Mark Phillips
April 7, 2011
It’s been called the oldest question in management: Is it better to have project management expertise or subject matter expertise?
Ask most project managers and they'll tell you process beats subject matter expertise every time. Ask most engineers, designers, doctors or professional knowledge workers and you'll get just the opposite answer, along with plenty of scorn for bosses who try to manage without knowing a thing about the business.
Examples abound on either side of the argument.
The recovery of the U.S. auto industry has been led primarily by non- “car guys.” Alan Mulally took over at Ford Motor Co. from Boeing Co. and has led a spectacular recovery of the blue oval. Ed Whitacre came from the telecom business to lead General Motors Corp. out of its bankruptcy and into a leaner, more results oriented organization that has successfully rejoined the public market. Process, knowing how to run a company and what to do to make it work, seems to be the key element in both these success stories.
On the other side, take Steve Jobs at Apple Inc., who in January 2011 announced plans for a medical leave of absence. During his previous absence from 1985 to 1997, the company was run by a string of supposed experts. All they contributed was declining market share and near extinction of Apple as a relevant brand. When Steve Jobs returned, the company’s fortunes changed radically. He brought with him the highest degree of subject matter expertise -- a computer and electronics guy through and through. It remains to be seen what will be the long-term effects of Jobs’ latest stint away from the Apple helm. Certainly though, in the years prior to his return in 1997, SME dramatically trumped MBA.
At the core of the project manager vs. subject matter expert debate is a question of results: Which positions a company for better outcomes, a leader with a ready-made tool set honed across industries or a leader with a skill set specifically tuned to a certain business sector?
Does each industry have its own unique tool set? Is any industry so specialized that it precludes a skilled practitioner of multidisciplinary management from success?
Looking over the annals of business and project management, I contend an effective manager, an effective executive, can succeed in any industry. Management science and its project management sub-category draw from more than a century of data, case studies and best practices to prepare individuals to lead businesses.