These days you may be hearing a lot about neuroscience in business, leadership, and Project Management. But what is neuroscience?
This video is safe for viewing in the workplace.
This is learning, so, sit back and enjoy
Neuroscience
Defining Neuroscience
Neuroscience is a scientific discipline. In the academic world, it is the study of our nervous system, with the primary focus being the brain. But it includes everything the brain connects to: your spinal cord, and your central and peripheral nervous systems.
Neuroscience is a multidisciplinary subject, which combines anatomy, physiology, molecular biology, cell biology, psychology, biochemistry, and loads more. It aims to understand all the properties and behaviors of our nervous system and brain.
But, we are not neuroscientists, nor academics. We need the bits that will help us better lead people and deliver our projects. A useful working definition in our context is:
Neuroscience is about understanding how the brain works, so we can learn to control our responses, manage behaviors, and make resourceful choices.
It brings in a load of elements that most project managers have some knowledge and understanding of:
- Psychology
- Sociology and Behavioral Science
- Emotional Intelligence
- Motivation
- Communication Skills
And, if that is not enough to persuade you of its value to you and your career, let’s dive a little deeper…
Project Management is about People
We deliver projects for people – call them clients, users, or stakeholders. And we deliver projects with people, call them staff, colleagues, or team-members. The truth is that projects are all about people and the profession of project management is one of coordinating people to do difficult things for other people. It’s people all the way.
And that’s what makes neuroscience a valuable study for project managers. The more we know about the topic, the better we can do our job.
The Heart of Neuroscience
My interpretation is that the core understanding of the brain is that it works in different ways, at different times.
Neuroscience and the Triune Brain Model
Different brain structures deal with:
- Survival: largely the brainstem
It keeps your heart beating, your chest and diaphragm breathing, your body’s chemicals in balance, and your temperature regulated (homeostasis). - Emotions: largely, the limbic system
Responds emotionally, connecting events with memories, and driving your impulses, aversions, and desires. - Reason: largely the cortex
Responsible for conscious thought, language, creativity, problem-solving, and decision-making. It’s the bit you need to have online and working well, while you are at work.
This simplified model of the brain – the Triune Brain – has a lot of power to predict and explain behavior.
Neuroscience and the Survival Instinct
We need our reasoning to be alert, active, and dominant in the world at work. Yet much of what happens can activate our emotional Limbic System or even the survival instincts of our brainstem.
Neuroscience tells us we need to do two things to keep our thinking brain in control:
- Minimize perceived threats, or
- Maximize perceived rewards
The SCARF Model
My video on the SCARF Model is about the five factors that David Rock identified, which can be a source of threat or reward to our brains:
- Status
- Certainty
- Autonomy
- Relatedness
- Fairness
With a good understanding of neuroscience, you can reduce stress in and around your project, increase motivation, improve communication, boost creativity, and sharpen decision-making.
Recommended Videos to Help with Neuroscience
Carefully curated video recommendations for you:
- Neuroscience for Project Managers with Carole Osterweil | Video
- Neuroscience & Psychology for Project Managers [Livestream]
- What is the SCARF Model? | Video
And related topics:
Recommended Articles to Help with Neuroscience
And related topics:
What Kit does a Project Manager Need?
I asked Project Managers in a couple of forums what material things you need to have, to do your job as a Project Manager. They responded magnificently. I compiled their answers into a Kit list. I added my own.
Check out the Kit a Project Manager needs
Note that the links are affiliated.
Learn Still More
For more great Project Management videos, please subscribe to the OnlinePMCourses YouTube channel.
If you want basic Management Courses – free training hosted on YouTube, with 2 new management lessons a week, check out our sister channel, Management Courses.
For more of our Project Management videos in themed collections, join our Free Academy of Project Management.
For more of our videos in themed collections, join our Free Academy of Project Management.
