PERCEPTION – ACTION –
RESULT (PAR) MODEL

P A R
 THE PERCEPTION – ACTION –
RESULT (PAR) MODEL

a
P A R
a
 THE PERCEPTION – ACTION –
RESULT (PAR) MODEL

a
P A R
a
1 - When managing a project, do we ask ourselves if others share our
perception of it?
 THE PERCEPTION – ACTION –
RESULT (PAR) MODEL

a
P A R
a
A
R
 THE PERCEPTION – ACTION –
RESULT (PAR) MODEL
• Each observer has a different interpretation of the same reality.

• For the same situation, two observers can have completely different
interpretations.

• As Project team leaders, it is our responsibility to ensure that the

interpretation of the tasks to be carried out is shared among all the
members.
 SO, THE PMBOK SAID…
Stakeholder satisfaction should be identified and managed as a project
objective. The key to effective stakeholder engagement is a focus on
continuous communication with all stakeholders, including team
members, to understand their needs and expectations, address issues as
they occur, manage conflicting interests, and foster appropriate
stakeholder engagement in project decisions and activities.

…How do we accomplish this?

 REDEFINING “LISTENING”

Percibir Interpertar Listen

Escuchar

Biological Linguistic
Phenomenon Phenomenon
 REDEFINING “LISTENING”

Let’s imagine a bicycle…

REDEFINING “LISTENING”
 REDEFINING “LISTENING”
• To perceive has to do with paying attention to the corporality and
emotion of the other.

• To interpret involves our life experience and the ideas that each word
generates in our mind.

• For a given situation, each person will have a different interpretation,

always.

• This generates a communication gap, which can not be eliminated.

 REDEFINING “LISTENING”
How can we narrow this communication gap?

• Find out the intention (purpose)

• Inquire
• Verify what we understood

2 - When managing a project, do we mind the communication gap?

Are we taking action to narrow it?
 SO, THE PMBOK SAID…
Stakeholder satisfaction should be identified and managed as a project
objective. The key to effective stakeholder engagement is a focus on
continuous communication with all stakeholders, including team
members, to understand their needs and expectations, address issues
as they occur, manage conflicting interests, and foster appropriate
stakeholder engagement in project decisions and activities.

…How do we accomplish this?

THE POWER EXERCISED WHEN
SPEAKING
 THE POWER EXERCISED WHEN
SPEAKING
Affirmations
(facts)

VS

Declarations
(judgements - opinions)
 THE POWER EXERCISED WHEN
SPEAKING
• Affirmations (facts):
• Can be demonstrated (true or false).
• Follow reality.

• Judgements (opinions):
• Can be agreed or disagreed with.
• Transform reality.
• Can be valid or invalid, depending on how they are fundamented.
 HOW CAN WE FUNDAMENT AN
OPINION?

Objective
Facts

Delimitation Reference Authority

 THE POWER EXERCISED WHEN
SPEAKING
How can we fundament an opinion?

• We declare it’s objective.

• We delimit it’s field.
• We define a reference for comparison.
• We demonstrate it’s validity with facts.
• We consider the authority of the one who issues the opinion.
 THE POWER EXERCISED WHEN
SPEAKING
• The authority we give to the person who issues a judgment defines
how much it affects us.

3 - How much do we allow to be affected by stakeholder opinions when

managing a project?

4 - How much do we mind the validity of the opinions we receive when

managing a project?
 SO, THE PMBOK SAID…
Stakeholder satisfaction should be identified and managed as a project
objective. The key to effective stakeholder engagement is a focus on
continuous communication with all stakeholders, including team
members, to understand their needs and expectations, address issues
as they occur, manage conflicting interests, and foster appropriate
stakeholder engagement in project decisions and activities.

…How do we accomplish this?

 THE ROLE OF EMOTIONS

Every rational
system is based on
premises accepted
from emotion.

(Humberto Maturana)
 THE ROLE OF EMOTIONS
• Emotions are generated because of an event that interrupts our
current life momentum.
• When they appear, they modify our action possibilities.

• We are not responsible for the emotions that arise on us, but we are
responsible of staying on them or not.

5 - Do we give our emotions and those of others enough importance in

our professional life?
 IN SUMMARY…
Stakeholder satisfaction should be identified and managed as a project
objective. The key to effective stakeholder engagement is a focus on
continuous communication with all stakeholders, including team
members, to understand their needs and expectations, address issues
as they occur, manage conflicting interests, and foster appropriate
stakeholder engagement in project decisions and activities.

PMBoK, 6th edition

 CONCLUSION
When managing a project,

• Do we ask ourselves if others share our perception of it?

• Do we mind the communication gap? Are we taking action to narrow
it?
• How much do we allow to be affected by stakeholder opinions?
• How much do we mind the validity of the opinions we receive?
• Do we give our emotions and those of others enough importance?
 ONTOLOGY OF THE
PROJECT MANAGER
Leonel Mejía Polanco, PMP

Leonel.mejia-polanco@dxc.com

https://www.linkedin.com
/in/lmejiap/